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FYV #32 - Active Silence: How Confident Attorneys Say Less—and Win More

Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster

Release Date: 08/18/2025

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Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster

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Most trial attorneys work for years to master the art of persuasion, but there’s one skill that rarely gets the spotlight—and yet can shift the entire dynamic of a courtroom: active silence.

 

In this episode, Kristi unpacks how strategic pauses and stillness can give your message space to land, build trust with jurors, and amplify your presence without saying a word.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  1. The difference between awkward silence and active silence

  2. Why jurors process information more slowly than you—and how to match their pace

  3. How stillness communicates confidence and credibility

  4. Practical ways to practice pausing so it feels natural, not forced

  5. Neuroscience-backed reasons silence makes your message “stick”

 

Key Takeaway:

Confidence often speaks loudest in the pauses. When you stop filling every second with words, you give jurors the space to think, feel, and anchor your message.

 

Favorite Moment:

“If you’re not comfortable in the silence, your jurors won’t be either. And that pause—the one you’re trying to rush through or avoid entirely—that is the very place where your message has a chance to land.”

 

Links & Resources:

  1. 🎁 Free PDF: The Top 20 Legal Terms to Avoid in Front of a Jury — https://www.fostervoicestudio.com/top20

  2. 🎧 Related Episode: Episode #23 – How to Balance Logic and Emotion in Trial

  3. 💌 Get weekly strategies for trial presence and persuasion — https://www.fostervoicestudio.com/contact

 

Want more?

👉 Follow me online for behind-the-scenes voice tips, mindset shifts, and strategies to help you lead with your voice in and out of court:

  1. IG: https://www.instagram.com/fostervoicestudio

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  3. LI: https://www.linkedin/in/fosterthought

  4. Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fostervoicestudio/

 

Subscribe to Foster Your Voice wherever you listen to podcasts, and leave a quick review to help more trial attorneys discover the tools to lead—and win—in the courtroom.