Boies stayed focused, and after carefully placing Gates on the record, closed the exchange by asking if they were actually code words at Microsoft for saying nice things about something. The question drew laughs in the room, even from the judge. Regarding Gates himself, Boies is typically understated but respectful. It was not unlike deposing any chief executive officer. They are typically very smart, very committed, very determined and very sure that they know more about what they are talking about than you do.
Different people have different techniques.
My approach is to learn as much as I can about the case and industry and the people involved, and just go in and have a dialogue with them.