How to Cope With a Deposition
- 1). Schedule the deposition. While you cannot avoid a deposition, you may schedule it so that you are as comfortable as possible. Ask how long the attorney thinks the questioning will take. Consider what you can offer in that amount of time and request either a full day, half-day or a few two-to-three-hour sessions. As long as you are reasonable and cooperative, you can sit through a deposition on a day that is the least stressful for you.
- 2). Prepare your documents. You may need to bring certain documents, agreements, receipts or pictures to support your testimony. Compile these as far in advance as you can, so that you have time to review them with your attorney and understand their significance to your case. When you know as much as possible about your case, you can manage the deposition with less anxiety.
- 3). Practice your answers. You must be entirely truthful during a deposition, but you do not have to volunteer anything, as long as omitting something doesn't create a lie. Work with your attorney to formulate answers to some of the expected questions. Prepare answers that avoid absolute language, unless absolute language is necessary to tell the truth or protect your interests.
- 4). Practice stress-relief techniques. In the days before the deposition, sleep on a regular schedule and eat healthily. If you are medically healthy enough for physical exercise, perform low-impact exercises, like walking and stretching. Integrate deep breathing into your daily actions. Visualize a positive outcome to the deposition when you prepare for it and while you are sitting through it. When you speak about the case or answer questions in deposition, maintain even breathing and inhale and exhale fully.
- 5). Seek counseling. You may require mental health counseling to cope with the deposition, particularly if your career or freedom is in jeopardy or if the trial matter is highly personal or emotional. Spending time with a licensed mental health professional can offer perspective, help you process emotions related to the case and learn more advanced stress-relief techniques.
- 6). Define boundaries during questioning. Some attorneys are extremely aggressive. This can increase your stress levels or, worse, cause you to answer against your own interests. If the depositioning attorney makes you uncomfortable, sit up straight, make eye contact and tell him or her politely that you require a less aggressive manner of speech in order to answer appropriately. If you become emotional during questioning, tell the attorney you require a short break to get a hold of yourself. Continue practicing your stress-relief techniques.
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