Communications Skills

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 ...

"Another end-of-year chore. What should we send out? Does anybody even care?" Those thoughts come to mind whenever it’s time to start thinking about sending a holiday card. It doesn’t have to be this way. What have your clients heard from you ...

You don’t have to be afraid of ghosts this Halloween. In fact, you might consider these five thoughts about working with one. 1. Why would I want to work with a ghostwriter? Most lawyers tend to write, well, like lawyers. A ...

First, let’s get some terms straight. These days, journalism schools are teaching students that a "press release" should be called a "news release." Last time I heard, television, radio, cable and the Web don’t use printing presses. So starting ...

“Your Honor, this is a motion to vacate the most recent order and request for rehearing. Unfortunately, our failure to appear was caused by a calendaring error in our office.” How embarrassing. Yet, “calendaring” or “docketing” (depending on ...