Key Skills in Giving Evidence
Having a clear idea of what giving evidence entails is helpful to anyone who needs to give evidence.
The key skills you need to be able to perform are as follows:
You need to have a very good grasp of all the evidence.
Then it is important that you know your case very well and can identify its strengths and weaknesses.
Look at the evidence from the viewpoint of parties who are against you.
Once you have done this, consider how your evidence stacks up against the other party's.
As is probably becoming clear, you have to have the capacity to question yourself and be thorough in doing so.
Your attitude and ability to control your emotions are vitally important at all times.
Since these factors affect how you present.
How able you are at verbally presenting information is another area that you will need to consider and practise.
When giving evidence of course it's essential that you are able to express yourself clearly.
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But what is equally vital is that you are able to listen effectively.
This means having the patience and willingness to hear fully the question that is being asked before rushing to answer it.
Then, before answering the question, having the ability and poise to think about how to answer it.
Whilst in the witness box, you are in a pressurised environment, so it takes a fair amount of control to be able to provide suitable answers.
And the answers given need to be consistent with your overall argument or case.
Giving evidence well and dealing effectively with cross-examination involves displaying a level of steel, congruent with your arguments.
At the same time, it also requires you to demonstrate a level of flexibility that proves your honesty and reliability as a witness.
In my book Family Court: Giving Evidence in the Family Court, I devote a whole chapters to Giving Evidence, to Cross-Examination and the Do's and Don'ts of Giving Evidence.
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