63. Effective Oral Communication, with Mark Caldwell

NITA Program Director and former Resource Director Mark Caldwell joins the podcast to chat about how to effectively communicate with the various audiences in the courtroom to ensure they get — and comprehend — the information they need from you. He shares how to talk to jurors about unfamiliar courtroom procedures and substantive information, why sounding like a tv lawyer is a huge turn-off to jurors, and recommends some of his favorite lawyers from pop culture whose techniques can help trial lawyers refine their courtroom communication style.

Topics

3:05 The needs of the courtroom audience7:14 What “talking like a lawyer” means10:10 Juror impressions of “lawspeak” 13:53 Communicating procedural and substantive complexity20:06 How not to sound like a lawyer27:50 Pop culture examples of legal communication29:00 Why my cousin Vinny is a great trial lawyer31:42 Movies and a book to recommend51:55 Implicit bias training

Quote“Don’t be a tv lawyer, but take lessons from what you see on television.” Mark Caldwell

ResourcesMark Caldwell (bio)Colorado Deposition Skills and Trial Skills (programs)Films, shows, and book (list)