During a discovery session each party’s lawyer gets the chance to question selected witnesses. The person that gets asked the questions takes part in a deposition. The better prepared the witness is, the easier it becomes to deal with the barrage of questions.

What do the lawyers hope to learn by asking so many questions?

Each attorney wants to know what the questioned witness knows about the case that is the focus of the discovery session.
In addition, each lawyer seeks to determine what sort of testimony the questioned witness would be apt to give during a trial.

Tips for anyone that must attend a personal injury deposition

• Listen carefully to each question; do not try to answer until you have heard the whole question.
• Dress as you would for an interview; do not wear casual attire.
• Tell the truth; do not exaggerate or prevaricate.
• Speak up and talk clearly.
• Plan ahead by practicing. Have someone get video footage of you answering questions. Study your actions on that footage.
• What were you doing with your hands and the other parts of your body? Your body language can send a message.
• Learn how to establish eye contact with the person that is posing the questions. You do not have to look directly into the questioner’s pupils. Instead, you can gaze at an area of the face that lies between the eyes and the chin.

Notice what you did with your arms and legs, while you were being questioned. Did you cross your arms over your chest? That sends a bad message. It suggests that you want to create some type of barrier.

Look again at the video footage. Did you cross your legs or your ankles? That is another way to send the wrong message. It suggests that you are trying to increase the distance between you and the person that is asking the questions.

What do your actions say about your feelings, as you provided the answers that had been requested? Can you note the performance of actions that display the extent to which you were nervous? Make a point of finding a way to quell your desire to make those actions.

Think about what you would want to see someone doing, if you were trying to get some information from them. Would you want them to twist a lock of their hair, to rub their finger on a point of their neck, or to play with some object, such as a pen?

Personal Injury Lawyer in Ottawa that has been hired by the plaintiff does not want any client to display such behavior. It indicates that the plaintiff is nervous. The other side should not know when, or if, the plaintiff feels decidedly uneasy, while providing answers.