Communication
Communication
Within this heading, we cover a wide range of modules:
Attention to detail
This module is designed to improve your attention to detail in written media, by raising awareness of the common 'blind spots' and by introducing best practice protocols and checklists. By the end of this module you will be in a better position to spot errors in written materials be they emails, letters or documents, with clear 'protocols' they can implement in practice.
Communicating by email
This module improves your ability to draft emails by raising awareness around the ubiquity of email, how we now live in an 'email overload' culture and by providing drafting tips. It also identifies when using the telephone or face to face communication would be a more appropriate medium and typical situations in which, perhaps unconsciously, we 'hide' behind email. By the end of this module you will be able to make better decisions about whether - and how - to email.
Interpersonal communication
A brief module which encourages you to think about interpersonal communication/interaction from the perspective of different models or techniques including 'mirroring' and 'DISC' profiling.
Effective meetings
This module empowers and enables you to set up, conduct and follow up a meeting with confidence by offering best practice protocols, checklists and procedures. By the end of this module you will be able to set up, conduct and follow up a meeting within a structured and road-tested framework.
Taking notes & instructions
This module encourages you to think differently about note-taking both during client meetings and also when taking instructions (from a client or a supervisor) in person or over the telephone. As well as ideas on different techniques on note-taking, it addresses issues around the questioning and listening process. By the end of this module you will have the capacity to think differently and more strategically about taking notes and instructions and will also have some new methods for doing so which you can apply in practice.
Negotiation
This module provides a complete but highly focused and manageable platform for planning, approaching and conducting negotiations. Various negotiation theories are considered and applied specifically to legal practice and common situations considered, including ploys adopted by opposing (and sometimes more experienced) lawyers. By the end of this module you will feel comfortable with the basic ideas and methodologies around negotiation and better placed to approach negotiation situations in a well-prepared, confident and responsive manner.
Communicating by telephone
This module aims to provide you with comfort from the knowledge that many people find the telephone a difficult medium, and raises awareness of why it can be more difficult for junior than senior lawyers. It provides tips and ideas on how to improve your telephone communication so that by the end of this module you will be able to handle telephone calls with more control and confidence.
Writing & Grammar
In this module we encourage you to think about your own standard of writing and the distinction between style and substance. We also cover some fundamentals on grammar, including some common blind spots. By the end of this module, you will be better placed to consider your own - and others' - written materials critically and sensibly from a legal writing and grammar perspective.