Afraid of Testifying in Court?
PERSPECTIVE
Steven Visentin
A survey showed that the fear of public speaking is only second to the fear of death. As a doctor, you may find you need to speak out, even though you may be introverted and dread it. Fortunately, there are techniques to help you overcome this all too common fear. Read this article and learn the secret.
When They Win, You Win
As long as you’re focused on yourself, you’ll never be free of self-doubt. Before you give your next presentation, take a moment to close your eyes and envision how your audience might benefit from your message. Do this repeatedly to cast self-doubt aside.
True Story
I was subpoenaed to go to court as an expert witness. A truck hit my patient while she was walking. She was knocked down and later taken by ambulance to an emergency room. She followed up with care from her medical doctor and finally came to me for chiropractic. I adjusted her and did as much as I could, but she’ll have life-long injuries because of the severity of the accident.
The driver’s insurance company refused to pay any of the bills; they were being ridiculous. They forced her to go to court and sue them. Their courtroom track record was excellent; their attorney was good at making expert witnesses look like fools. He would rip them to shreds by saying things such as, “You weren’t smart enough to get into Harvard Medical School, were you doctor?” Regardless of how smart or well prepared the plaintiff’s side was, the defense prevailed. Since attorneys get to ask all the questions in court, they’re at a huge advantage.
My patient was a Hispanic woman who did not speak English. I was worried that she would not get justice. She talked to three lawyers before she finally found an attorney who would represent her. He had a checkered past and had been disbarred. I was thinking, “This is a nightmare!” I was concerned, mostly for myself, and wanted to avoid public embarrassment by being on the losing side.
I arrived early and sat outside the courtroom. The atmosphere was chaotic. While I waited, I heard yelling and screaming in the courthouse. Upset people and families were walking in the hallway in front of me. The insurance company tried to throw the case out of court on a technicality while I sat waiting.
Her medical doctor testified first. The insurance company’s attorney kept her on the stand for more than an hour and a half. I watched as she walked out of the courtroom into the hallway where I was sitting. She looked shaken. Unfortunately, I was next, and I was thinking, “We need a miracle.” I couldn’t imagine my patient’s side prevailing or justice being served. I was nervous, even though my only duty was to tell the truth. I thought, “I have to get my mind clear now.” I closed my eyes for a second and tried to envision a fair outcome. I forced myself to imagine my patient winning and embracing her attorney with both arms. I focused my mind and imagined her with tears of joy streaming down her face because she got justice. I “saw” the impossible. It was difficult to do, but I did it repeatedly until I was called into the courtroom.
Then a funny thing happened—I relaxed. After being sworn in, I sat down, and gave testimony. Then I faced crossexamination by the insurance company’s lawyer. I’d faced this man before with mixed results, and I was not looking forward to being interrogated by him.
After 20 minutes of intense questioning, I blurted out, “What do you want? She got hit by a 4,500-pound truck. What do you expect?” He jumped down my throat and asked me a question he didn’t know the answer to, which is the worst thing an attorney can do. He barked, “How do you know that?” I replied, “How do I know what?” He demanded, “How did you know the truck weighed 4,500 pounds?” I said, “I Googled it.” From the jury, I could hear muffled laughter. The lawyer was losing control and knew it. He rushed through the rest of the cross-examination. He realized he wasn’t getting anywhere and that he wasn’t going to upset me. I was relaxed and telling the truth.
My testimony took less than half an hour. The judge dismissed me, and I drove back to my clinic. I was still very doubtful that the jury would find in my patient’s favor. As her doctor, I knew she was hurt and I felt bad that they wouldn’t even cover her costs for care. I was so apprehensive. In a few days, I had my secretary call to find out how the trial ended. I didn’t want to make the call myself because I feared the worst.
My secretary came to me with the results. She said, “Dr. Visentin, a wonderful thing happened. The jury found your testimony very credible and awarded your patient over $100,000!” I was ecstatic.
I reviewed what had happened in my mind. At first, there was no way I could imagine justice being served. I was feel-
ing apprehensive about testifying. As long as I felt that way, things would not go well. There was no way I could rise to the occasion with that mindset. The visualization technique I did before I took the stand changed everything for me. It allowed me to rise to the occasion.
Before Your Next Presentation...
The key to putting self-doubt aside is to put others first. Take a moment before you address an audience to envision them benefiting from your message. See them enjoying your products, services, and ideas. See their lives changed for the better. Cast your demons of doubt aside and imagine the audience nodding in agreement with you. Do this repeatedly and with emotion to create a strong, effective mindset. Try it and your next presentation may be more persuasive than ever. You won’t be nervous about yourself because your focus will be on them. Force your mind to see a glorious outcome and let it happen.
Steven Visentin, DC, Denver chiropractor, is a 1982 graduate of the National College of Chiropractic. As dinic director of Care Chiropractic (www.carechiropractic. com), he is an accomplishedpublic speaker and the author of an e-book entitled, Blow - Your-Head-Off
Practice-Building Secrets.
