Witness Skills – Professional Witnesses
Giving evidence and cross examination can be a highly technical and specialist process which is alien to the vast majority of people and can cause them to feel stressed, nervous and extremely uncomfortable.
As part of their role, government staff, health professionals and emergency responders such as police, ambulance, fire and prison staff are regularly called on to provide evidence to courts, tribunals, inquiries, investigations and commissions, but they often find themselves unprepared for the process.
At these hearings, it is common that, the witnesses’ decision making, procedures, experiences, notes and considerations will be forensically analysed and debated. Witnesses will be required to justify their actions and can be criticised for these actions. This often causes considerable personal discomfort, as well as potentially reflecting poorly on their department or organisation.
Wouldn’t it be helpful if there was a solution to prepare witnesses as to what to expect, how to deliver their evidence and to deal with the ‘tactics’ used by defence barristers or cross examiners in a court or tribunal? Well, the good news is that we have a solution. Our Witness Skills training offers a specially developed training course to help overcome the ongoing difficulties faced by certain civil servants and health professional witnesses when providing evidence and when under cross examination. This course seeks to redress the imbalance which many public servants, officials, managers and executives face when giving evidence, including in particular testimony under cross examination.
Additionally, and related to the above, certain government staff are also required to undertake interviews and investigations as part of their roles (and on which they may have to provide evidence and be cross examined). It is imperative that these are conducted in an effective, strategically focussed and ethical manner.
We have developed a series of specially designed courses for this to suit the relevant arms of government and other similar such organisations:
- Police: For police officers, managers, specialists and civilian support staff
- Health Services: For government and non-government health service providers
- Public Servants: For others government departments often required to give evidence
- Investigations, Interviewing and Intelligence
- Emergency Responders: For fire, ambulance and prison officers, and other first responders.
This training serves as a foundation on which government and organisation representatives can understand more about the collation and delivery of evidence including under cross examination. It also provides those staff likely to be giving evidence a detailed understanding of the fundamentals of the witness process, as well as rigorous practical experience in being effective in this role.
In this way government staff called to be witnesses (and their legal team, organisation and other stakeholders) can be assured and confident that the witness will be well placed to effectively obtain, collate and deliver evidence effectively and be able to handle the evidential process.
Witness Skills – Subpoenas
Anybody, either on their own or while representing their organisation, can be subpoenaed to provide evidence to courts, tribunals, inquiries (including coronial inquiries), investigations and commissions. They are compelled to attend court and they often find themselves unprepared for the process. It can be particularly difficult for the witness as they do not have the support of a party’s legal team to help prepare them to give evidence in the Court. They are also often representing their organisation, department or company in doing this, which involves an additional level of pressure.
At these hearings, it is common that the witnesses’ decision making, procedures, experiences, notes and considerations will be forensically analysed and debated. Witnesses will be required to justify their actions and can be criticised for these actions. This often causes considerable personal discomfort, as well as potentially reflecting poorly on their department, company or organisation.
Developed out of the need to support these witnesses, and their organisations in this process, Loquitur has prepared our specialised Witness Skills – Subpoena Training course.
This training serves as a foundation on which individuals in their personal capacity, or as representatives of their employer, can understand more about the delivery of evidence (including where relevant, expert evidence) under cross examination when subpoenaed to attend court. It also provides those people and staff likely to be giving evidence a detailed understanding of the fundamentals of the subpoena process, the witness process, as well as rigorous practical experience in being effective in this role.
To see how we can help you please contact us.
What are the benefits
of witness skills coaching?