Many of our techniques address “Speaking well as you think on your feet,” and we also have advice for speaking while sitting.
You will be required to speak sitting down at times throughout your career, of course. Whether engaged in a
Last week I lectured for the second time on a new topic. For my first presentation ten days earlier, I had worked assiduously on the structure, headline subjects, and visual aids. Making changes as I rehearsed, I recopied my written
When writing our book The Articulate Witness: An Illustrated Guide to Testifying Under Oath, we combed through books, brochures, and web sites about witness preparation and compiled the collective wisdom of judges, lawyers, and court administrators.
Here is some of
We’ve written extensively on the importance of using structured improvisation rather than scripting when speaking. With few exceptions, reading or recitation will not yield a persuasive, dynamic delivery. Structuring your order of topics and then improvising word-by-word helps your presentation
It happened again last week, and it made me madder than usual. A whip-smart, socially skilled mid-level associate at a major law firm arrived at a communication coaching and confided that she had been taught not to gesture. In law
Brian Johnson and I have been at several trial skills programs lately, both together and separately. Since we only teach for practitioners, not law students (I teach in one program at the University of Chicago Law School), we are always
I recently came across this blog called “Terrible Public Speaking Tips.” The title made me chuckle, but I agree with most of the content. Many of these “terrible tips” apply to lawyers speaking in the courtroom, boardroom, or most
Anyone familiar with our teaching methods knows our mantra “Speak in phrases, not whole sentences.” Speaking in phrases, or chunks, is the key to controlling your pace, especially when you first start speaking. The Pledge of Allegiance is a perfect,
The world’s foremost gesture researcher is Dr. David McNeill, a professor emeritus at the University of Chicago. The capstone of his career is his book Why We Gesture: The Surprising Role of Hand Movements in Communication. His research, plus that
Bringing a lesson from vacation into the courtroom
I once took a downhill ski lesson. My luck-of-the-draw instructor turned out to be a seasoned master teacher whose few suggestions made a big difference to my performance. For three hours, he
