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This e-mail digest is dedicated to the interaction and education of volunteer speaker members of The Florida Bar Speakers Bureau. Submit items of interest to Mirieth Valenciano Marín at MValencianoMarin@flabar.org, or mail to The Florida Bar Speakers Bureau, 651 E. Jefferson Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2300. Photos sent by e-mail should be in jpg and gif format.

Feb. 1, 2012. Issue 87



Open speaker request

Topic: First Amendment Issues: pornography*
When: April 6
For Whom: The Women's Law Caucus of FAMU College of Law
Where: Orlando
Time: 12 p.m.
Audience: Students, lawyers, etc.
Details: Several speakers needed

*
- issues surrounding amateur pornography websites such as how people can violate the laws regarding pornography with their uploads and how these individuals or websites can be prosecuted.
- whether being in pornography could risk a person's ability to pass character and fitness/potential employment/etc.
- the situation surrounding Florida law enforcement arresting individuals who post pornography to the Internet, especially of themselves, and e-claims of First Amendment violations.
- whether it is possible that pornography could be outlawed in its entirety or how regulated can it be.


Welcome new speakers

We are pleased to announce that Frank Albear, Robert Barkin, Christopher Cavallo, Vivian de las Cuevas-Diaz, Isabel Diaz, Barbara Ferrer, Ronald P. Greninger, Anna Marie Hernandez, Gerald P. Hill, and Chasity H. O'Steen joined the Speakers Bureau in January. We hope they find this volunteer experience a fulfilling one.


Speaking tips


Rule of thumb: Distribute handouts at the end

It’s generally to your advantage to distribute handouts at the end of your presentation. Benefits include:
    • You make it clear that the handout is meant to be taken away. There’s no guarantee that your handout doesn’t end up in the recycling bin, but your aim is give it a chance to survive as long as possible, carrying your message with it.
    • If you plan to hand it out at the end, you will be more likely to make it a useful summary document (as opposed to making it a less useful transcript of your presentation).
    • Your audience will not be distracted reading it during your presentation, when you need their eyes and attention with you.
    • Your delivery can retain suspense, surprises and case studies (which might otherwise be hinted at or spoiled by the handout).
    • It is symbolic of giving a gift to the audience to thank them for their attention.
    • There will be less rustling of papers to distract both you and your audience.

Let your audience know early on that you’ve prepared a handout, and that you’ll be distributing it at the end. For some, this will free them from feeling they need to take notes.

Why should you distribute a handout at the start?

You may feel pressure from audience members to distribute the handout early so they can understand the subject. If this is necessary, however, it is a often symptom of a poorly crafted speech introduction and structure.

Between the speaker introduction, the introduction of the speech itself, and introductory slides, there is ample opportunity to establish the context, provide a roadmap, and nurture understanding. Then, as long as the presentation is designed sensibly using a logical framework, you can build on that early understanding right on through to your conclusion. You should not need a paper artifact in your audience’s hands to do this for you. Indeed, if your presentation is engaging enough, your audience won’t pay any attention to a piece of paper in their hand.

Though it is tempting to lazily give in to audience demand to produce a handout at the start, the negatives outweigh the positives. . . most of the time.

Having said that, there are several cases when it is advantageous to distribute a handout early in your presentation. These include the following scenarios:
    • Your presentation is very long, such as a full-day or half-day course. It is sensible to distribute course materials early, and refer to them as necessary.
    • Your presentation focuses on a highly technical, detail-oriented review (e.g. a proposal review). When every word is critical, you want to put those words into the hands of your audience. Reading them from paper will produce far less fatigue than reading from the screen would.
    • You have some content which is far too dense to be readable in slides, but which you want to talk about (e.g. a large table of data). Beware that you don’t ask your audience to absorb voluminous data during the presentation. One way to handle this is: “Please turn to the green sheet we distributed at the start for a moment. This is a reference sheet for you to take home, but I’d like to draw your attention to two of the numbers as an example. . .“
    • Your handout is not a summary document, but rather material for exercises to complete in session. Handing these out early prevents the disruption which would occur in the middle of your presentation in trying to distribute copies throughout the room. This includes sparsely printed pages (perhaps with only headings that you’ll be covering) into which your audience can take notes.

What about the handouts of my PowerPoint slides? Shouldn’t I hand those out at the beginning?

In most cases, I urge you not to print out copies of your PowerPoint slides at all. Doing so gives the very false impression that your slides are your presentation, when they are only visual aids. These printouts are too small to read, void of any animation or progressive builds, and are a very poor substitute for a handout. Often, these get tossed in the recycle bin immediately, and rightfully so.

If you absolutely must print copies, then do that in addition to creating a useful summary handout.


The Florida Bar News

Weekly session update
The third weekly update on bills and matters that The Florida Bar is monitoring during the 2012 Legislative Session has been posted. Also on this page: previous updates, legislation of interest to the legal profession and links to contact legislators.

Compliant filings
Visit the Florida Supreme Court website to find the requirements, recommendations and resources for accessible filings and judicial branch records.

JNC vacancies:
Apportionment plan
Attorneys interested in following redistricting may sign up for the Florida Supreme Court’s Twitter feed @flcourts or http://twitter.com/flcourts.

The Florida Bar News
The Feb. 1 Bar News is now available with stories including:
    • Lawyer regulation under review.
    • A bill that would give the governor at-will JNC appointments.
    • Bills to replace the state's standard for evaluating expert testimony.

Nominating petitions sought for two Board of Governors vacancies
Executive Director John F. Harkness Jr., has announced two vacancies on the Board of Governors of The Florida Bar in the Seventeenth Circuit and the Twentieth Circuit. Nominations are due Feb. 14.

Board to make appointment in March
The Board of Governors is seeking applicants for the Supreme Court's Bar Admissions Committee vacancy. Applications are due Feb. 22.


ABA News

Joint Statement from chairs of Law Student Division and Young Lawyers Division
Law Student Division Chair Tremaine "Teddy" Reese and Young Lawyers Division Chair Michael G. Bergmann express their support for the success of Law Students and Young Lawyers — which make up nearly half of the association’s membership — during this challenging time for the profession.

Ethics of cloud computing for lawyers, security and tips, subject of new ABA book
As more businesses move their information technology systems into the cloud, lawyers need to ask if cloud computing is right for their firm. "Cloud Computing for Lawyers," a new book from the American Bar Association Law Practice Management Section, features a discussion of cloud computing fundamentals and practical tips for securing data.

Lawyering here and abroad: Immigration visas for attorneys
While the job market is not lacking for lawyers, there are many times specialization — either in field of law or nation — is required.  In his article, “The Globalization of American Law Firms: A Quick Guide to Attorney Immigration,” Gregory Siskind outlines available visas and their purposes.

Foreclosure prevention, judicial disqualification highlight ABA Midyear Meeting in New Orleans
Preventing foreclosures, a public hearing on proposed amendments to the Model Code of Judicial Conduct regarding judicial disqualification, women’s challenges in the legal profession and many other legal topics will be featured at the 2012 American Bar Association Midyear Meeting, Feb. 1 – 6, in New Orleans.


Quote of Note

“Living with integrity means: Not settling for less than what you know you deserve in your relationships. Asking for what you want and need from others. Speaking your truth, even though it might create conflict or tension. Behaving in ways that are in harmony with your personal values. Making choices based on what you believe, and not what others believe.”
~ Barbara De Angelis

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Mirieth Valenciano Marín
Speakers Bureau Liaison
The Florida Bar,
651 E. Jefferson Street,
Tallahassee FL 32399-2300
1-800-342-8060, extension 5773
850/561-5733 (fax)
Mailto:MValencianoMarin@flabar.org

Feb. 1, 2012. Issue 87

[Revised: 02-02-2012]