FYV #46 - The Power of a Simple Nod
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
Release Date: 11/24/2025
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FYV #46 - The Power of a Simple Nod
Foster Your Voice Podcast with Kristi Foster
This episode begins with a lighthearted story about outdoor walks and ends with a powerful lesson on nonverbal communication. Kristi explores how a small, intentional gesture—like a nod—can change the emotional tone of an interaction and deepen connection. Whether you’re walking past a stranger or speaking to a jury, your breath, presence, and micro-movements tell a story. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use breath, facial expression and tone to support your full nonverbal communication strategy so your interactions with jurors feel calm, credible, and human. In this...
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FYV #44 - Breathe the Story — How Your Breath Shapes Emotion and Connection
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Your breath doesn’t just keep you alive — it brings your stories to life. In this episode, Kristi explores how intentional breathing shapes the emotional rhythm, tone, and impact of your storytelling. From recreating a car crash scene to guiding jurors through reflection and resolution, your breath is what makes a story felt, not just heard. Learn how to move between urgency and stillness, intensity and calm, using breath as your invisible thread of connection. In this episode, you’ll learn: How your breathing patterns shape emotion, pacing, and vocal tone. Ways to use breath...
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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. ...
info_outlineThis episode begins with a lighthearted story about outdoor walks and ends with a powerful lesson on nonverbal communication. Kristi explores how a small, intentional gesture—like a nod—can change the emotional tone of an interaction and deepen connection. Whether you’re walking past a stranger or speaking to a jury, your breath, presence, and micro-movements tell a story. In this episode, you’ll learn how to use breath, facial expression and tone to support your full nonverbal communication strategy so your interactions with jurors feel calm, credible, and human.
In this episode, you'll learn:
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How breath anchors your nonverbal cues and helps you stay grounded as you communicate
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Why a single nod, paired with steady breathing, creates subconscious rapport
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The neuroscience behind mirroring and how jurors (or any audience) naturally respond to your presence
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The difference between authentic and performative nodding
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A quick self-check exercise to sync your breath with your gestures
Key Takeaway:
Connection doesn’t require grand gestures. With a steady breath and a simple nod, you can make your listener feel seen, respected, and safe—whether you’re in conversation, on a walk, or in front of a jury.
Favorite moment:
“When paired with calm eye contact and a steady breath, your nod helps your listener feel you’re with them—not above them. That’s the kind of interaction that builds trust.”
Links & Resources:
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Dan Harris' on-screen panic attack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qULQ6Qum3P0
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Dan Harris' TEDTalk excerpt: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1379570276542029
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