Foster Your Voice

Helping trial attorneys deliver a message that inspires action.

FYV #64 - Say Less, Mean More: The Communication Shift Trial Attorneys Need

clarity infuse meaning jobs-to-be-done formula over-communicating Apr 06, 2026

Spring in the Pacific Northwest might be unpredictable—but this episode brings clarity where you need it most.

Kristi revisits the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework and applies it to something surprisingly practical: your possessions. Instead of organizing for the sake of tidiness, she invites you to evaluate what you own through a performance lens. Are your belongings actually doing the job you “hired” them to do—functionally and emotionally? Or are you holding onto them out of habit, or expecting them to fulfill roles they were never meant to handle?

In the communication tip, Kristi tackles a common but costly mistake: over-communicating. Not in the sense of being thorough—but in using too many words, repeating ideas, and diluting impact. She explains why more words don’t create clarity—and how meaning, delivered through vocal and nonverbal range, is what actually sticks with jurors.

LISTEN HERE....

In this episode, you’ll learn:

How to apply the Jobs-to-Be-Done framework to everyday possessions
Why “performance reviews” aren’t just for employees—but for what you own
The difference between functional and emotional “jobs” your belongings serve
How misassigning purpose leads to clutter and dissatisfaction
Why over-communicating is often a strategy rooted in fear, not clarity
The difference between more words and more meaning
How vocal variety (pitch, pace, melody, volume, tone) enhances retention
Why jurors don’t need more information—they need more connection

Key Takeaway:

Stop holding onto things—or words—that aren’t doing their job. Whether it’s your possessions or your communication, clarity comes from intention. Say less. Mean more.

Favorite Moment:

“Don’t say more—say the same thing, but better.”

That shift captures the heart of both organization and communication: refinement beats expansion every time.

Links & Resources:

Episode 61 - The Jobs-to-Be-Done Framework for Trial Lawyers www.fostervoicestudio.com/blog/61

Want more?

👉 Get weekly tips and techniques delivered to your inbox. Subscribe to "The Foster Files" Newsletter: https://www.fostervoicestudio.com/contact

👉 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:

As you move into spring cleaning, try running a “performance review” on one category of items—and notice what you’re holding onto out of habit instead of function. Then, in your next conversation or courtroom moment, challenge yourself to say it once… but better.

Until next time, keep fostering your voice.

TRANSCRIPT

Hellllooooo!!! Hello Foster Fam! It's officially Spring, which means, in the Pacific NW the weather is drunk of it's butt. haha! We never know what we're going to get around here. Just when you think it's safe to get out in the garden to do your planting...? BOOM! A late freeze. Just when you think it's a good idea to go through the car wash...? (buzzer sound) Atmospheric river dumping record breaking amounts of rain. It's cray cray around here. I hope you're fairing well in your neighborhood. Welcome to Spring.

A few episodes ago, I talked about the Jobs-to-be-Done Framework and how jurors are "hiring" you in a sense to help them do a job. Go back and listen to Ep. 61 if you missed it or just want to review.

I originally came across this idea from a reel by The Minimalists podcast. They had author Ryan Holiday on as a guest, and they were talking about this concept through a really practical lens.

Side note if you're not familiar with The Minimalists. it's a podcast hosted by Joshua Fields Millburn, T.K. Coleman, and Ryan Nicodemus, that The New Yorker calls "sincere prophets of anti-consumerism." And Good Morning America says they “show their followers how to streamline their lives to find more happiness." And then, Ryan Holiday, is a best-selling author who preaches the tenets of stoicism.

So, those are the players here, and they were discussing the Jobs-to-be-Done Framework.

Now, back in Ep. 61 I related the concept to trial communication. Today though, I want to examine it on a much more basic level, and look at our possessions. We HIRE them to do a job for us. Not just functionally—but emotionally too. It can be simple things like...a pair of jeans. We hire them to clothe us—but also to make us feel put together, confident, maybe even a little stylish. Every so often, it's time to do a "performance review." Is that pair of jeans doing it's job well? Or am I holding onto it out of habit, not function? Is it doing the job that I "hired" it to do? If not, it's time to fire them.

The caveat here is that, you also want to hire well. You know this. If you are a firm owner, or run your own business and make the hiring decisions, you know how important it is to take your time to hire the right person. It’s the same with your possessions—you need to be intentional about what you bring into your life.

And don't hire them to do something that a possession was never intended to do. The example in the reel reminds us that what you wear will never lead to the type of social acceptance you seek. "Hire your personality for that." In other words—don’t assign a job to something that was never designed to fulfill it.

So, as I’m prepping for my annual spring cleaning, I’m not just organizing—I’m evaluating. It's time to do some performance reviews. Are my possessions doing the job that I hired them to do? Am I trying to make them do a job that is outside the scope of their function? If I answer yes to either of those, it's time to fire it.

What was the last possession you fired. Let me know. Send an email to [email protected] or send me a DM on instagram or LinkedIn to share your recent fire or hire situation.

—BREAK—

I'm guilty of this, and I bet you are too. In fact, I'm fairly confident you are, because I catch my clients doing it all the time. So, it's really common and like I said, you're probably doing it too.

It's OVER-COMMUNICATING.

Now, let me just define this a bit. Because communication is one of my core values and I always am in favor of thorough and complete information. It just saves me from having to follow up with a ton of questions. Sometimes I feel like I'm pulling teeth to just fill in the gaps.

So, that's NOT what I'm talking about when i say "over-communicating" is a problem. I'm talking about using TOO MANY WORDS. And then, and THEN...using MORE words to restate what you already said, but just in a slightly different way.

In my client sessions, we often work on teaching or storytelling, or a mixture of both. i'll let them go for a little while and then I'll jump in and challenge them to tell me the exact same thing but "try this" with your voice, or "try doing that" with your nonverbals. I always say, don't say MORE, just say the same thing, but BETTER.

Inevitably, they say more. They approach from a different angle, and try to fill in details that I don't actually need. Because more words feel safer.

And I get it. I get it. They, You, are trying to create clarity. But clarity doesn’t come from more explanation. It comes from intention and strategy, NOT from verbal density. More words don't make me connect to your message more. And actually, sometimes adding more words confuses things more because now there are additional layers of semantics to work through.

You have to learn to speak fewer words but add more MEANING.

This is where the 5 vocal building blocks come into play. Pitch, Pace, Melody, Volume and Tone — and using them with variety, with range — these are the components that infuse MEANING into your words. We're talking quality of communication, not quantity of communication.

When you're describing "an absolutely magical" moment of a trip you recently took (again, this is a common, practice storytelling session with my clients), you can capture those descriptive words with your VOICE.

Instead of simply REPORTING the moment, picture it in your mind's eye and tell it to me as if you're RELIVING the moment. Something can be (dry) "absolutely magical," or it can be (expressive) "absolutely magical."

Which one of those spurs on your creativity? Which one are you connected to? Which one prompts an image in your mind's eye? Or brings a remembered sensation to the surface for you? I hope you're saying Option B. The second one. I'm certain that you are. Because that’s also the version your jury will remember.

NOW, the speaker doesn't have to use more words to report more information. I don't need to know what the temperature was, and I don't need to know the exact Sherwin Williams Pantone code of the sunset. I'm picturing it, I'm sensing it for myself. And THAT will be a much richer learning experience for your audience.

If you know that there are specific details they need to know, then, of course, add those into your words. But say them with meaning to get them to stick. If you want jurors to actually use your points in deliberation, they have to move beyond working memory and into long-term retention. They have to get to the place where they can anchor into their core knowledge and long term memories if you want them to use those details to deliberate at the end of a three week trial. Three weeks is too long to have to hold onto working memory. It's just not designed to work that way.

If you want jurors to retain your key points, don’t give them more words. Give them more meaning. When you learn to wield all the tools in your nonverbal communications toolbox, you can say less while giving them so much more. Because in the courtroom, it’s not about how much you say—it’s about what actually stays.