Asking very personal questions of complete strangers isn’t something that comes naturally to most people. But as a lawyer talking to prospective jurors during jury selection, that’s a big part of the task.

“It creates this artificial awkwardness that we wouldn’t normally engage in our normal lives,” said Monique Carter, of the San Diego Office of the Public Defender. Carter, the chief deputy of training & development with the office, spoke about jury selection strategies yesterday with Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Chris Whitten, who sits on a trial court of general jurisdiction in Arizona, as part of a web presentation sponsored by NITA. Both Carter and Whitten encouraged lawyers to tackle the awkwardness of jury selection head-on, especially given the time constraints that most courts put on lawyers questioning potential jurors.