In this episode, we’re talking about something you’re probably already doing—but maybe not doing intentionally: using your hands while you speak. Gestures aren’t just habits or quirks—they’re powerful tools that support juror focus, retention, and engagement. When synced with your voice, gestures give your message shape, structure, and visual reinforcement. We’ll break down the neuroscience, practical gesture types, and real-world courtroom tips to help your body support your message—without overthinking or over-choreographing.

LISTEN HERE...

In this episode, you’ll learn:

1. Why gestures are a visual guide for jurors—not a distraction

2. How your voice and body work together to make ideas land

3. Specific gestures from communication psychology you can use (like the Leveller and the Placater)

4. How to “mark” key concepts with your hands to boost juror memory

5. Why inconsistent gesture placement confuses jurors and increases cognitive load

6. The science behind movement, memory, and juror attention

Key Takeaway:

When your hands and your voice are in sync, jurors stay engaged—and engagement supports memory. Intentional movement isn’t a performance. It’s leadership.

Favorite Moment:

“If you look boring, they will feel bored. If you use your body to bring clarity, they’ll stay with you.”

Links & Resources:

1. Vinh Giang – @askvinh

2. Virginia Satir – Family therapist, creator of the Satir Categories

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TRANSCRIPT:

Helloooo! Hello, Foster Fam. Welcome, welcome to another episode of the Foster Your Voice Podcast. I'm, of course, your host, Kristi Foster.

I want to again invite you to take just a moment to leave a star-rating and/or a review. Tell folks what you're learning. Not only does that help solidify your takeaways by being able to reframe concepts into your own words, but it really goes a long way in helping other folks find my podcast. I have not, traditionally, been a "leave a review" kind of gal. But I'm doing it more now that I understand the impact of it, especially for small businesses like mine. It only take a few seconds, so pause and go do it right now. ha!

Today we're going to talk about intentional gestures and how powerful they are for affecting your vocal performance and juror engagement & retention. But before we dive in, you know I like to share little nuggets, anecdotes, musings, etc. And today I'm pretty excited to pass on this comparative study.

If you've been listening to the podcast for awhile, you've heard me say that I'm a huge cycling fan. i watch year-round, but I rearrange my schedule for the month of July when the Tour de France is on. And it just started this weekend! I get seriously giddy about this race.

And people have asked me for years, why it's so appealing to me. I mean, I'm not a cyclist myself. i don't even OWN a bike. But this year, the more I thought about the intricacies of the race, and all the dynamics that make it just thrilling for me to watch, I actually could see a LOT of similarities to civil litigation.

Litigation and the Tour de France are both long-haul, high-stakes, mentally grueling team competitions that demand endurance, strategy, and adaptability. So, welcome to our Tour de France series. Here’s a couple of parallels you can use or expand on:

First of all, It’s a Sport of Attrition

For the Tour de France, it’s not about who’s fastest on Day 1. That's just when the timer starts, but it's a 3 week race for the General Classification. Finding the tour winner is about who can endure 21 days of crashes, mountains, extreme weather shifts, roadside crowds pressing in, and pressure from all side.

As a litigator, you know, It’s not always the flashiest argument that wins—it’s the team that has staying power. You know the stall tactics of the defense, and you know the tedium of just legal red tape. It's the team that can withstand the delays, motions, depositions, and emotional toll that carries through to a verdict...that's who usually wins.

Second, road cycling is a Team Sport with an Individual Leader.

Lots of folks don't realize it because the general population often only hears about the overall winner at the end of the 3 weeks. But it is, in fact, a team sport. For the Tour, there are 8 riders per team in addition to 2 team cars with the directors and mechanics driving along.

In The Tour de France, and all "grand tours" (these 3 weekers), the team supports one designated leader. That leader is "the GC contender," meaning that they are competing for the General Classification. The rest of the team rides to help them, by blocking the wind, setting the pace, or fetching water—all to get the leader on the podium at the end of it all.

In the trial world, while one trial attorney may stand in front of the jury and are credited with the winning verdict, paralegals, associates, jury consultants, clients, both expert & lay witnesses, vocal coaches, all play essential supporting roles. The verdict has one name on it, but it's a team win—or loss.

I'm absolutely beside myself that we're into the 2025 Tour. It's the 112th edition. 112!! Next week, I'll have a couple more comparisons to share in hopes that you just see your profession through a different lens and celebrate it from a new perspective. Vive le Tour!

—BREAK—

I talk with my hands. Are you a hands-talker too?

What I mean is, my hands are naturally active when I’m speaking. They help me animate ideas, show shape or movement, and add physical structure to what I’m saying. It’s like my hands are helping my audience see what I’m trying to say, not just hear it.

But here’s the thing: just like your voice, your gestures can be trained, refined, and intentionally used to help the jury stay with you and take in your message. And that’s what we’re diving into today.

Back in college, I was a vocal performance major, and I remember very clearly having to learn how to be still onstage—just stand and sing. That was hard for me. I wanted to move! I wanted to gesture!

My voice teacher gave me weighted bags to hold during practice. Just let them hang. Just stand still. Learn to feel grounded in stillness without fidgeting.

And I did.

I’m now perfectly comfortable with stillness when I need it.

But stillness is not my default.

My default is energy. My default is animation. And—used well—that’s not a distraction. It’s a really beneficial communication device.

Your hands guide jurors to listen.

Let’s pause on that word: guide. Because that’s what I believe your hands are doing in the courtroom.

They’re guiding the jury’s attention—giving visual support to the auditory cues you’re already delivering with your voice.

Your gestures back you up.

They don’t compete with what you’re saying—they reinforce it. They show your jurors, visually, where to land. What to remember. What matters.

There's a communications coach named Vinh Giang who says—“Our body moves our voice, and our voice moves our body. They’re interconnected.” And he’s right. Your gestures don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re connected to your breath, your tone, and your intention.

Now, as always, I just want to be really clear here. This is not about performing. And it’s definitely not about manipulating.

There are communication coaches out there who teach “mirroring”—like, literally copying jurors’ postures or gestures as a way to make them feel more connected to you subconsciously.

I don’t teach that. Honestly, it grosses me out.

This isn’t about mimicry. This is about authentic, intentional, generous physical expression that helps people stay engaged. It’s about meeting your audience with energy—not to trick them, but to help them follow along.

Because here’s the truth:

If you look boring, they will feel bored.

If you use your body to bring clarity, they’ll stay with you.

Let me give you a few intentional gestures you can start using right away. There is a family psychologist named Virginia Satir whose Satir Categories have been adapted by communications folks. I'll share two of her suggested positions today.

One of the gestures she called The “Leveller” Gesture. Your hands away from your body, palms down. It communicates certainty, groundedness, and authority. It's leveling out. This is a great one to use when you’re stating a rule or delivering a conclusion. You’re not pushing—just settling the idea into the room. It's authoritative and establishes you as an expert.

The opposite of that is The “Placater” Gesture – also from Satir. This is more open, more invitational. Palms up, closer to your body, perhaps held mid-air. It conveys kindness, openness, an invitation to consider. It works well when you’re introducing vulnerability, sharing emotion, or appealing to shared values. Or when you're welcoming their ideas into the space.

Now, i like to physically mark words, or key concepts, or proper names of companies or named parties in the case. Using this "Marking Gesture" assigns what your saying to a space. It parks it and visually highlights it for jurors. Most often, when you mark something, you also vocally emphasize it. Again, the voice and the body working together to make your message more memorable for your listeners.

And this idea of assigning space to a thing—whether an object, a person, or a place—is so powerful that if you change up the coding you'll confuse everyone. For instance:

1. little town over here on your left, then later it's up over your right shoulder

2. contrasting ideas get hand assignments and have to stay there

Now, generally, people will eventually track. It's not like you're going to have a total cognitive collapse on your hands. BUT...for those few seconds, you make your jury have to problem-solve and sort it out. And what are they NOT doing while they're mentally in their problem-solving space? They're not listening to you. So they're missing out on this NEW information and then will have to play catch up and try to figure out what you're talking about by context clues or by hearing it from someone else later.

You are undermining your own authority and you're over-taxing your jurors who are already battling cognitive load issues.

I suppose it goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway, that all of your gestures should be roughly between your belt line and your eye line. Lower than that and 1. they can't be seen as well or 2. they become throw away and lose their effectiveness or a 3rd option is that they look a little inappropriate on accident and become distracting. Higher than eye level and it just feels awkward...UNLESS your talking about something that is far away or really big, then...gesture appropriately to convey meaning.

Now, if you’re just starting to experiment with these gesture, it gonna feel a little awkward to start. And as you're building intentionality, you’ll need to dedicate awareness and focus to this new skill. It's gonna FEEL inauthentic. That’s okay. But, It’s NOT inauthentic—it’s just new.

The more you practice working gestures it into your presentation prep—your opening, your closings, and especially voir dire when you're in a conversational exchange with potential jurors—the more natural it becomes.

You’ll figure out soon enough what moments ask for stillness. Others ask for movement. And your voice and body will begin to sync up in a way that draws people in.

And, for the record, let me just add in, this isn’t just a stylistic preference here. There’s science to consider too.

Movement increases engagement. And engagement supports memory.

Your physical energy helps jurors stay mentally active. That’s especially important in long trials or dense arguments. Movement tells the brain:

“Something’s happening. Stay with this.”

And when your hands are in sync with your voice, the whole experience becomes more immersive and more memorable.

Start noticing.

When you speak, what are your hands doing?

Are they frozen at your sides?

Are they fidgeting with a pen?

Are they crossing and uncrossing every few seconds?

Are they in your pockets?

Or—are they working in service of your message?

You don’t need to choreograph. But you do want to be intentional.

Because you don’t just communicate with your voice. You communicate with your whole body. So be generous with that. Let your hands help you talk.

If this episode gave you something to think about, would you share it with a colleague? And, again, leave a quick review? It helps other trial attorneys find the show and rethink how they use their voice—and their body—to lead.

Until next week...keep fostering your voice.