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Lawyer: how to gain confidence to speak in public

Even if it’s hard for us or we think we’re not ready, we dare to take the step. No one is born an oratorbecause the ability to speak in public is acquired by speaking in front of others whenever the opportunity arises.

We accept invitations to give a lecture, to give a lecture, to participate in a discussion, for a radio or television interview. Whenever we turn to others, We are gaining more confidence for upcoming occasions. The foundation will get stronger and stronger to support the pedestal from which we speak before an audience.

This afternoon I got on the phone with a friend who is a great speaker. I called him to review his speech tomorrow at the Rotary Club Sevilla Corporate, the institution I preside over. His lecture is titled “How to be a leader”. Jaime Contraras He is a leader and will know how to captivate those who attend his presentation at our meeting because he knows how to do it and has extensive experience. But he always says that the first times he spoke in public weren’t easy. Gradually, chat after chat, he acquired sufficient confidence.

(Photo E&J)

Today he told me that he preferred to speak standing up walking around the room rather than speaking from the lectern because that way he would reach people better. Also, Jaime likes to have a dialogue with the participants during his speech, in order to engage the audience. I also invite him as an oratory expert to one of my lectures at the Criminal Legal Clinic of the University of Seville. He is happy to speak in public and has many hours of public speaking under his belt.

When I was at the Faculty of Law of the Complutense University of Madrid last week in front of law students who attended to hear four speakers on “Criminal Defense Strategies Today”, I arrived at the university happy to be there again after a few years Walking into the classroom, it was a satisfaction to see my name on a sign on the table and to watch some students who were approaching their seats. In my talk I felt as comfortable as ever because I knew what I was going to talk about, I enjoy public speaking and I would learn a lot from the other speakers.

But I too had a start, like everyone else. And the first times I went out in front of the class at the age of seven when Don José asked me to write a mathematical operation on the blackboard with chalk, I looked at him when he asked me but I saw the class “blurred” and I didn’t dare to look anyone in the face. partner. Later, I read at mass on Sundays and holidays. I participated as an actor in theatrical performances in front of a large audience. Always overcoming my shyness because something inside me told me I had to. Maybe that’s why I’m a lawyer.

Lawyers must go to court and question parties, witnesses and experts in trials and other procedural acts. Even the members of the jury, the judges, when we intervene in a trial before the jury court. I know many colleagues who confess to me that they first took the elevator to the room where the trial was to be held, scared out of their wits, with their backs pressed against the wall of the elevator, their legs shaking.

It’s not that I want to brag, but I went very safe and confident into the courtroom where I held my first trial. He had been there days before attending other trials and meeting the criminal judge he would become before that day. In addition, he had attended other trials in other courts in public. I had prepared the trial in advance, having met my client, accused of theft, and some witnesses. He had read and torn up the criminal case file, underlined it, and had prepared the relevant interrogations and an outline for the final report.

Next, I will outline several tips that may be helpful when preparing a public intervention:

  1. Know the subject and prepare it in time.
  2. Visit the place where you will speak.
  3. Test in front of the mirror and in front of trusted people.
  4. Listen to the speeches of great speakers.
  5. Be optimistic.
  6. Play sports first.
  7. Greet attendees and chat with them.
  8. Don’t forget your pattern.
  9. Take that day relaxed.
  10. Arrive on time.
  11. Smile.
  12. Make yourself comfortable, drink water.
  13. Think of other positive experiences.
  14. Tell stories, give examples.
  15. Grab the audience’s attention with an original start.
  16. Take breaks.
  17. Trust yourself, be positive.
  18. Take care of your vocabulary.
  19. Read books on public speaking.
  20. Have a sense of humor.
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This article is the twenty-ninth in the series. Highly Effective Lawyer Tipsof the author louis romero santos. You can visit his profile by clicking on this link to see the rest of the content.

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