SL: Hi, welcome back. I’m Sabrina and this is the Quick Guide to Oral Advocacy. Today, we’ll be talking about signposts. In this episode, you’ll learn about how signposts work and when to use them. Also, you’ll be exposed to some common signposts used in mooting.

SL: In an ADR moot competition, signposts such as turn to and move to are expressions that mooters use to tell judges what they have just done, and what they are going to do next. Don’t look down on these little words and phrases. They can guide the audience through your presentation! Helping your audience to understand you will ultimately help your case.

SL: For example, when you’re about to present your second submission, you can do what Mansi and Priyanka do in the following excerpts:

MS: Moving to the second submission on the amicus curiae brief, it is our submission that the amicus curiae brief that is sought to be submitted by the Gondwandan Department of State must in fact be admitted before this Tribunal.

PW: I’ll now turn to my second submission. Concerning the amicus curiae brief, we submit that it should not be admitted in this instance.

SL: Common phrasal verbs that help mooters to signpost their submissions include turn to and move to.

EN:
– I’ll now turn to my second submission
– Moving to the second submission

SL: You should notice that these signposts are immediately followed by a summary of the argument.

SL: Often, you can make the signposts more obvious by including the adverb now as well. Here are some more examples in Heather’s speech:
HC: I’ll move now to my next submission that Bill 275 does not amount to an exemption.

HC: I’ll turn now to my submission that the Award will be enforced because it is not contrary to the public policy.

SL: Indeed, signposts are used regularly throughout a moot. The ones that we’ve looked at in this episode help mooters move from one submission to another.

EN:
– I’ll now turn to my second submission
– Moving to the second submission

SL: Other kinds of signposts include those that are used to provide a road map, like the ones we saw in episode 4, and those that signal the end of a section or a speech.

SL: In the next episode, we’ll learn how to conclude arguments. If you want to give a perfect end to your speech, don’t miss it!