Oral Judgments Seminar 2017
This seminar focused on delivering oral judgments. Developed in collaboration with senior judges and pedagogical and communications experts, this program helped members of the Court to learn and practice how to better structure their judgments, organize the evidence and law before and during a hearing, and communicate effectively.
Number of Participants: 56
Overview
This seminar focused on delivering oral judgments. Developed in collaboration with senior judges and pedagogical and communications experts, this program helped members of the Court to learn and practice how to better structure their judgments, organize the evidence and law before and during a hearing, and communicate effectively.
Objectives
The objectives of this program were to assist participants in developing improved skills in structuring a judgment, making it more direct, efficient and easy to follow; preparing oral judgments; structuring and communicating credibility assessments; and delivering clear oral judgments.
Summary
This seminar applied an experiential skills-based approach to teaching oral judgment skills to participants. Throughout the seminar, short lectures from experienced judges and experts on writing and communications taught the core advanced skills involved in structuring and delivering effective oral judgments. These lectures were supplemented by intensive small group work, where judges had the opportunity to practise these skills and receive individualized feedback both from their peers and from trained facilitators. The program ended with participants delivering a full oral judgment, which was followed by feedback.