Customer Reviews

The Articulate Advocate: New Techniques of Persuasion for Trial Lawyers (The Articulate Life)

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While intended for lawyers addressing judges and juries, this book should be presented as a graduation gift to all those receiving a Ph.D. or master's degree who plan to enter college classrooms to teach for the first time. It is amazing as to how much we focus on making sure our graduates master the content and subject matter of their discipline and then just shove them into a lecture hall to stumble and fumble their way through classroom in front of 100 or 150 students. It's sink-or-swim, but it doesn't have to be -- as, if this book were relied upon -- these faculty would do so much better!

The tips, techniques and methodology that Johnson and Hunter describe for the courtroom setting appear easily transferable to any other disciple requiring confident public speaking. As such, whether you're a management consultant making your pitch to a board of directors or CEO and his/her management team, a college professor lecturing 100 students in a cavernous lecture hall, or an architect or salesman making a pitch to get that next big job, you'll want to read this book slowly and deliberately, practice the tips and techniques used to convey the impression that you are a comfortable, confident and sincere speaker.

Highly recommended for attorneys, law school and college library collections and public library collections in major cities.

R. Neil Scott
Middle Tennessee State University

I purchased this books after attending a 1/2 day presentation by the author (which was phenomenal - if you have the chance, I highly recommend it). The book covers the physical and physiological aspects of public speaking. Thus, it doesn't give you any clever things to say, but it helps you eliminate habits that distract the audience from your message. For example, the book covers various hand movements that are appropriate, how those gestures can reinforce your speech, how those gestures can actually help you speak, and where to place your hands when you are not gesturing. Having seen the author put the book's techniques into practice, I was really amazed at the difference. This book provides a great guide and, at the price, it is totally worth it.

If you pick this up, or are interested in public speaking, you might consider getting Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln: 21 Powerful Secrets of History's Greatest Speakers which provides guidance on actually what to say (once you figure out how to say it). I found the books went very well together and I reread them before I have to put together a speech.

I do a lot of public speaking and thought this title might be interesting. It gives many practical ideas and makes suggestions of how to present yourself to a group. I would highly recommend this book to teachers and coaches along with lawyers.

Sue Humphrey
2004 USA Olympic Track & Field Coach
Middle School Assistant Principal

I teach trial advocacy at the college level and this year I was fortunate to incorporate "The Articulate Advocate" into my curriculum for the first time. The book takes a unique approach to an important, but often overlooked, aspect of trial practice: how to speak persuasively and communicate in the courtroom. In this concise and engaging text, Johnson and Hunter convey their expertise in the development and execution of proven techniques for the effective advocate. I highly recommend this invaluable book for students as well as practicing attorneys of all levels of experience.

Few trial books give you guidance on how to present yourself in the court room, however the authors of this book do a great job at teaching just that. While the authors focus on lawyers I agree with the other reviews that this book is not just for lawyers.

Every lawyer should have a copy of this book. Whether you're speaking to clients, the trial court, a jury, or an appellate court, there are tips and tricks in this book that will help you. I've been fortunate enough to see Marsha Hunter present some of the material from this book on a couple of occasions, but having the book handy means that I can always do a quick refresher whenever I have a speaking occasion coming up. I've used some of the materials in the book to help clients prepare to testify, and even my husband--who is not a lawyer, but does some public speaking--has found it extraordinarily useful. The checklists are great for psyching yourself up and getting your head in gear before an argument. And, unlike some so-called "self-help" books, this one has concrete advice to help overcome common public-speaking pitfalls and explains the rationale behind them--just what every lawyer wants to know. If you're looking for a gift for law school grad or a colleague, you can't go wrong with this book.

This book is not for everyone. If you are "very" nervous in front of a large audience (court room size) and just can't keep your act together, then this book is probably for you. It goes over on how to control yourself, your stand, movement (pace),gesture, voice, etc.
But if you already have enough experience infront of an audience either from work or from public speaking classes and you feel confident with your style then you should do fine without this book.