FYV #42 - Talking With Your Hands: How Gestures Can Win or Lose Jurors
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Release Date: 10/27/2025
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Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
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Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
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Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
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Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
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Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
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Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
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Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
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FYV #42 - Talking With Your Hands: How Gestures Can Win or Lose Jurors
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Your hands are speaking in court—whether you mean for them to or not. In this episode, Kristi unpacks why gestures matter as much as words, how jurors process them as part of your message, and how you can use them strategically to reinforce rather than distract. Learn how to balance movement so you look authoritative instead of chaotic or rigid, and discover how pairing tone with gesture creates courtroom communication that sticks. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why psychologists call gestures “co-speech gestures” and how the brain fuses words + movement into one message. ...
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FYV #41 - It’s Not What You Say, It’s How You Say It
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Of all the five vocal building blocks—pitch, pace, melody, volume, and tone—tone is the one most often overlooked. Yet it’s also the one that communicates the most: your intent, your sincerity, and the emotional meaning behind your words. In this episode, Kristi unpacks why tone matters so much in the courtroom, how it shapes jurors’ perceptions faster than words, and how you can start using it intentionally to build trust, credibility, and connection. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why ignoring tone leads to miscommunication and lost juror connection. How the brain...
info_outlineYour hands are speaking in court—whether you mean for them to or not. In this episode, Kristi unpacks why gestures matter as much as words, how jurors process them as part of your message, and how you can use them strategically to reinforce rather than distract.
Learn how to balance movement so you look authoritative instead of chaotic or rigid, and discover how pairing tone with gesture creates courtroom communication that sticks.
In this episode, you’ll learn:
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Why psychologists call gestures “co-speech gestures” and how the brain fuses words + movement into one message.
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The difference between quick, sharp gestures and slower, deliberate ones—and when to use each.
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How mismatched or random gestures overload jurors’ working memory and cause distraction.
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Why purposeful gestures reinforce clarity and credibility while nervous energy undermines both.
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How to pair gesture with tone for maximum juror engagement.
Key Takeaway:
Gestures aren’t decoration. They’re part of your message. When used strategically, they amplify clarity and trust. When left unchecked, they create confusion and distraction.
Favorite Moment:
“This is not a question of style. It’s a question of cognitive load. Jurors only have so much working memory to process what you say. If you burn it up with mismatched or distracting gestures, there’s less capacity left for your actual case.”
Links & Resources:
Interview with Daniel Pollack-Pelzner:https://www.pdx.edu/news/genius-lin-manuel-miranda-qa-author-psu-scholar-daniel-pollack-pelzner?fbclid=IwY2xjawNKPSxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFaNER6WW13SDN3V3kxYnFwAR6I0Y_30ehGlq5b3-PMjgT2BDueRd_JGkRoeUmJRNIVFk5oaRj6XPpY12wgCg_aem_DSp-OrEtJxGQp2JSY2ICwQ
Book "Lin Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist": https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Lin-Manuel-Miranda/Daniel-Pollack-Pelzner/9781668014707
Top 20 Legal Terms to Avoid: https://www.fostervoicestudio.com/top20
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