As lawyers, we are trained to analyze, critique, and mitigate risk — all essential skills in practice. But when we bring that same mindset into our everyday conversations, we can unintentionally undermine connection and trust. In this episode, Stephen Seckler explores how the habits that make us successful advocates can backfire in networking, business development, and even personal relationships.

Stephen breaks down some of the most common communication traps lawyers fall into:

• Leading with skepticism instead of curiosity
• Listening to respond instead of truly listening to understand
• Correcting others unnecessarily
• Over-sharing your own experiences instead of showing empathy
• Over-explaining and focusing too much on procedural detail
• Turning casual conversations into debates

Whether you're trying to deepen client relationships, network more effectively, or simply communicate better with colleagues and friends, this episode offers tools to help you become a more impactful and trusted communicator.