How do I control my body language and facial expressions in front of the jury?

I am a trial lawyer. I have to present cases to juries on a regular basis. I%26#039;m rountinely criticized for %26quot;wearing by heart on my sleeve%26quot;, letting every emotion be seen, be it frustration, anger, contempt, etc. I%26#039;ve tried concentrating and acting. Nothing is working. Help, my job is at stake!|||If you subject your self to the problem you will become used to it. If you are subjected to somthing often you will become used to it and not show as much of a reaction.


The thing is that you can use your emotions to your advantage... have you ever thought about that?





I was a law student and I could not continue becuase I am very much the same as your self. You will become heartless if you decide to loose your emotions. I have seen it may times. war verterans, social workers, people that have had a terrible life.





I would say emotions are a gift from god and I would use them. Maybe you could find a carrer that would suit you better? still in the field of law...|||When you say you%26#039;ve tried acting do you mean you%26#039;ve taken acting classes or studied different acting techniques or did you just try to act on your own? There are many different approaches to acting. The best ones utilize honesty and help us tell the truth on stage. By that I mean the actor connects with truths within them and portrays them on stage. It is much more convincing than trying to lie to the audience. It is also much more challenging because you are not simply trying to put on a phony face. You are attempting to peal away layers of safety and expose some real part of yourself that is appropriate to the scene in which you are playing. What I am telling you is that the greatest actors are masters of sharing truth, not masters of lying. So how does this help you in your dilema? I suggest seeking out the very best acting teacher you can find. Be specific with them as to what your needs are. The other thing I would tell you is find a way to make your truth work for you. Since you know you are not an effective liar avoid lying. That doesn%26#039;t mean you have to be honest all the time. (I know you are a lawyer) Find a truth you can be passionate about in presenting your case. Your honesty will be apparent. Since you are easily %26quot;read%26quot; by the jury and the opposing legal team, make sure that what you are giving them to %26quot;read%26quot; of yourself is of benefit to winning the case. If you are not familiar with acting, you may feel that what I am telling you is B.S. Believe me you can do it, if you believe in yourself and you are not afraid to look like a total ***.|||pretend your mom is dead|||Perhaps an improv acting exercise called %26quot;mantras%26quot;. Give yourself a phrase, and repeat it several times (as necessary ) in your head. Things like %26quot;I am calm%26quot; or %26quot;everything%26#039;s fine%26quot; or my favorite, %26quot;Just this now.%26quot; Really keeps me centered.





Also, check out the Status section in Impro by Keith Johnstone. Lots of specific descriptions of how to indicate degrees of status through body and voice.|||Forget changing it, use it to your advantage. Emotion is a large part of being an attorney. Why not show that you are passionate about the case? Johnny Cochran was a good example of this. If you can%26#039;t change it- go with it!|||When im confronted with a problem like that i think about something else, like if i play poker or something i think about something like sing a song in my head. I smile when i lie, big big grin, i dont know why, but ive learned to fool people better if i just dont think about the lie or sing a song, its not that difficult to pay attention and not at the same time, give it a try, see if it works for you too.