Move the microphone to allow witnesses to comfortably face the jury. Witnesses should dress conservatively, projecting an image of respect for the court. Witnesses' clothing and accessories should reinforce the image that the attorney wants to project. For example, patrolmen should appear at trial in uniform, not in street clothes, if the attorney wants to capitalize on the badge and gun image of policemen protecting the public from danger. Off the stand.
Witnesses can still influence jurors when they are off the stand.
As such, witnesses should be instructed to be on guard whenever they are in places where jurors might observe them. Witnesses should not do anything inconsistent with their image at trial. A witness who professes remorse or sadness on the stand but is seen laughing in the hallway during the next recess will not be viewed favorably by jurors. Combining good listening skills and the observation of nonverbal behaviors along with conducting practice examinations with positive and negative feedback serve as the fundamentals of witness preparation. At trial, attorneys should remind witnesses as to how they can be most effective on the stand in light of the preparation efforts and the basics of how they should appear on the stand.