Powerful Witness Preparation 2019

Every caring lawyer involved in litigation has experienced the stress (trauma?) of wondering and worrying about witness testimony. Powerful Witness Preparation provides a modern prescription for persuasive verbal and non-verbal witness communications that will benefit every lawyer - regardless of experience (or inexperience). Dan Small, a highly-respected, experienced litigator - and witness expert walks you through the methods, procedure and rules that will make your witness a powerful, compelling communicator.

Dan's incredible breadth of experience will help you:

• Develop expertise, or even modest success, in witness preparation that takes most lawyers years to learn.
• Minimize the pain inherent in inadequate or improper witness preparation.
• Discover new tips, tactics and techniques that will make you a more effective advocate.

Program Schedule

9:00 - 10:30 am

Bridging the Gap

• The perception gap
• The conversation gap
• The audience gap

Understanding the Need

• Treacherous environment
• Unnatural environment
• Deceptive environment

Understanding the Audience

• Humanize the witness
• Humanize the party
• Simplify the language
• Simplify the message

Understanding the Challenge

• Three mistakes witnesses make
• Seven mistakes lawyers make

10:30 - 10:45 am

Break

10:45 am - 12:15 pm

The Process

• Preparation - key steps
• Preparation checklist
• Key goals

The Rules

• Basic principles
• Framing the message
• The 10 rules
• Making an impact

12:15 - 12:45 pm

Lunch

12:45 - 2:15 pm

Adapting to the Situation

• Interview v. testimony
• Deposition v. trial
• Direct v. cross

Expert Witness

• Role of the expert
• Expert/attorney relationship
• Independence of experts
• Expert communications

2:15 - 2:30 pm

Break

2:30 - 4:00 pm

Ethical Challenges - Preparation Does Not Mean Coaching!

• Extremes and reality
• The perjury dilemma
• Conventional wisdom vs. the new order

Core Themes/Home Bases

Understanding the Keys

• The witnesses' bill of rights