4 Delivering your session

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A barrister giving a presentation to an audience.

Even when you are a seasoned advocate, delivering a session to a different and younger audience can feel challenging, even daunting.

This section provides tips on a structure drawn from the authors’ experience as educators:

• Have some prompts or cue cards to help you remember what you want to say. Alternatively, you could use slides to keep you on track. However, avoid writing a full ‘script’ for the session as it could sound stilted and awkward.

• Wear a watch and keep an eye on the time. Have a ‘back up’ plan, for example, some additional questions or an extra activity, which you can use if you get through your planned session faster than you anticipate or if something goes wrong with any technology involved. Also, have a plan for aspects of the session you can ‘drop’ or shorten if you are running over-time.

• Don’t be afraid of silences. It can take audience members a while to pluck up the courage to contribute, so make sure you give them time to formulate their responses before moving on. Similarly, if setting small group activities, don’t jump in to direct a group too quickly. Given them a few minutes to start on the task independently.

• Know your limits. It is likely there will be a teacher or other observer in the session who can help if issues arise with discipline. You can refer to them if you feel uncomfortable at any point.

• Be yourself. Your audience will want to know about you and your experience. Having someone friendly and approachable speak to them is likely to influence their impressions of barristers long after the detail of your session has been forgotten.

This downloadable document Planning an outreach session – suggestions for activities and games [Tip: hold Ctrl and click a link to open it in a new tab. (Hide tip)]   has a variety of activities to use during your session. You can cut and paste from it or use it in any way you find useful.