State Bar of Wisconsin

Speaking at the State Bar Convention

Even though you may be an experienced public speaker accustomed to making presentations before a wide variety of audiences, please take a few minutes to review this material. It will help you to organize your presentation and to understand the needs of your audience.

Define your educational objective

Be certain that you understand exactly what the program chair has in mind for your assignment. Lawyers and judges want specific solutions to the problems they face in their law practice or on the bench. If you can anticipate and help solve their problems, you will capture and keep their attention.

Use your introduction as a road map

During your introduction, tell the audience what you intend to cover in your lecture. Give them a road map of your presentation. During your lecture, refer to the road map and let the audience know where you are in your talk.

Tell the audience how your outline relates to your talk

If your major points are listed in your written materials in the same order in which you are making them in your talk, you can make reference to your written materials at appropriate times, and thus emphasize the major points of your talk. Be sure to tell the audience the exact page number.

If you do not plan to follow your written outline closely, tell them this in your introduction. If you skip sections of the outline during your talk, let the audience know what page you are moving to.

Make clear transitions

Lead your listeners carefully from one major section of your talk to the next. Let them know that you are done with one section and are moving on to the next. Clear transitions will help the audience to organize your lecture as you move from one major point to another.

Stick to the schedule

Practice the timing of your lecture. Plan mileposts in your outline to help you keep track of the time. There are other speakers who need their full allotted time.

Do not read your presentation

Speak naturally. Don’t read your outline. “The speaker read his/her outline,” is one of the most common criticisms of speakers. Speaking in a conversational tone will help you relate to your audience. Vary your pace and volume. Make use of pauses and repetition to underscore important points.

Be careful with humor

Humor should be used selectively. Only tell a joke if it fits your style of speaking and relates to the topics you are covering. Avoid sexist jokes and remarks; they just don’t work.

Use gender-neutral language

Find alternatives to using the generic singular “he” (e.g., “An attorney should always keep his records current.”) Here are some possibilities:

• Omit the pronoun: “An attorney should keep current records.”
• Use the plural instead of the singular: “Attorneys should keep their records current.”
• Reword: “It’s important to keep current records."
• If all else fails, use both masculine and feminine pronouns: “An attorney should keep his or her records current.”
• Avoid using gender-specific occupational titles (“waitress”) or gender modifiers that suggest certain fields are normally the domain of one gender (“male nurse, lady surgeon”).
• Avoid examples that express implicit gender stereotypes (“Employees and their wives”).

Do not apologize or complain

Don’t undercut your opening statements with any kind of apology or complaint. Apologies or complaints are barriers to achieving your lecture goals. They detract from the impression you make. If the room is too hot or the public address system is not loud enough, you can be sure that we will correct the problem as soon as possible. Try to emphasize the positive.

Maintain a high standard of professionalism

The State Bar strives to maintain the highest standards of professionalism. Please make sure your presentation is balanced and respectful of all parties. Avoid remarks that might appear to be slanderous or in poor taste.

Summarize your main points