Effective communication, verbal and written, is a key to success in legal profession. Humour and wit can contribute significantly to excellence in communication skills. A well organised effort in that direction has to start at law schools.

1. LAUGHTER AND HUMOUR FOR
LAW SCHOOLS

2. Presentation
by
Maj. Gen. Nilendra Kumar,
Director,
Amity Law School, Noida

3. Law professionals
carry out their
functions by use of
communications.

4. A law professional, be it an
attorney, judge, briefing
counsel or jurist has to convey
his point across to the bench,
witness, jury, client or the
opposite party.

5. Therefore, he has to be an
effective communicator.

6. A legal brief is often
serious in contents
replete with technical
matters and often
factual details. One,
who can see humour
or fun in it, would
succeed in making an
impression.

7. Communication
has to be brief,
clear and effective.

8. A law student or a budding
lawyer should try to inculcate a
sense of humour early in his
career.

9. Gandhi on Humour
If I had no sense of
humour, I would long
ago have
committed
suicide.

10. What are the various terms
associated with humour and
laughter.

11. Laugher
means
1. The act of laughing
2. The sound produced by
laughing.
3. An expression or
appearance of
merriment.

12. Laughter is a part of universal
human vocabulary.

13. Humour
relates to the quality of being
funny.
It conveys a comic, absurd or
incongruous quality causing
amusement.

14. Wit
A form of intelligent humour,
the ability to say or write
things that are clever and
usually funny.

15. Repartee
implies
a sharp or witty remark made as
a reply.
It is the skill in making sharp
witty replies.

16. Self Humour
is the act of belittling or under
valuing oneself.

17. Mimicry
The art of imitation practiced
by professional comedians who
impersonate famous people on
stage.
It is meant to make fun of the
thing imitated.

18. Mimicry may take the form of
mockery or parody on one
hand, and impersonation on
the other.

19. One Liner
A short joke or witticism,
usually expressed in a single
sentence.

20. A one liner is a joke in which
the set up and punch line are
in one statement.

21. Examples of one liners
1. I never forget a face, but in your
case, I would be glad to make
an exception.
2. The last thing I want to do is
hurt
you. But it is still on the list.

22. Humorous one liners
1. Life is unsure,always eat your
dessert first.
2. Marriage is one of the chief
causes of divorce.
3. Smile, it makes people
wonder what you are
thinking.

23. 4. If I agreed with you, we
would both be wrong.
5. I did not say it was your
fault, I said I was blaming
you.

24. Joker
one who tells or plays jokes

25. Clown
A clown is a comic
performer who employs
slapstick
physical
humour. The comedy
performed by a
clown
is that of a fool.

26. Mono Acting
means
the art of acting a play by a
single actor/person.

27. Cartoon
is a drawing depicting a
humorous situation, often
accompanied by a caption.

28. Satire
is the use of ridicule, irony or
sarcasm in exposing,
denouncing or deriding vice,
folly etc.

29. Witty Quotes
1. Never try to teach a pig to sing.
It wastes your time and annoys
the pig.
2. Never interrupt your enemy
when is making a mistake.

30. 3. The devil can cite scripture
for his purpose.

31. Winston Churchill
Quotes
1. There is no such thing as a
good tax.
2. A fanatic is one who cannot
change his mind and will
not change the subject.

32. 3. If you are going to go through
hell, keep going.
4. History will be kind to me for I
intend to write it.

33. Charles Chaplin Quotes
1. You will never find a
rainbow if you are looking
down.
2. I always like walking in
the rain, so no one can
see me crying.

34. 3. It is kind of fun to do the
impossible.
4. Laughter is timeless.
Imagination has no age.
And
dreams are forever.

35. Humour and wit can only be
used with advantage by a
counsel who has complete
grasp of the facts and
applicable law.

36. Wit and humour may be
made
a habit with regular practice.

37. Humour and laughter can
break tension and remove
stress.

38. Benefits of humour and laughter
1. Reduced stress
2. Increased creativity
3. Improved problem solving
competence.

39. 5. Enhanced memory
6. Increased self esteem and
resilience
7. Bonding with colleagues and
friends

40. To cultivate a sense of
humour
1. Regain your smile
2. Reward yourself frequently
with comedy movies and
literature

41. 3. Find humour in your most
embarrassing moments
4. Write funny comments on
facebook posts and
pictures and sms texts.

42. 5. Find a humour
buddy
6. Focus humour
on
yourself
7. Experiment with
jokes

43. Different modes
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
One act play
Mimicry
Mono act
Humourous poems
Cartoon

44. Prohibition
Don’t be obscene or vulgar

45. To begin with, use jokes
available on internet or in
books/magazines. Practice
the manner of correct speech,
tone, pronounciation and right
pause.

46. There should be no
compulsion. Let only those
students join who are
genuinely interested.

47. Mimicry to be practiced by
mocking or impersonating the
faculty or senior students.

48. A prize would be awarded at
each session to the student
who best mimics the law
school director.

49. SUMMARY
Being able to communicate
clearly and effectively is a
prime requisite for success in
law profession.
Humour and wit makes effective
communicator.

50. How to be Happy
decide every morning that you
are in a good mood.