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. The difference between quick, sharp gestures and slower, deliberate ones—and when to use each. How mismatched or random gestures overload jurors' working memory and cause distraction. Why purposeful gestures reinforce clarity and credibility while nervous energy undermines both. How to pair gesture with tone for maximum juror engagement.   Key Takeaway: Gestures aren't decoration. They're part of your message. When used strategically, they amplify clarity and trust. When left unchecked, they create confusion and distraction.   Favorite Moment: "This is not a question of style. It's a question of cognitive load. Jurors only have so much working memory to process what you say. If you burn it up with mismatched or distracting gestures, there's less capacity left for your actual case."   Links & Resources: Interview with Daniel Pollack-Pelzner:https://www.pdx.edu/news/genius-lin-manuel-miranda-qa-author-psu-scholar-daniel-pollack-pelzner?fbclid=IwY2xjawNKPSxleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFaNER6WW13SDN3V3kxYnFwAR6I0Y_30ehGlq5b3-PMjgT2BDueRd_JGkRoeUmJRNIVFk5oaRj6XPpY12wgCg_aem_DSp-OrEtJxGQp2JSY2ICwQ Book "Lin Manuel Miranda: The Education of an Artist": https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/Lin-Manuel-Miranda/Daniel-Pollack-Pelzner/9781668014707 Top 20 Legal Terms to Avoid: https://www.fostervoicestudio.com/top20   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 this episode resonated, leave a quick review or share it with a colleague. For more tools to use your voice—and your body language—with clarity, authority, and impact, stay connected by subscribing to the podcast.

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