As the first Moot Tournament draws even closer, many students are panicking. How do you even prepare for an unlimited amount of questions from judges? How do you anticipate what questions might be asked?
Let me tell you about the key to a successful first tournament…
I’ve been involved with Hillsdale College’s Mock Trial team since my freshman year. One of the benefits of learning a different style of public speaking—like Mock Trial—is learning new skills. I’ve learned, for example, that two- or three-second pauses are not awkward, but actually persuasive when used correctly. One of the other things I’ve learned is to hone my Mock Trial imagination.
What does this mean?
In Mock Trial, almost every element of trial is scripted. The only “off the cuff” moments are when something doesn’t quite go how you expected. Say, the witness whom you’re cross-examining is being extra belligerent, or the attorney makes an objection to your question.
It is in those off the cuff moments when the good attorneys are differentiated from the bad. To be a good attorney, you have to excel in those unscripted moments. But, freshman me asked, how was I supposed to prepare for that? How do I prepare for objections that I have no idea will be made?
The answer from my coach was simple: use your “Mock Trial Imagination.”
So I read through my scripted material, and I imagined: what objections might attorneys raise to this question? What answers might the witness give that I don’t like?
Of course, the next step was to plan out how I would respond. What caselaw would I point to to defend myself?
So I read through my scripted material, and I imagined: what objections might attorneys raise to this question? What answers might the witness give that I don’t like?
Of course, the next step was to plan out how I would respond. What caselaw would I point to to defend myself? What word would I emphasize to pin down the witness?
But that wasn’t good enough. When I sat down with my script, imagining how I might respond to objections or answers I didn’t like, I realized that I had more work to do. My opponents, after all, would be prepared for my responses and have responses of their own—especially if they were good. So I needed to take my preparation a step farther. I needed to imagine how they might respond to my responses. And if I was really serious, I needed to imagine how they might respond to my responses to their responses.
It is by putting in this work behind the scenes that one can improve in any style of forensics—but especially in Moot Court.
That Moot Court Imagination is what separates you from the average competitor. Sit down and think: what questions might the judge have on each of these points? What buzzwords do I need to use—what caselaw need I leverage—in order to respond persuasively? And if the judge still isn’t convinced—or if they have another response—how do I respond to that?
A honed Moot Court Imagination is your key to a successful first tournament.
If you’re looking for someone to help you improve your Moot Court Imagination, or to help you word out your responses to the questions you know you’ll always be asked, feel free to reach out for coaching. I’ve read every single case in the packet, written full cases for both sides on both issues (which you’ll have access to if you receive coaching), and am so excited to help you improve in your argumentation.
Ethan Tong is one of our dedicated Lasting Impact! Coaches. He, like all of our coaches, are dedicated to build up our students in all of the aspects geared around speech and debate- rhetoric, analysis, delivery, writing, and much more… and even IMAGINATION! Schedule a coaching call today!