150 How to Sell Yourself
and usually no judge. Supposedly, the deposition helps prepare
the two sides for the courtroom and shortens the trial time. The
key words here are under oath. If you fail to tell the truth in a
deposition, it’s as bad as if you lied in the actual courtroom. Per-
jury is perjury regardless of where it happens.
The entire difference between the deposition and courtroom
testimony is that in the deposition, only substance counts. There
is no judgmental audience except for the attorneys, and they can’t
acquit or convict. They can’t bring the case to its conclusion. So,
only the mind is involved.
Face, body, and voice hardly come into play in the deposition.
It is a confrontational situation, however, so the pause is once
again your most effective weapon. When you are asked a ques-
tion, think before you speak. Pause, take aim, get ready, fire. And,
needless to say, your answer should be the truth.
It probably seems like an oversimplification, but honesty and
the pause are the only tools you’ll need in the deposition.
The pause gives you the opportunity to consider the question,
its meaning, and its consequences before you answer.
Being honest means you won’t perjure yourself. If you tell the
truth, you never have to remember what you said.
If you don’t know, say so.
If you don’t understand the question, say so.
And the pause in every scenario allows your attorney to inter-
ject with a point or an objection.
The courtroom trial
With the presence of a judge and possibly a jury to determine
the outcome of a case, the skills of face, body, and voice become
vitally important in giving testimony. Yes, the ground rules for
the deposition also apply here, but how the jury perceives you is
critical.
Don’t forget that the jury is an audience and it can like you,
dislike you, feel sorry for you, or be neutral to you. Your job,
along with being truthful, is to be liked, because the jury will then
believe you’re telling the truth.
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Team-Fly®