Sooner or later, most of us will be asked to serve on a jury...

A lot of people try to get out of jury duty. 

If you’re a proud American who is ready to serve – or if you’ve run out of excuses, here are some ways to be a better juror from Andrew Guthrie Ferguson, JD, author of “ Why Jury Duty Matters:”

• Listen actively. Testimony might drag on for hours or days, and your mind is likely to wander. Consider it your job to not just hear what's said, but to evaluate the truth and importance of each statement. Doing this keeps your mind active and engaged.

• Weigh a witness's credibility—but understand the challenges: People tend to trust speakers who make strong eye contact and convey confidence and to doubt speakers who don't. Remember, poor eye contact and fidgeting could simply reflect a witness's nervousness about public speaking. 

• Pay careful attention to the judge's instructions to the jury. They explain the laws that jurors must apply to the evidence they have just heard.

• Keep an open mind during jury deliberations. Your goal as a juror should not be to convince other jurors of your point of view. It's better to remind yourself that there's always some chance that your first impression of the case might not be correct. Listen to what other jurors have to say.

• Be civil and respectful to your fellow jurors—and encourage other jurors to do the same. Jurors who treat one another this way are much more likely to reach wise verdicts. If you’re stuck with a dismissive or rude juror, try to steer the group back to civility.

• Draw out jurors who have trouble speaking up. If a fellow juror seems too meek to speak his mind, ask his opinion—he may have something valuable to add to the discussion.