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his voice to the judicial bench. The judge appeared irritated by
the barrister’s soft voice and slightly defensive tone.
The next advocate opened her case with a great deal of
hesitation in her voice before her words were then expelled in a
rush, resulting in too fast delivery, poor clarity and again, a lack
of comprehension by the Judges.
At this point, I arrived at the notion that judges should
be asked for their opinion of barristers’ voices in a courtroom
situation and duly interviewed a High Court Judge, a Circuit
Judge and a District Judge. Their views bore out my concerns
that many skilled advocates, professional speakers, were not adequately prepared in their vocal training for effective speaking
in a courtroom.
I decided to develop a bespoke voice training course, using the City Law School’s Advocacy Manual as a basis for content, and filled my course with students on the Bar Professional
Training Course. Students’ confidence rose dramatically as the
opportunities to practice stance, supportive breathing and status were embraced.
Students arrive at law school with a variety of competencies. Quality of their ‘voice’ is not ‘judged’ until advocacy,
debating and mooting competitions ensue. Those fortunate
enough to have had specific training or experience do well, but
without specialist training and support, it is regrettable fact that
some potential advocates will not reach their vocal potential.
This means that their chances of securing a pupillage are reduced, at the very least.
So how can this be helped? There are plenty of books on
Public Speaking and plenty of helpful websites offering guidance. But if you would like individual and bespoke voice coaching to enhance your career, seek out a specialist voice coach.
They can help you with accent softening, with effective patterns
of speech, breath support and clear articulation. All these techniques securely underpin the confidence in your voice so that
you can direct your attention to articulating the argument in
hand without attracting the unwelcome attention of the judge
or your client. Like an actor on the stage, your task is to communicate with your audience without them even noticing your
voice and to speak with confidence, clarity and poise.
For more information, email [email protected] or
go to www.voicesynergy.co.uk for more information.
DICTA
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