4.2: Oral Communication in the Law Office

As a paralegal, you will have many opportunities to interact “in real time” (or synchronously) with clients, your supervising attorney and other law office co-workers, and people outside of the law office. As such, it is important to develop strong and professional oral interpersonal communication skills.

Basic Considerations for Effective Oral Communication

Although both written and oral communication involve the use of words, each has a unique set of considerations to follow to ensure effective communication. Unlike written communication, when speaking with another person you must be concerned with proper pronunciation, clear articulation, and fluent delivery of words (also known as enunciation). Moreover, a person’s understanding of what you are saying is also impacted by your tone of voice, volume, rate of speaking, and voice inflection.

Word choice/Vocabulary

In the law office, you should always choose your words carefully and use formal and professional speech. Avoid using slang, colloquialisms (words and phrases that are used incorrectly but have gained widespread use in informal conversation; for example, “down by the lake” is a colloquialism for “near the lake”), idioms (words or phrases having a meaning different from the literal meaning of the words themselves, typically established by common usage in a particular culture or region; for example “bubbler” instead of “drinking fountain”), or other unprofessional language. It is also important to avoid using specialized legal terms (also known as “legalese”) if the person with whom you are speaking is unlikely to understand them.

Enunciation

When speaking with another person, especially over the telephone or web conference, it is important to speak clearly and confidently. Make sure you know how to properly pronounce specialized or complex words that you may be required to use (for example, “larynx”). Speak clearly and evenly; do not mumble or drop syllables or letter sounds. Pause between thoughts, or when you would have used a comma, semicolon, or other punctuation in writing. Try to avoid the use of “fillers” (such as um, er, like). Finally, make sure you don’t have anything in your mouth (gum, food, toothpicks, etc.) that impacts your ability to speak clearly.

Vocalization

You must not only be aware of what words you say, but how you say them so that the person listening to you can truly understand what you mean.

• The tone of voice. This is commonly thought of as the “emotion” conveyed by your voice. You know from interacting with others that the same words, spoken with different tones of voice, have different meanings. One illustration of this is the way in which you interact with pets. If you angrily say, “Good dog!” the dog is likely to cower in response to the angry tone, even though the words are positive.
• Volume. When speaking with another person, especially over the telephone or web conference, it is important to speak loudly enough (but not too loudly) for the other person to clearly hear and understand you. One funny episode of Seinfeld (“The Puffy Shirt”) shows what can happen if someone speaks too quietly.
• Speed. Again, when speaking with another person, especially over the telephone or web conference, it is important to avoid speaking too rapidly (like Kramer after he drank too much coffee in the Seinfeld episode “The Maestro”), or too slowly (like the sloth who works for the DMV in the movie Zootopia).
• Inflection. In natural speech, inflection is the change of tone or pitch in speech. For example, when asking a question, your voice pitch should rise at the end of the sentence; when making a statement, your voice pitch should drop slightly lower. Some people have a habit of allowing their voice pitch to rise at the end of every sentence, which can sound unsure or timid, at best, or be confusing, at worst. Variations in vocal tone and pitch also help to emphasize certain words or phrases (when appropriate) and keep you from speaking in a monotone (which can seem robotic or just plain odd, like Ron Swanson from Parks and Recreation).

As with any communication skill, the best way to strengthen your skills or overcome insecurities is to practice them in low-risk environments.

Telephone Procedures and Skills in the Law Office

With the increasing popularity of text messaging, instant/direct messaging, and chat, using the telephone to speak with someone is becoming less frequent, at least in social or personal situations. In business, however, and especially in the law office, communication frequently takes place orally over the telephone. Following are some important telephone guidelines:

• Answer the telephone! It’s understandable that many people don’t answer their personal phones as a means to avoid scams, telemarketers, pollsters, and the like. However, it’s unprofessional to do so in the law office. The receptionist will screen most calls before they are connected to your office phone line; they should not be allowed to “go to voicemail” unless you truly cannot be interrupted because you are engaged in another conversation with a client, your supervising attorney, or your co-worker. If the call interrupts a project you are working on, take the time to pause and “bookmark” your project before picking up the phone so you can easily return to it after taking the call.
• Respond to voicemails with a telephone call. While it may seem easy and convenient to respond to a voicemail with a text or email message, professional courtesy dictates that you respond to communications using the same (or equivalent) communication method that was used in the original communication. Taking the time to return a phone call shows that you respect and value the person enough to speak with them directly. It also avoids the inefficiency and ineffectiveness of multiple back-and-forth emails/text messages necessary to clarify communication or answer follow-up questions. After you have engaged in a complete discussion, you can confirm in writing what you discussed, if necessary (confirmation letters and interview summaries are discussed in later chapters).
• Keep a positive attitude. If your attitude toward telephone calls is that they are inconvenient or a nuisance, that attitude will likely be evident in your voice. Believe it or not, your smile can be “heard” over the telephone.
• Use empathy and sincerity. From the moment you answer the phone, use a genuine and sincere tone of voice. Keep your greetings and responses natural rather than scripted or generic. Connect with callers by attempting to understand their perspective throughout the phone call. Stay patient with them as you listen and answer questions. If they ask you difficult questions, or questions involving responses that would constitute unauthorized practice of law, respectfully refer them to the supervising attorney.
• Show gratitude and appreciation. Showing appreciation for people is an effective way to continue building lasting relationships. At the end of the call, politely thank the person for speaking with you. If you're reaching out to someone and they're taking time out of their schedule to talk to you, show your appreciation for allowing you to speak with them.

There are many resources on the Internet that can assist you with improving your basic oral communication and telephone skills. Your increased confidence and professionalism will be well worth the time spent with these resources. In later chapters, you will be introduced to oral communication skills and considerations that are especially important in the context of interviewing clients and witnesses.