How speakers push tolerance levels
When it comes to drinking and driving, we all have a tolerance level for what we can handle. Unfortunately, we only learn this lesson by crossing the line and vomiting, if not worse. The same is true for how much a person talks within a given time frame. If someone has used up 3 minutes while .. read more
The Case for Creating a Third Mind
Many of us, as children, were told at least once, “mind your own business”. If this is the case with you, that directive just may have become a foundation in your business ownership. You think things through, you keep successes and challenges close to the vest, and you and only you shape your next steps. .. read more
Emotions have a place, when handled
An introvert, I used to try to conceal my emotions, afraid they would show a weakness. Then I watched some of my favorite performers and realized another perspective. Emotions have a place, when handled. My desire was to learn how to gain control of emotions, then appropriately pull people into my conversations. Although I wanted people to .. read more
Solo Practioners’ Accountability Group
Malpractice, client complaints, workload overwhelm – all these spell disaster to the solo practitioner. And yet this entrepreneur who wears all the hats while reporting to nobody endures the risk of these things on a regular basis. Truth is, you don’t have to go it alone. For some, coaching is a valuable option. Yet the .. read more
6 Facts about Public Speaking Anxiety
When I was a child I was ultra shy. The middle child in my family, I developed the pattern of letting my older sister do the decision-making and my younger brother handle conversation. That pattern made me comfortable yet did little to help me break away from the communication barriers I created. What this means .. read more
Merri’s Tips – Part 9
50. Remember your manners. It seems when we are tired, worn out or challenged by things in daily life, our manners get forgotten. Recall what you learned in kindergarten about being nice, friendly and personable. 51. Choose those times when manners aren’t needed. Whether you’re being bullied or physically attacked, manners will get you no place. .. read more
One Simple Rule of Thumb for Courtroom/Public Speaking
Recently I spent an hour with a client wanting a review of the presentation he’s giving for an office all-staff meeting. As I requested, he sent me the focus of his message in advance so I could get a sense of the content. Although it was fairly technical, I knew there were ways he could .. read more
Advice for new Managing Partners
Yesterday I had lunch with a tremendous lawyer friend of mine who is in her first several months as managing partner in her firm. As many of us are, she is cautious about her expertise and current successes. She could be overwhelmed with the responsibilities on her plate, yet she has had something I think is hugely .. read more
The Comfortable Way for Lawyers to Network
Just as Stephanie Francis Ward suggests in her article, Shy Lawyers’ Guide to Becoming a Rainmaker, there is a major quality of many lawyers that serve them will when it comes to networking – their ability to research. How do the two go together? As Ward suggests, it is all about focus. When we network in .. read more
The evidence lawyers leave behind
Lawyers, you may not see it now, but there is evidence you’re leaving behind. And it’s crucial that you learn of it. It’s the evidence of how well you are performing in the courtroom. Not long ago, Ronda Muir wrote The Unique Psychological World of Lawyers, which demonstrates the “strikingly different” profile of lawyers as .. read more
