Professor Molly Shadel: Tackling Public Speaking

Photo Credit: UVA Law

Last Tuesday, March 18, Student Affairs hosted the latest installment of its “Lunch and Learn” series, featuring Professor Molly Shadel. While loudly munching on sandwiches and chips, students received Professor Shadel’s tried and true tips on mastering public speaking during and after law school. Prior to the presentation, attending students were able to pick up a free copy of Professor Shadel’s book and submit questions for her to address.

Based on students’ concerns, Professor Shadel divided the discussion into three parts: drafting, practicing, and handling nerves.

1. Drafting: Professor Shadel recommended writing your speech or presentation by speaking. She cautioned against writing a speech like an essay and then attempting to memorize it word for word. Doing this may cause even more stress if you are to mess up a rehearsed line. Rather “you should treat it like a conversation,” so the audience is more likely to remain engaged. As a speaker, you should prioritize clarity and simplicity over trying to impress listeners.

2. Practicing: She advised practicing at least a week to ten days in advance to refine wording and ensure you know the material in its entirety.

3. Nerves: Professor Shadel consoled students that nerves are a perfectly normal, biological reaction to public speaking. Nerves can actually drive you to perform better, but in order to prevent them from clouding out everything else, practicing is key. She noted that “nerves are the worst during the first few sentences,” so it is most important to nail down your introduction.

If you are itching for more public speaking tips, check out the rest of Professor Shadel’s book, Finding Your Voice in Law School: Mastering Classroom Cold Calls, Job Interviews, and Other Verbal Challenges.