Why Work at It?

• Author: Faith Dianne Pincus
• Profession: Attorney and former Federal Law Clerk
• Pages: 3-5

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CHAPTER ONE

Why Work at It?

It may seem unnecessary to offer legal professionals advice on how to present

information in public. But I’m proposing to do that for two reasons. First,

although public speaking is a core skill for anyone in a law firm, there’s a

big difference between just speaking and really communicating. If you work

in the legal field, you can bet that you’re going to have to talk to a crowd

of people sooner or later. Professionals know that being able to speak well

in public has a positive impact on a career. Good public speakers are seen

as leaders. And the reverse is also true.

So why not become the best public speaker you can be?

My second reason for writing this book is that I know that I can improve

the performance of anyone who has a willingness to learn. I have spent

the last thirty years helping attorneys, CEOs, nonprofit leaders, executives,

and others improve their presentation skills. I have run seminars, taken

part in oral argument prep (and presented oral arguments as well), and

privately coached more attorneys than I can remember—both newcomers

and old hands—and they all had one thing in common: They all improved

significantly as a result of our work together.

In the following pages, I have consolidated the most helpful and effect ive

tips of the trade in order for you (and your staff as well) to b ecome better

public speakers. These tools have been time-tested and are guaranteed to

ensure that both in and out of the courtroom, you project the image and

message that you want.

Whether you want to go from good to great, or so-so to good, or

even “Jeez, I hate this” to “Okay, I guess I can survive,” this book is for you.

Simply follow the guidelines I have assembled here and you will be on the

road to becoming the public speaker you would like to be.

Let’s get started.

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