Legal proceedings — trials, arbitrations, or depositions—have complicated rules. Lawyers know them, but most witnesses don’t. Lawyers are trained to exploit the rules, channel their adrenaline, think on their feet, and project their voices. They study strategies for questioning and tactics for controlling witnesses. Most witnesses, on the other hand, receive no training, get little if any practice, and don’t know the rules.
“The Articulate Witness: An Illustrated Guide to Testifying Confidently Under Oath” will help level the playing field. A tool for lawyers to help their clients, as well a primer for those called to testify without benefit of counsel, this brief and inexpensive guide takes 30 minutes to read, and will boost every witness’s confidence.
“We wrote this book because we know you don't have to be a lawyer to express yourself clearly and honestly,” say authors Brian K. Johnson and Marsha Hunter. “In our work helping lawyers prepare witnesses for trial, we notice that witnesses feel pressure partly because they don't know what to expect, or how to calm their nerves. We want them to realize they play an integral role in our justice system, and can present their evidence in a focused, professional way, no matter who they are. We hope to give them the practical tools to do that, in a short, illustrated book they can read in 30 minutes.”
Whether testifying in a deposition, trial, or arbitration, this book will help witnesses get ready for the experience. Easy-to-follow, illustrated tips help prepare the reader to be a more compelling witness. Find answers to common questions:
• What can I expect when I testify?
• How can I be a prepared and trustworthy witness?
• What is the key to calming my nerves?
• What questions should I ask the lawyer who called me?
• How do I keep my emotions in check?
• Can I channel my nervous energy into something positive?
• How can I prevent getting flustered while testifying?
Trial advocacy instructors Brian K. Johnson and Marsha Hunter have been teaching lawyers to be self-assured communicators for 35 years. Now they employ their techniques to help people who find themselves in the witness chair. Johnson and Hunter also collaborated on “The Articulate Advocate: New Techniques of Persuasion for Trial Lawyers” (Crown King Books, 2009) and “The Articulate Attorney: Public Speaking for Lawyers, Second Edition” (Crown King Books, 2013).
Johnson has worked as a communication consultant to the legal profession since 1979, teaching persuasion to trial lawyers and public speaking to transactional attorneys. He has been a communication specialist for the National Institute for Trial Advocacy since 1981 and has trained all new Assistant United States Attorneys for the past decade at the Department of Justice National Advocacy Center. For 25 years, his courtroom communication skills lecture/demonstration with Marsha Hunter has kicked off the NITA National Trial Skills Session in Boulder, Colorado.
Hunter teaches persuasion for trial lawyers and public speaking for corporate attorneys. Her specialty is the science of human performance in high-stakes environments. Her teaching is both technical and practical, focusing on how people think, speak, feel, and act in dynamic situations. Ms. Hunter is the communication specialist for NITA’s collaborative programs with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Office of Violence Against Women. A well-published author in legal publications, her in-house clients include firms that occupy the top 50 in annual lists as well as half of the Wall Street Journal’s “fearsome foursome” of litigation.
“The Articulate Witness: An Illustrated Guide to Testifying Confidently Under Oath” costs $8.99 for print, $6.99 for eBook. For additional information, visit www.crownkingbooks.com.
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