Developing Your Presentation

Start by picking a unique topic that brings interest to your presentation. This topic will serve as your guide throughout your presentation. If you are asked to speak on a particular area of your practice, make sure you understand the expectations. If this information is not provided, here are some questions you will want to ask:

• Who is my intended audience – those in my same practice or general practitioners?
• Is the program for new lawyers or seasoned practitioners?
• What are the other topics being covered for the day?
• What are the things that I would want to know about this topic?

Even basic topics can be unique. For example, a basic presentation on divorce can be given a twist by making the topic current – such as “Divorce Hiccups in Today’s Modern Families.” This gives you a useful and relevant topic. You could also intertwine characters from popular TV shows with scenarios to address present day issues, using your legal topic as the theme.

Here are some other techniques and examples for developing your topic:

1) Use numbers to clearly convey what attendees will gain from your presentation:

• Seven Tips for Using Twitter to Grow Your Practice
• Nine Things You Should Consider When Creating a Will
• How to Start Your Own Practice in Two Years

2) Tie in a hot topic or new case:

• Win Your Next DUI Case: State vs. Fred Flintstone
• How Zippy’s Music Videos Impacts Music Licensing

3) Create interest or curiosity

• Snoopy v. Tinkerbell: What Happened and Why it Matters
• Employment Apocalypse: A Survival Kit for Employers

4) Keep it simple and fun

• Questions From Your Cousin: Divorce, DUI and Wills
• Spot Opportunities and Act Fast: Tips for Connecting with Potential Clients

5) Be direct with what they will learn

• Basic Provisions of the Family Law Act
• Taking Your Legal Career to the Next Level with Community Involvement