Communication Tips From a Distinguished Lawyer

Jim McElhaney is the Baker and Hostetler Distinguished Scholar in Trial Practice at Case Western Reserve University School of Law and also serves as the Joseph C. Hutcheson Distinguished Lecturer in Trial Advocacy at South Texas College of Law. He has had a 25 year run as a Litigation columnist for the ABA Journal and his sage advice for young lawyers is applicable to all that use verbal communication in some aspect of their career.

Bond with Your Audience. You must connect with your audience and earn their attention. With an authentic bond and a shared goal or mission, you will engage the audience in active listening.

Accept Responsibility. Whatever the surroundings, whoever the audience, whatever your goal, and however long you have to deliver your message – you are the one responsible for effective communication. It’s your job to make yourself understood – not your audience’s job to try and understand you. Focus on your audience, respond to their signals of body language, and get your ideas across simply and succinctly. Respect your audience – treat them like equals and never complain about the adversities you face.

Create a Perception of Credibility. Make sure what you say is true. Talk only about what you know. You can never really fake it because your non-verbal cues will give you away so prepare, and do your homework. Use audible and visible organization to validate what you are saying.

Have Something to Say. Never make a random presentation. Have a point of view, a story with an object and a theme. You must always have something valuable to say.

Show Don’t Tell. Always use good examples – if a point is worth making, it’s worth illustrating. Apt analogies have the power to persuade because they make your audience think through your point for themselves.

Keep it Simple. Know how everything fits together and what can safely be edited out. Forget the exceptions unless they are relevant to what you are doing. Your function is not to cover everything but to make a focused presentation.

Make a Memory. Your goal is not to impress your audience but to persuade. Create vivid memories and word pictures that will stay in the minds of your audience long after you have finished speaking.

Stop. Know when to be done. There is nothing worse than a speaker who doesn’t know when to quit. It’s much better to leave your audience thinking they want more than to leave them knowing they have heard too much.

Jim McElhaney’s sage advice comes from a January 2012 ABA Journal blog post: More Than Just Words: This Is What it Really Means to Talk Like a Lawyer. Whether you are speaking one-on-one to a client or to an audience of 200, this communication wisdom will help you choose your words more wisely in the legal world and beyond.