In this episode, Kristi explores two fascinating psychological tools that can help trial attorneys perform under pressure, regulate anxiety, and become more objective in their self-assessments: The Batman Effect and Third-Person Self-Talk.

In the Communication Tip segment, Kristi reminds the listener that passion and expertise are valuable—but without vocal contrast, listeners quickly become overwhelmed. She explains why strategic variation in volume creates clarity, emotional impact, and stronger juror engagement than simply speaking louder.

LISTEN HERE...

In This Episode, You'll Learn:

1. What the "Batman Effect" is and how it helps reduce performance anxiety

2. What third-person self-talk is and why it improves self-assessment

3. How psychological distance reduces emotional reactivity and increases objectivity

4. How vocal volume influences juror attention and comprehension

5. Why vocal contrast helps jurors distinguish important moments from supporting information

Key Takeaway:

Creating a little psychological distance can make a big difference. Whether you're stepping into an alter ego before a high-stakes performance or reviewing your own work through the lens of third-person self-talk, distancing yourself from immediate emotion allows you to respond with greater confidence, clarity, and objectivity.

Likewise, effective courtroom communication isn't about constant intensity. The most persuasive speakers know when to turn the volume down, creating contrast that draws listeners in and gives important moments greater emotional weight.

Favorite Moment:

"Use volume for contrast, not force."

Links & Resources:

The Batman Effect: https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20200817-the-batman-effect-how-having-an-alter-ego-empowers-you?ocid=global_worklife_rss

Third Person Self Talk: https://www.businessinsider.com/study-says-talking-yourself-in-third-person-make-you-wiser-2019-8

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:

IG: https://www.instagram.com/fostervoicestudio

FB: https://www.facebook.com/fostervoicestudio

LI: https://www.linkedin/in/fosterthought

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/fostervoicestudio/

If you're a trial attorney, consider experimenting with both techniques before your next hearing or trial. Ask yourself, "What would my best courtroom self do in this moment?" Then, when reviewing your performance afterward, replace "I did..." with your own name. That small shift can help you become less self-critical, more objective, and ultimately a more effective advocate.

And remember: your voice has far more colors than simply loud and soft. Learning to intentionally vary your volume gives jurors the vocal contrast they need to stay engaged, understand your message, and connect with your case.

Until next time, keep fostering your voice.

TRANSCRIPT:

Helloooo!! Hello Foster Fam! Welcome to today's episode of the Foster Your Voice podcast. Hope you're having a great summer. I wish you cool temps and clean air, and plenty of rest in a hammock or at the poolside.

Last week, I shared with you that as I walk down the pathway of life, I've just noticed more anxiety. Or, I should say, I'm becoming more aware of the anxiety that's always lived within me. It's just more on the surface these days. Nothing oppressive really, (which I'm grateful for, as I know many who really suffer under the grip of anxious thoughts) but at a level where I'm just paying attention and equipping myself with resources. I've always said "knowledge is power," so I'm trying to learn about anxiety in general and learning some ways that I might navigate it with proven tools and techniques borrowed from psychological studies.

One study I came upon talked about The Batman Effect. Now, as a theater person, I have seen countless examples of this in action. And it's this...

The idea is that you create an alter ego and then behave like them. It's a way of creating some mental and emotional distance from the limitations you put on yourself and, temporarily, stepping into a character and walking a mile in their shoes.

As I said, this is a theater thing. SO MANY of my actor colleagues talk openly about how much easier it is for them to play a character than to be themselves on stage. Now, it's not from a self-loathing position. It's simply that by stepping into a character and behaving as they would, they're able to find bravery and nuance that they couldn't unlock for themselves otherwise.

The Batman Effect then takes it off the stage and into real life situations where you can adopt the behaviors of someone that does the things you would want to do in a given moment.

The article I came across, from the BBC, talked about how celebrities like Beyonce and Adele have used The Batman Effect to address their stage fright and helping them perform at their highest level, especially in their early breakout years. Beyonce with an alter ego names "Sasha Fierce," and Adele using a persona of "Sasha Carter" (borrowing from Beyonce's alter ego + a hero of hers, June Carter)

The article says, "Adopting an alter ego is an extreme form of ‘self-distancing’, which involves taking a step back from our immediate feelings to allow us to view a situation more dispassionately. Self-distancing gives us a little bit of extra space to think rationally about the situation. It allows us to rein in undesirable feelings like anxiety, increases our perseverance on challenging tasks, and boosts our self-control."

This self-distancing is also shown to be a benefit when doing self-assessment. Creating a little space, by talking about yourself in the third person. We did this all the time during mock jury debrief days when we'd watch video back, and you can do this when you watch back focus group footage, or depos where you're wanting to honestly and sincerely learn from what you did. Instead of saying things like "I did this" or "I said that," insert your name. "I see that Kristi did this," or "I heard Kristi say that."

Both techniques create psychological distance from your immediate emotions and thoughts, and that distance helps you respond more intentionally instead of reactively.

With The Batman Effect, you adopt the identity of someone who embodies the qualities you want to express. It's that "What would Batman do?" question. Or "What would [so-and-so] do right now?" Insert the name of the person that you're drawing behaviors from.

With Third-Person Self-Talk, you refer to yourself by your own name to gain a more objective, less emotional perspective.

So, The Batman Effect helps you think like someone else; third-person self-talk helps you think about yourself like someone else.

Do you use these techniques? Or will you give them a try? I'd love to hear how you've used The Batman Effect to step into bigger shoes and perform in bigger moments. And then how you noticed a better learning experience when you used Third Person Self Talk for assessments. Send me an email to tell me about your experience. [email protected]

—BREAK—

I've got a little bit of personal news for you. I recently went through a break up.

Now, I'm being a little funny here because I didn't break up with a boyfriend. I broke up with my acupuncturist.

I've been dealing with a chronic shoulder issue for YEARS and so I decided that 2026 was my year to finally do something about it. I don't even know how I got the shoulder problem, but I've avoided lateral lifting for probably 12 years. And now, it's just kind of compounded with an old crossfit injury, chronic computer work, hormone regulation (which, strangely targets perimenopausal women's shoulders), and...who knows what else.

So, after 15 sessions of physical therapy, with little to no improvement, I decided to try acupuncture. It had been a really helpful healing tool for me back in 2010 when i was recovering from a car accident, so I figured it would probably be good for this too.

Well, my acupuncturist, while I'm SURE he knew what he was doing and is respected in his field, he was a LOUD TALKER, and he had "the gift of gab." And if you've ever done acu, or massage, you know that the rooms you're in are not that big. So, his voice just overwhelmed the space and it was really unnerving.

Now, he was talking about something he was really passionate about while he was getting me all situated. And, no, he wasn't talking about acupuncture. If he wasn't evangelizing the use of varied peptides for various issues and sharing how he was experimenting on himself, then he was sharing his latest research into quantum physics and his theories about how we've been sucked into a worm hole which, of course, explains the plight of humanity and why our times are so contentious.

So...yeah...there was a LOT happening in a small space, and everything was LOUD. So I broke up with him.

But it was a good reminder. Just because you are knowledgeable and passionate about your case, your witness testimonies, your opening, or...even moreso...your closing, it doesn't mean that you can afford to ignore dynamics. You MUST vary your volume levels, otherwise everything measures the same and information gets lost.

If you want to bring clarity to your case facts, if you want to bring precision to your emotional profile and make sure that you're accurately representing the emotional weight of your closing thoughts, you HAVE to play with the volume pedal.

Play around with how varied volume levels effect how people receive your message. Practice in front of someone who can give you some feedback. Whether it's your trial team or a coach/trial consultant like me, you need to get objective, impartial information about how your vocal volume impacts your listeners.

In musical theater, we sometimes give the note "half the volume, twice the intensity." It's a good trick for when you want to give some weight to what you're saying. You don't always have to go loud for that. Strategic softness draws jurors in more effectively than constant loudness. Make them lean in and FEEL how important your points are. Use volume for contrast, not force.

Volume is a really powerful vocal building block, but it doesn't mean you always have to turn it up to 11. Play around with the full spectrum of the volume knob and until next time, keep fostering your voice.