Improve Your Public Speaking Skills

Whether you love giving passionate speeches or maybe you dread ever talking to more than two people at a time, mock trial will benefit you as a public speaker. In UIMT, we know that it's not just what you say, but how you say it. The most important part of mock trial is delivering a coherent and persuasive argument. Having a foolproof strategy and solid content is great, but if you can't get the words out of your mouth without stuttering, losing your place, or getting sick to your stomach because you're nervous, then your speech is not going to be as effective as it could be. There are many methods to improving one's public speaking, and mock trial utilizes them all to gradually increase an individual's comfort with public-speaking by increasing their knowledge about what makes for good public speaking and coupling that with opportunities to practice in real life. No matter what you are planning on doing after you graduate -- whether you plan on being a teacher, a businessperson, a scientist, an engineer, or something else completely -- public speaking will be something you always need to do. In mock trial, you get the chance to go toe-to-toe with some of the best public speakers in the nation, and you will be given the tools necessary to outperform them. After that, class presentations and job interviews suddenly seem like an absolute breeze. So, if you want to become a confident public speaker, then consider joining UIMT!

Improve Your Critical Thinking Skills

Whether you want to be a rocket scientist or teach third grade or just about anything else you can imagine, you need to be able to critically analyze and reason your way through different issues and problems. The fact of the matter is that critical thinking and analysis skills are consistently listed as the skills most important to employers, and consistently listed as skills that traditional classroom learning does a poor job of teaching. In mock trial, however, you develop those skills in an activity that forces you to analyze and problem-solve in real-time to deal with new problems and to apply academic learning in new ways. As such, UIMT is a great place to stretch your brain and learn how to think outside the box. When we develop strategies for mock trial competitions, it's crucial that we not only analyze the information available and identify our goals for the competition, but also what we think other teams will do as well so that we can respond. And even with all of that preparation, every round of mock trial is different and requires further adaptation and problem-solving in the moment. We constantly have to come up with creative ways to approach the issue so that our performance will catch other teams off guard. It's vital that we understand the case inside and out so that we can present our story clearly and effectively react to our opponents. So, if you want to become better at thinking on your feet and learn how to analyze information in a new and useful way, then consider joining UIMT!

Improve Your Teamwork Skills

Whether you're already a great teammate or are trying to improve your ability to work in groups, UIMT will give you a lot of experience in collaborative situations. UIMT is a team activity and it requires every person on the team working together in order to be successful. Collaboration is key in mock trial. Individuals will always have slightly different roles from one another, but the only way to present a coherent case in competition is when everyone understands their own role and how it fits in with others. Additionally, mock trial thrives when a team full of hard-working, creative individuals work together to make one another better at what they're doing. And so, at practices, we are constantly working with one another and sharing ideas so that we can develop the strongest case possible. When it comes to competing in the round, the better we know how to work together, the easier it is to react to surprises and know what your teammates are going to do. So, if you love the thrill of working towards and accomplishing goals with others, then consider joining UIMT!

Improve Your Leadership Skills

Whether you are thinking of being President of the United States or just might volunteer in a classroom someday, there will almost certainly be opportunities in your life for you to lead. Mock trial can help you grow as a leader so when those situations arise, you are ready. UIMT offers many leadership positions to members as they accumulate experience within the program. Although their are coaches for guidance, returning students take on mentoring roles of new students, and leaders (captains) for each team are developed throughout the year. In addition, there are non-competitive leadership roles available as well as UIMT has an executive board that handles a number of things that makes competing in mock trial possible. These leadership roles demand a high degree of organizational and communication skills, but these are skills that can be learned and are taught in mock trial. As with many other skills taught in mock trial, leadership roles are a great way to stand out on applications and resumes. So, if you want the opportunity to become a better leader while still in college, then consider joining UIMT!

Improve Your Acting Skills

Whether you're working to be the next Meryl Streep, Leonardo DiCaprio, or you just really enjoyed high school theater, you might being a witness in mock trial. Unlike many other competitions, mock trial requires individuals to portray attorneys and to portray witnesses during competitions. Both types of roles are scored equally and equally important to success. As witnesses, individuals are required to step outside of themselves and tell a creative and entertaining story that will keep the judges interested in what is being said. The case materials provided to mock trial students provide us with some facts and bare bones information about a witness, but it is up to us to develop a backstory and present characters that are convincing yet entertaining. Maybe you've always dreamed of being an eccentric scientist explaining the research, or a grieving widow crying over a tragedy, or a sleazy store owner who likes to hear him/herself talk, but whatever it is you've always wanted to do, mock trial is the opportunity to improve and show-off your acting abilities. So, if you love acting or improv and want a chance to do some more, then consider joining UIMT! 

Improve Your Writing Skills

If you enjoy writing or telling great stories, mock trial gives you that opportunity. When we're given the case at the beginning of the season, we have to pull out the important facts and tell a persuasive story that's easy to follow so that we can win over the judges. Almost everything we say in round is written out beforehand with some of it being improvised as we react to the other team. We spend a great deal of time ensuring that everything we say is perfect so that our story is bulletproof. If you want the chance to competitively write logical arguments, inventive backstories, or compelling speeches, then join UIMT!

Improve Your Argumentation and Debating Skills

Whether you want to become a politician or a gas station attendant, there are times in your life where you are going to have debates and arguments with other people. By joining mock trial, you will spend time learning how to analyze information, prepare an argument, and how to defend that argument from other points of view. And that's because mock trial is a competitive activity that requires all competitors to analyze a set of materials, develop the best strategy, anticipate your opponent's tactics, and then react to their moves. We spend lots of time debating and arguing among ourselves about what the best strategy to take is, and then we refine and refine that strategy in an attempt to make it more perfect. At the end of the day, we pick an argument we like, and we determine the best way to defend it. So, if you never want to lose an argument again, then consider joining UIMT!

Improve Your Understanding of the Law

Whether you want to become a lawyer or just want to understand Serial a little better, nothing will prepare you more for understanding the role that law plays in your life like mock trial. The reality is that mock trial is the single best thing you can do if you're thinking about law school. Mock trial is, in some respects, an internship where you practice being an attorney in a courtroom with professional lawyers and judges. But more than that, mock trial teaches you how to analyze problems like lawyers do and practice during your time in UIMT. And because you will be trained by lawyers and law students, you will learn the vocabulary and processes associated with practicing law. This activity will give you a head start understanding on the rules of evidence, legal analysis, and courtroom procedure. You can also make a lot of connections with practicing attorneys, judges, and other prospective law students across the country. Mock trial is an invaluable way to get a leg up on the competition and get into a high quality law school. So, if you think being a lawyer might be in your future, then consider joining UIMT!