Did opposing counsel get your GOTE?

• Author: Kate Southwell
• Pages: 53-58

53

g WINTER 2015

Di in cunsel e yur

 ?

KATE SOUTHWELL

In the course of your legal practice, have you ever asked yourself:

What on earth was that guy thinking? Why did opposing counsel just say

that? What does my client really want to get out of this?

GOTE can help.

Not a truth serum or a crystal ball, GOTE is an acting theory that,

when used eectively, can help you to make better choices, more

fully understand others, and approach the world in a constructive and

goal-oriented way.

Yes, I said an acting theory– acting, as in theatre. Bear with me.

WHAT IS GOTE, AND WH Y SHOULD YOU CAR E?

GOTE is a technique developed by Robert Cohen, the author of Acting

One, which is one of the seminal acting textbooks for beginners. The

GOTE technique is often one of the rst things taught to young actors.

It can build a foundation for almost any acting technique and, really, for

almost any personal interaction.

GOTE is an acronym for Goal, Obstacle, Tactic and Expectation. The

basic theory holds that every interaction between people, whether in real

life or ctional, is driven by these four elements.

It is rare that people engage in communication for no purpose at all.

Instead, people almost always have a reason for interacting with one