top of page
indigo-bg.jpg

OUR WORK

What We Do

Why Performance Skills Matter

The Human Side of Connection: Why Good Content Isn't Enough

Across law, business, politics, and the arts, outcomes often hinge less on exactly what you say than how you show up under pressure.

 

Research consistently shows that audiences don't just listen to the substance of your argument, they evaluate your delivery, tone, and presence—factors that shape trust, decisions, and careers

 

These embodied delivery and presence skills can be learned, and we know how to teach them. Through workshops, tailored coaching, and consulting, we help brilliant professionals get out of their heads, into their bodies and the room, and connect with others on a human level.

indigo-bg.jpg

What the Research Shows

Courtroom & Negotiation Outcomes

 

 

  • Certain vocal characteristics correlate with outcomes—even at the U.S. Supreme Court level. (Chen et al., 2019)

 

​

​

Leadership & Client Trust

 

​

  • Language and tone on corporate earnings calls can affect stock price movement. (Abrahams, 2016)

​

  • Leaders who consistently refine communication skills are more likely to earn confidence and advance. (Gallo, 2022)


Team Effectiveness

 

  • Patterns of communication—including gestures and energy in face-to-face interactions—were more predictive of team success than any other factor measured in a Harvard Business Review study. (Pentland, 2012)

The Science of Effective Communication

Our ability to connect through sound and movement is deeply innate, and the best performers understand you can't just think way into great speech. We know that speech involves interconnected cognitive, physiological, and emotional processes:
 

​

​

  • Voice, Prosody, and Emotional Language: Vocal elements such as rhythm, pitch, and emphasis engage neural systems tied to emotional connection and listener engagement. (Sammler et al., 2015; Liebenthal et al., 2016)

​

​

  • Mirror Neurons: Observers partially simulate the physical and vocal patterns they see and hear, creating a foundation for empathy and rapport. (Rizzolatti & Craighero, 2004)

indigo-bg.jpg

Why Performance Skills Matter for Law Firms, Businesses, and Leaders

  • In Litigation: Jurors respond not only to arguments but to clarity, vocal tone, and confident delivery.

 

  • In Negotiation: Vocal confidence, empathy, and adaptability support influence and problem-solving.

 

  • In Leadership: Presence and communication ability are strongly associated with advancement and trust.

 

  • In Team Dynamics: Strong communication improves cohesion and reduces costly misunderstandings.

Private executive coaching sessions to drive oral communciation skills and earnings

How Vox Vera Teaches Performance Skills

Our CLE-accredited workshops, tailored executive coaching, and consulting programs are grounded in world-class craft and the latest evidence from law, neuroscience, and performance science.


We focus on tools that develop communication as a human, embodied skill—not a script or quick fix:

 

  • Breathing and vocal techniques to manage stress and project credibility

​

  • Physical presence work to support alignment, authenticity, and connection

​

  • Applied improvisation techniques to prevent overanalysis and help you move through mistakes

 

  • Linguistic and vocal strategies that enhance your natural speaking style

 

  • Real-time exercises to help build resilience for trials, negotiations,meetings, and leadership settings


All approaches are designed to strengthen authentic communication, not impose artificial patterns.

​

References:

​

  • Abrahams, M. (2016). A Big Data Approach to Public Speaking. Stanford Graduate School of Business – Insights.

  • Brach, D. (2008). A logic for the magic of mindful negotiation. Negotiation Journal, 24(1), 25–44.

  • Burgoon, J. K., Birk, T., & Pfau, M. (1990). Nonverbal behaviors, persuasion, and credibility. Human Communication Research, 17(1), 140–169.

  • Chen, D. L., Halberstam, Y., & Yu, A. (2019). Attorney voice and the U.S. Supreme Court. In M. A. Livermore & D. N. Rockmore (Eds.), Law as Data. Cambridge University Press.

  • Committee on Legal Education and Admissions Reform [CLEAR]. (2025). Report & Recommendations. [Add issuing body].

  • Critchley, H. D., & Garfinkel, S. N. (2017). Interoception and emotion. Current Opinion in Psychology, 17, 7–14.

  • Dagley, G. R., & Gaskin, C. J. (2014). Understanding executive presence. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 66(3), 197–223.

  • Denault, V., Dunbar, N. E., Jupe, L., & Plusquellec, P. (2023). The elephant in the courtroom: The myth of nonverbal cues to credibility and how to challenge it in court. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 31(1), 97–120.

  • Diamond, S. S., Casper, J. D., Heiert, C. L., & Marshall, A.-M. (1996). Juror reactions to attorneys at trial. Journal of Criminal Law & Criminology, 87(1), 17–47.

  • Falk, E. B., & Scholz, C. (2018). Persuasion, influence, and value: Perspectives from communication and social neuroscience. Annual Review of Psychology, 69, 329–356.

  • Frank, M. J., & Morera, O. F. (2012). Professionalism and advocacy at trial—Real jurors speak. Baylor Law Review, 64(1).

  • Friston, K. (2010). The free-energy principle: A unified brain theory? Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 11(2), 127–138.

  • Gallo, C. (2022). The Bezos Blueprint: Communication Secrets of the World's Greatest Salesman. St. Martin's Press.

  • Gillis, R. L., & Nilsen, E. S. (2017). Consistency between verbal and non-verbal affective cues: A clue to speaker credibility. Cognition and Emotion, 31(4), 645–656.

  • Guyer, J. J., Rozenkrantz, L., & Levy, D. J. (2021). Paralinguistic features communicated through voice affect confidence appraisals. Journal of Nonverbal Behavior, 45, 1–24.

  • Hasson, U., Ghazanfar, A. A., Galantucci, B., Garrod, S., & Keysers, C. (2012). Brain-to-brain coupling: A mechanism for creating and sharing a social world. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 16(2), 114–121.

  • Hewlett, S. A. (2024). The new rules of executive presence. Harvard Business Review.

  • Li, Y., Luo, X., Wang, K., & Li, X. (2023). Persuader–receiver neural coupling underlies persuasive messaging and predicts persuasion outcome. Cerebral Cortex, 33(11), 6818–6833.

  • Liebenthal, E., Silbersweig, D. A., & Stern, E. (2016). The language, tone and prosody of emotions: Neural substrates and dynamics of spoken-word emotion perception. Frontiers in Neuroscience, 10, 506.

  • Meehan, M. A., Draugelis, A., & Heathers, J. A. J. (2024). Exhalation-to-inhalation ratio influences heart rate variability. Psychophysiology, 61(3), e14435.

  • Pentland, A. (2012). The new science of building great teams. Harvard Business Review.

  • Pérez-Yus, M. C., Rodríguez-Rey, R., & García-Lázaro, I. (2020). Variables associated with negotiation effectiveness: The role of mindfulness. Frontiers in Psychology, 11, 1214.

  • Rizzolatti, G., & Craighero, L. (2004). The mirror-neuron system. Annual Review of Neuroscience, 27, 169–192.

  • Sammler, D., Grosbras, M.-H., Anwander, A., Bestelmeyer, P. E., & Belin, P. (2015). Dorsal and ventral pathways for prosody. Current Biology, 25(23), 3079–3085.

  • Schneider, A. K. (2002). Shattering negotiation myths: Empirical evidence on the effectiveness of negotiation style. Harvard Negotiation Law Review, 7, 143–233.

  • Stephens, G. J., Silbert, L. J., & Hasson, U. (2010). Speaker–listener neural coupling underlies successful communication. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 107(32), 14425–14430.

  • Thayer, J. F., & Lane, R. D. (2009). Claude Bernard and the heart–brain connection: Further elaboration of a model of neurovisceral integration. Neuroscience & Biobehavioral Reviews, 33(2), 81–88.

  • Wood, S. M., Sicafuse, L. L., Miller, M. K., & Chomos, J. C. (2011). The influence of jurors' perceptions of attorneys and their performance on verdict. The Jury Expert, 23.

Top Credentials. Real Experience. Powerful Results.

bottom of page