Explaining Statistical Significance To A Jury | Episode 88 (Podcast)

What happens when jurors’ gut instincts clash with your expert’s data? In this episode, IMS Senior Jury Consulting Advisor Chris Dominic teams up with Affiliate Advisor Steve Pomerantz, PhD, and Trial Consultant Michelle Cooper, JD, to tackle one of the courtroom’s trickiest challenges: making statistical significance make sense to the jury.

From framing fairness and randomness in everyday language to using simple checklists that keep jurors focused, this conversation is packed with practical strategies to help trial teams turn complex numbers into clear storytelling.

If you have ever wondered how to explain science by “speaking juror”, this episode offers a roadmap.

Transcript:

Adam Bloomberg: Hello everyone. Today we're diving into the topic of statistical significance. Explaining this concept to a jury might seem simple on the surface, but it can create real challenges in the courtroom—the differences between what feels significant and what the statistics actually tell us.