EVERYONE struggles with this in the courtroom...
In this coaching monologue, Shanli Liu, CPA, CTP, shares a common problem she observes when preparing witnesses for courtroom testimony: the tendency to overexplain. She explains that witnesses—whether a sweet grandmother or a high‑level executive—often believe that providing more detail makes them more credible, but the opposite is true. Over‑detail can make a witness sound uncertain and unfocused. Liu illustrates the issue with a simple test: when asked a yes/no question like “Do you know what time it is?” the appropriate response is a brief affirmation, not a full timestamp. She contrasts this with a more open‑ended question “What time is it?” to show how answering the exact question asked is crucial. The core takeaway is that witnesses should answer questions directly and concisely, avoiding unnecessary elaboration to maintain credibility and stay on point.
