Looking Good
From Learnmore
Don't show how you're feeling
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P-p-p-p-poker face.
Remember if you can’t hold your poker face, this will almost certainly give your opponent the upper hand.
Remain composed and appear confident even though you think your opponent has clinched the argument.
Do not make faces or sigh when your opponent is speaking or when the judge delivers the judgment.
Make a good impression and dress for the occasion
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If you want to come across as confident and persuasive, then you better be organised. Use appropriate language and manner and stand up when saying anything. Your hands should not be in your pockets or fiddling with a pen! Make eye contact with the judge and make sure that you are audible and not speaking too fast.
Mooting is a formal event and you should treat it as such. Arrive early, set out your papers, make sure your watch works and dress formally. Moots are formal events and you may even be asked to don a robe.
Male students should wear a dark suit with an a discrete tie – novelty ties are a no –no! Female students should wear a dark coloured trouser/skirt suit or a dress but ladies note the hemline of your skirt or dress! The chances are that you are already nervous, so don’t make your nerves worse by arriving late, getting flustered and looking disorganised. You will create the wrong impression and start from the back foot from the get go.
Check out our roundtable clips for some hints on this from real-live mooters: What to do on the day and What to wear?
What to wear?
<movie>file=/video/mootingcomplete/WhatToWear.flv|width=512|height=288</movie> No surprises in this clip, just common sense. However on the basis of the number of questions asked by students on this each year, seemed worthwhile to get our mooters talking about it.
