Being An Effective Advocate

Many consultants are called upon to present their work to clients, governmental entities or the public. Some may be asked to provide sworn testimony in a formal administrative or legal proceeding. Whether in a presentation to a receptive client or on the witness stand facing cross examination by a hostile attorney, this article provides practical pointers on being a credible and effective advocate.

Documentation

Being an effective advocate starts well before the first public presentation or word of testimony. The documents you create in advance, whether intended for public disclosure or not, set the tone for your credibility. Therefore, you should always be careful in any formal or informal written communications to avoid poor grammar, misspellings, mathematical errors, unsupported leaps in logic, jokes, sarcasm or off-the-cuff remarks.