My program, Acting for Lawyers, was born out of the intersection of law and opera: an unlikely pairing that makes perfect sense. It grew out of a dual career; that of pursuing a creative calling and doing something sensible towards paying the rent.
I have always thought there are some lawyers, particularly advocates, who are actually frustrated performers. This is demonstrated when they come alive under the spotlight of arguing a case in the courtroom. These vibrant court fighters seem almost innately to know the power of body language, stage presence and use of a fully resonant voice. Acting for Lawyers is not aimed at these lawyers, but rather at the lawyers who think a well-founded and brilliantly structured argument is enough to win a case; that simply reading aloud their pre-prepared questions or submissions will suffice.
The program is aimed at lawyers who speak too quickly or too softly, who get destructively nervous before a trial or negotiation; who fail to look up from their notes, who struggle to charm their audience.
Midway through studying a double Bachelor of Law and Arts at Murdoch University, I felt a strong calling to audition for the classical singing course at WAAPA. My father, a retired District Court Judge, who began his career as a criminal law barrister, discouraged me, saying I didn’t need to pursue a profession in the arts because I could “get my performing jollies” from “performing” in the courtroom.
But the performing bug was too strong, so after completing my Law and Arts degrees, as well as a Post Grad in classical singing at WAAPA, I went on to sing at West Australian Opera and Opera Australia, until I eventually landed in Germany; specifically in Frankfurt, the city of bankers and lawyers.
In between singing engagements, I trained German lawyers in legal English and gradually became aware that many brilliantly intelligent German lawyers let themselves down by being, I’m sorry to say, downright boring. Many spoke with monotonous voices, stiff awkward body movements, rarely raising their heads let alone their eyes from their notes, and absolutely failing to connect with their audiences.
“Acting für Anwälte” (Acting for Lawyers) was born and first offered as a half day seminar for the Frankfurt Bar Association.
The seminar always begins with discovering the ways each individual participant unintentionally undermines what they’re saying by their body language, their posture and gestures, their use of timing and silence, and of course the way they use their voice. If you have never watched yourself speak in a professional capacity on camera, you are likely unaware that you tilt your head to the side when you speak, or rarely make eye contact, or breathe very high and tight in your chest, or look very stiff… or speak far too quickly.
All of these “tics” indicate a “low status”; status, a fundamental acting concept relating to behaviour; feeling inferior, harbouring doubt, insecurity, and fear. The audience can sense this low status, although if they are not trained to interpret it, it most likely reads on a subliminal level.
They can subconsciously feel the lawyer’s inner world of doubt; however, they cannot know if it’s doubt about the argument, or simply self-doubt. A lawyer with a strong argument, displaying obvious self-doubt, might lose against a lawyer with a weak argument who knows how to sell it with authority and conviction. Whatever the doubt may concern is ultimately irrelevant, displaying low status is undesirable non-verbal communication when one is fighting in the courtroom, in a mediation, or when negotiating.
Becoming aware of these personal “tics” is the very beginning of the journey to presenting yourself better, because not only is it necessary to know what to do instead, the old habits and ways of using your body need to be drowned out of the muscles by a flood of practice of the new habits. It’s much like learning to ride a bike. Knowing in theory how to balance and pedal means very little if the body hasn’t experienced firsthand which muscles are required—and then reinforced that experience through repetition, strengthening the neural pathways until the skill is fully encoded and embedded forevermore.
The seminar then goes on to identify exactly what body language, stage presence and ways of using the voice is needed to show “high status”; confidence, authority and complete conviction in what is being said, regardless of internal personal feelings. This is where the “acting” comes in. There is no point in presenting an argument that you privately think is a long shot, if you don’t also present the argument with your full bodily and vocal endorsement as to its worthiness.
Your body language and movements should be slow, open, and steady. Picture a soaring eagle with its wings spread wide, monitoring its prey as it glides on the breeze, confident and comfortable in its power. When you stand, your weight should be evenly distributed between both feet, and not leaning to the side. Your head should be straight with your chin parallel to the ground; not tilted up or down, or to the side. Your arms should be relaxed and bent at slightly more than 90 degrees, so that your hands are at belly-button height, and are ready to gesture and “speak” with you.
Your posture should be in alignment; your head in line with your shoulders, hips, knees and feet. Most people tend to hunch their shoulders, which collapses their chest, not to mention their stage presence. Want more presence? Gently urge your shoulder blades together, which naturally lifts your chest, and then relax your neck and head into a neutral straight-ahead position. How do you feel now? This posture is just as powerful in a seated position, as it is when standing.
The opposite to the eagle is the scurrying kitchen mouse. Small, quick, jolting movements, with high tight breaths, exuding fear, doubt and a lack of authority. Think collapsed chest, slumped shoulders, weight shifting side to side, fidgeting hands, head bowed down, no eye contact.
You also need to breathe. You need to breathe to your belly; so deep into your lungs that it makes your lower belly move outwards. This is called diaphragmatic breathing and is the gateway to becoming the eagle. Only when your belly is moving outwards is enough oxygen reaching your blood and circulating into your brain, meaning you can keep thinking clearly under pressure, and not experience that stressful situation of a mind going blank. Going blank is what happens with high tight breaths; what the Germans call “stress making stupid”.
This leads us to the voice. If your breathing is deep, then your voice has a chance at being resonant and full. However, the voice is also directly affected by the psyche – if your voice rises in pitch when you’re speaking, or seems to get smaller and smaller in size, then you are likely holding the psychological stress of the situation as tension in your shoulders, neck and jaw, making deep breathing difficult, and regrettably resulting in an imitation of the kitchen mouse’s tiny squeak.
Half the problem with lawyers who don’t present to their highest ability is they have an inkling of what could be improved, but no real idea of how powerful a good presenter can be. One only needs to watch Barack Obama speaking on literally any topic to see how in control, how relaxed and confident he comes across. He is the epitome of the soaring eagle; his movements are deliberate and slow, he is comfortable with silence, when he speaks his voice is resonant and full, and he never ever EVER rushes.
But make no mistake. His skill is the result of intense training on every movement and gesture he makes in the public eye. A certain fellow German leader with her un-memorable voice and stiff upside-down prayer hands would have done well to take note. If these two politicians were court advocates, which one would you choose to fight for you?
If you’d like your body language, voice and presence to become allies rather than liabilities in your advocacy work, Acting for Lawyers may be a good place to start.
To learn more about Acting for Lawyers, visit Public Speaking Perth.
