Career
I’m interested in the study of law but I’m not great at public speaking. I know we will have to do advocacy and mooting, I’m also aware law is highly competitive. Is law right for me? Is there anything I can do to improve public speaking? I’m second guessing everything as I’m not as confident as other future law students. What do I do?!?!?!?!?
Original post by rabiiii379
I’m interested in the study of law but I’m not great at public speaking. I know we will have to do advocacy and mooting, I’m also aware law is highly competitive. Is law right for me? Is there anything I can do to improve public speaking? I’m second guessing everything as I’m not as confident as other future law students. What do I do?!?!?!?!?
Very few people will say they love speaking in public, but some are naturals and, for whatever reason, don't get nervous. Most do not relish it, however - it's supposed to be one of the things people worry about the most when it comes to their job so you are not alone. For almost all people, probably including you, it is possible to learn certain skills that will make you a good public speaker. It all depends where your starting point is. For instance, how easy do you find talking to groups of friends, even small groups? If you need to speak in class, are you ok with it, or do you go out of your way to avoid it? For the former examples, you need to build up your experience (eg ask a question in class!). If you knew a subject area really well, would that make you feel more confident at speaking out loud? There are courses/videos online but practice is the key and, depending on where you live, you might find there are very short training courses you can do. The book A to Z of office life has a section on public speaking but whole books are devoted to the subject if you are really interested. It's a bit of a cliche, but acting (in school/college or in local amateur theatre groups) can give the impression that you are more confident, even if it doesn't make you more so (though it probably will). As for law students being confident, maybe some are, but that does mean they will be great at their job. You might be a reserved person, but there are many areas of law, and only some people in law will be extroverts and naturally brilliant public speakers.
Original post by Lilyanne2
Very few people will say they love speaking in public, but some are naturals and, for whatever reason, don't get nervous. Most do not relish it, however - it's supposed to be one of the things people worry about the most when it comes to their job so you are not alone. For almost all people, probably including you, it is possible to learn certain skills that will make you a good public speaker. It all depends where your starting point is. For instance, how easy do you find talking to groups of friends, even small groups? If you need to speak in class, are you ok with it, or do you go out of your way to avoid it? For the former examples, you need to build up your experience (eg ask a question in class!). If you knew a subject area really well, would that make you feel more confident at speaking out loud? There are courses/videos online but practice is the key and, depending on where you live, you might find there are very short training courses you can do. The book A to Z of office life has a section on public speaking but whole books are devoted to the subject if you are really interested. It's a bit of a cliche, but acting (in school/college or in local amateur theatre groups) can give the impression that you are more confident, even if it doesn't make you more so (though it probably will). As for law students being confident, maybe some are, but that does mean they will be great at their job. You might be a reserved person, but there are many areas of law, and only some people in law will be extroverts and naturally brilliant public speakers.
Thank you so much!! I also talked to teachers about this.. they said it was a reasonable concern but that shouldn’t be a dictating factor on why you don’t want to do law. I want to say a lot but it just doesn’t come out right.. if you get what I mean?! Hopefully with practise I’ll be more confident…I’ve joined a debate club, I rarely speak but I guess that’s a starting point.
Original post by rabiiii379
Thank you so much!! I also talked to teachers about this.. they said it was a reasonable concern but that shouldn’t be a dictating factor on why you don’t want to do law. I want to say a lot but it just doesn’t come out right.. if you get what I mean?! Hopefully with practise I’ll be more confident…I’ve joined a debate club, I rarely speak but I guess that’s a starting point.
that is great to hear. A debating club is a brilliant idea and will help you see various sides of an opinion - very helpful for law!
Original post by rabiiii379
I’m interested in the study of law but I’m not great at public speaking. I know we will have to do advocacy and mooting, I’m also aware law is highly competitive. Is law right for me? Is there anything I can do to improve public speaking? I’m second guessing everything as I’m not as confident as other future law students. What do I do?!?!?!?!?
Hi there @rabiiii379
It is good that you are already starting to consider your future studies.
A law degree does not necessarily involve public speaking or advocacy. Generally, there are two types of lawyers: solicitors and barristers. Barristers are the lawyers that attend court and advocate. Solicitors on the other hand, are more involved in reviewing/ drafting of legal documents in an office environment. (This would require no/ less public speaking, depending on the specific firms you enter).
For my University, advocacy and public speaking are not compulsory courses, you could always do some research into the different career paths and what courses each University requires. It would help you narrow down your choices too.
I also felt less confident compared to other law students given my non-law background and lack of experience in public speaking, though after I arrived in University, I found most other students were in the same position, so try not to worry too much! In terms of improving on communication based skills: I found that I improved overtime by trying to speak up more in lessons, volunteering where I would be required to speak to a range of customers. (I also tried mooting in my first year of law, whilst it was an amazing opportunity, I did find I preferred the solicitor side of law, so any experience gained will be useful in the end). Take things easy and you will improve over time.
I hope this helps.
Chloe
-University of Kent Student Rep
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