Communications Skills

Have you been avoiding a potentially difficult conversation with a client for fear of it going badly? The good news is that you are in solid company — some of the best and brightest lawyers procrastinate and avoid conflict. Introverts — and ...

My neighbor Charlie stopped me in the driveway the other night and asked, “Can you help me here? I got this stupid letter from some jerk lawyer, and I'm mad as hell!” He was red-faced, waving the offending letter violently. “Well, sure,” I ...

The parade of presidential candidates across my television screen has reminded me of the transactional analysis best-seller, "I’m OK, You’re OK." Transactional analysis is a psychoanalytic therapy method. It defines three ego-states: Child, ...

Those of us who love language and value the ability to be well-spoken have every reason to feel, like, depressed. I fear we have lost the battle with mass culture regarding articulate speech. Witness the ...

Caution: Mature Content. Yes, yes, I do want you to stop. A recurring theme of “Get to The Point” is that even if some of your listeners or readers are ...

According to a Gallup poll on the perceived honesty and ethics of various professions, most people (79 percent) rate lawyers average or low. Just below bankers. Congressmen and car salesmen ranked lowest. How can you convey that you really ...

I coach one-on-one with hundreds of lawyers each year. When they plop their legal pads on the table as we work, I can see the notes they have created for public speaking or trial advocacy. With just a glance, it’s immediately obvious how ...

Incorrect pronunciation can signal there’s something not quite right about the speaker. The speaker means to sound impressive, but incorrect pronunciation is a sure way to undercut a message. Generally, only your mother will correct you, so you ...

Maybe as I get older I have less patience for things that seem wasteful or meaningless, or maybe I’m just getting crankier. I suspect people who work with me would choose the latter, but I have made strides over the past few years in learning ...

Of all the unexpected gifts from our respective law schools (debt, alcoholism), one of the worst may be a ghastly writing style that appeals only to law school professors and some judges. Don’t get me wrong. Law school provided its fair share of ...