Act of Persuasion for lawyers
Courtroom lawyers, akin to actors, are storytellers. They recreate scenes to the jury and audience, relaying vital information assisted with creative imagery and attractive but believable dialogue.

After months of research at various courts, I discovered that the technical structure of an actor presenting a theatrical monologue and a lawyers’ opening and closing statement to be near identical.

We offer lawyers the opportunity to work on past and present speeches, one-to-one in much the same way as an actor prepares.

Focusing on vocal and physical techniques, we explore key factors like intonation, delivery, pace and clarity - helping breathe life into dialogue and raising it to performance level.

Vocal Technique
We at Act of Persuasion, understand the value of maximizing the voice’s full potential to target your audience for greater effect. The quality of your vocal delivery inevitably affects the result, so it is equally important to know how it works.

For this reason, we pay particular attention to your vocal technique and help you understand the benefits of controlled breathing.

We will practise breathing techniques like controlled humming, which will help distribute air evenly through your vocal folds. The vocal folds stretch across the larynx and the air that passes through them create sound. The exercise should make the voice sound smoother. Like blowing the steady tones through a clarinet, the vocal folds compare to the reed and performed badly can sound squeaky or flat.

The basic and effective vocal exercises commonly used among actors are very effective. Working together, we will discover which ones are best suited to your vocal range, whether your needs involve clearer diction, audibility or assistance in speaking for long periods.

We appreciate you may find the idea of a ‘vocal warm-up’ a little unusual and inappropriate for a lawyer, but you will be surprised how inconspicuous and useful they can be.

We will also examine the pace of your speech. Knowing when to breathe, pause and explore the use of phrasing is important in public speaking. Stressing and emphasizing key words, whilst providing descriptive embellishments will create imagery for your audience and give your subject matter more visual clarity.

Physical Techinique
What do I do with my hands?
Do I fidget?
How should I stand?
How am I perceived?
How can I be charismatic?

Most of the time whilst speaking, we are unaware of our physical form, or how in appearance we come across. We should be considering these questions.

Our concern generally tends to lie in what we are actually saying, rather than what we are doing. However, how we physically position ourselves directly affects the sound we make when we speak. 

Sometimes a minor alteration is all that is required. For example, I once noted a lawyer presenting his closing statement to the jury. He was wearing a tight fitting collar and necktie and throughout the speech, he frequently needed to look down at his notes. This continual movement caused extra tightness around the throat. His face quickly reddened and the discomfort caused him to fidget. His shoulders rose as he began to draw more breath, but his shallow breathing made the voice sound strangulated. By now, his ability to project and ennunciate had become limited and he began to rush.

A simple ‘technical’ error in the form of an undersized shirt gave way to a ‘physical’ knock-on effect, with a flawed presentation as a result.

Our intention at Act of Persuasion is not to create a physical artifice, but to help you acknowledge your present form, so you are consciously aware of your body as an instrument, which can be adjusted and tuned to perform speech.

Anxiety
For many, suffering from nerves is the greatest concern when speaking publicly. Even well experienced presenters get the jitters and go to pieces. However, being nervous is perfectly normal and manageable, by controlling the breathing process.

The process usually runs like this; unbelievably, excitable nerves give off adrenaline causing the heart to beat faster. This causes the breathing to become irregular which tells the heart to beat quicker making you feel hot, flustered and panicky. Combine this with having an expectant audience hanging on your every word and you are in Wonderland.

Calm down and breathe – it is good for you.

Observational coaching in court
This is an opportunity for lawyers to gain direct feedback via a full critique report, drawn from observations noted in a working environment.

Mark Forester-Evans
Mark trained at L.A.M.D.A (The London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art), The Welsh College of Music and Drama and London’s Arts Ed gaining his B.A in acting and classical theatre.

He has worked in television and theatre playing many diverse roles. Rosencrantz- Hamlet, Speed -The Gentlemen of Verona touring the U.S with The Seattle Shakespeare Company. Macduff -Macbeth and Hortensio -The Taming of the Shrew with R.J Williamson’s Shakespeare Company touring the U.K and touring the Gulf with Alan Ayckbourn’s ‘Relatively Speaking’ he played Greg.

Mark also has a keen interest in teaching. He ran ‘Performing Shakespeare’ workshops for children in 30 Welsh schools for the award winning Dramarama Company and spent many months in London Schools Theatre in Education programs.

For the last six months, Mark has spent time in various London courts, observing barristers at work. Act of Persuasion is a unique approach to presentation training that Mark has devised particularly for lawyers, although it is applicable to anyone who has to present in public.