Have you ever muttered this to yourself after a hearing—or maybe even in the middle of trial?

1. “People can’t hear me.”

2. “I’m just not loud enough.”

3. “The court reporter keeps missing what I’m saying.”

Sound familiar?

You’re not alone. Many trial attorneys wrestle with this exact frustration. But here’s the good news:

👉 This isn’t a personality problem.

👉 It’s a mechanics problem.

👉 And mechanics can be fixed.

When you understand the fundamentals of breath, resonance, and vocal presence, you’ll find your voice filling the room naturally—without strain, without shouting, and without fatigue.

Let’s break it down.

Step 1: Breath Support – The Fuel Behind Your Voice

If you feel unheard—or exhausted from trying to be heard—it almost always comes back to the breath.

Here’s what’s likely happening:

1. You’re breathing shallowly, high in your chest.

2. Your shoulders lift, your neck tightens, and your throat locks.

3. Your tiny vocal cords (the size of your thumbnail!) are forced to push harder than they’re built for.

That’s when you get tightness, fatigue, and strain.

Fix it with diaphragmatic breathing.

When you breathe low—into your ribs and belly—you engage your abdominal muscles (big, powerful ones!) instead of leaving all the work to those delicate vocal folds.

This creates efficiency:

1. More air = more support.

2. Less strain = more stamina.

3. Relaxed throat = stronger, freer sound.

Bottom line: Learn to breathe better, then use that breath to carry your voice.

Step 2: Resonance – Louder Without Being Louder

Here’s the surprising part: what feels like a volume problem is often a resonance problem.

A warm, round, “professional” voice that sits far back in the mouth may sound pleasant up close—but it dissipates in a big courtroom. It loses energy as it travels.

Compare that to forward resonance—where the sound vibrates in the “mask” of your face, behind your teeth and cheekbones. That sound:

1. Cuts through space

2. Bounces off surfaces

3. Pings to the back of the room

Here’s the key insight:

You can sound louder by getting brighter—not by pushing harder.

Projection doesn’t mean yelling. It means tuning your sound so it travels efficiently.

Step 3: Dynamics – Volume Is About Contrast, Not Force

Even when you’re being heard, there’s another layer: keeping your jury engaged.

Flat voices—even loud ones—lose people.

Dynamic voices create texture, energy, and emotional gravity.

Here’s how to use contrast:

1. Raise your volume for urgency or passion.

2. Lower it to create intimacy or tension.

3. Keep your body presence strong, even when your voice softens—otherwise quietness reads as weakness, not strategy.

When you add variety, you’re not just heard. You’re felt.

Quick Self-Check

If you’re hoarse at the end of the day…

If jurors or judges ask you to repeat yourself…

If you feel like you’re shouting but not reaching the back row…

Ask yourself:

1. Am I breathing low and fully—not just in my chest?

2. Am I letting the breath power my sound—or pushing from my throat?

3. Is my voice forward and bright—or sitting too far back?

These three shifts can transform your courtroom presence and protect your voice for the long haul.

The Takeaway

Vocal power isn’t about force.

It’s about freedom.

When your voice is supported by breath, shaped with resonance, and expressed with dynamic contrast:

1. You don’t have to shout to command attention.

2. You don’t have to strain to be taken seriously.

3. You simply carry.

Confident. Clear. Grounded.

So next time you step into the courtroom, remember:

Breathe low. Speak bright. Stay dynamic.

And let your voice do the work for you.