Developing Oral Communication Skills

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Developing Oral Communication Skills Dr Julia Davis School of Law 1. AIMS Law graduates, like all graduates, need good communication skills in the workplace, whether they intend to practise law or whether they seek employment in other fields like the public service or the private sector. Interestingly, one of the most common complaints about lawyers is not that they do not know the law, but that they do not know how to communicate, either with their clients, with judges, or with other lawyers.[1] One of the most common student concerns is the well-known fear of public speaking, yet despite their fears, an overwhelming majority of law students want to learn how to communicate more effectively.[2] As Chair of the Law Faculty’s Skills Committee, I have attempted to respond to the continuing pleas for better skills training from students, employers and members of the public by implementing a strong skills focused teaching approach that helps students to become better communicators and, consequently, better lawyers.[3] The Faculty of Law has developed an integrated program that aims to develop the oral communications skills of all law students. This program requires students to take a series of graduated steps that lead them from a simple five minute oral tutorial presentation in their first year in my Torts classes through to a full scale 30 minute advocacy exercise conducted in the Supreme Court of Tasmania in their final year. At each step in the program students are provided with practical exercises and feedback to assist them to: • become aware of the essential components of oral communication, • practice the skills in incremental steps over a 3-4 year period, • defuse the tension associated with oral communication, and • prepare themselves for the workplace. 2. RATIONALE FOR TEACHING METHODS Students begin the program in my Torts

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