How to effectively present in English in the 21st Century

When I was younger I always wanted to be a barrister. A barrister is a lawyer who represents his or her client in court. Essentially, a barrister speaks on behalf of his client in front of a judge and or jury. Barristers are found in the United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand and many other Commonwealth countries and the occupation dates back to the fifteenth century.

(Above is a still shot from the UK TV series Kavanagh QC starring the late John Thaw as James Kavanagh QC)

A Barrister can be defined as a professional speaker. Their job essentially is to convince a jury or a judge of the merits of their client’s case. To do this they need to be able to persuade, speak clearly and simply on very complex subjects related to law and do so in a way that a jury understands why their client is innocent or guilty.

In the 1990′s there was a barrister in the United Kingdom called George Carman QC. (QC stands for Queen’s Counsel – a senior barrister) George Carman became famous for his ability to persuade a jury of the merits of his client’s case. He used the techniques of repetition, image building in the minds of the jury and spoke with few notes – which gave him an air of naturalness. George Carman lost few cases, he had a great ability to read the jury, understand the jury and to put his case in such a manner that the jury were willing to do whatever George wanted them to do.

In a newspaper article in the Independent newspaper in 1992 they wrote:

George Carman’s success rests on meticulous hard work, a thorough preparation of his case aided by a prodigious memory that enables him to conduct a cross examination over many hours with only the sketchiest of notes. Nor is there much to criticise, say those who have worked closely with him, in his habits of work. He is rigorous and demanding, but juniors and solicitors chorus their appreciation of his fairness, generosity, lack of pomposity.

Barristers quite often have little or no time to prepare their cases, like presenters, they are often given their ‘subject’ a few days before the court hearing. Yet, they know that their client’s future rests on their ability to argue their case in court. When there is a lack of time, a barrister will give up his or her free time to make sure their cases are fully prepared and ready.

As a presenter, you need all the skills of a successful barrister. You need to know your subject inside out, you need to know how you will develop your subject, when to repeat important information and when and how to paint a picture in your audience’s minds. These skills do not come by preparing your presentation the night before you give it. These skills come from “meticulous hard work and a thorough preparation”.

As a presenter, you may not have a client’s future in your hands, but you will certainly have your future and quite possibly the future of you company’s latest project in your hands. Surely these are important enough to make sure that you prepare your presentation with care.

If you would like to read more about George Carman, his son wrote a biography of his father, called No Ordinary Man, A Life Of George Carman.