The Articulate Attorney: Public Speaking for Lawyers

Addressing the distinctive communication skills expected of attorneys--and based on three decades of experience coaching lawyers--this manual of practical, useful solutions integrates cutting-edge discoveries in human factors, linguistics, neuroscience, gesture studies, and sports psychology. These techniques will transform any attorney into a more confident speaker, whether addressing colleagues in a conference room, counseling clients in a boardroom, or presenting a CLE in a ballroom. Including tips on bringing the presentation off of one’s notes and using direct eye contact, the book answers such common questions as: How do I channel nervous energy into dynamic delivery?What is a reliable way to remember what I want to say?How do I stop saying ＂um＂ and think in silence instead? and Why is gesturing so important? Topics are divided into chapters on the body, the brain, and the voice, with an extra section specifically dedicated to practice.

Marsha Hunter teaches persuasion for trial lawyers and public speaking for corporate attorneys. Her specialty is human factors--the science of human performance in highstakes environments. She is the communication specialist for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy’s collaborative programs with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women and teaches at regional trial skills programs annually for NITA. She has published articles in many legal publications, including The Woman Advocate and the Texas Bar Journal. Brian K. Johnson has worked as a communications consultant to the legal profession since 1979. For the past decade, he has trained new assistant U.S. attorneys at the Department of Justice National Advocacy Center. Since 1981, he has been a communication specialist for NITA, and was the first nonlawyer to receive the Honorable Prentice Marshall Faculty Award for his unique contribution to the teaching of advocacy skills. Johnson & Hunter are the award-winning coauthors of The Articulate Advocate: New Techniques of Persuasion for Trial Lawyers. They both live in Phoenix, Arizona.