Should You Still Use Foam Boards in a Digital Trial Presentation?

Quick Answer

Yes. Foam boards in a digital presentation can still play an important role.

A physical exhibit can remain visible while testimony continues or while the courtroom digital screen displays something else. It can also allow a witness to write, draw, calculate, or identify information in front of the jury.

The best choice depends on the evidence. Use a foam board when continued visibility or physical interaction helps communicate the point. Use the digital display when the jury needs enlargement, highlighting, or quick retrieval.

Key Takeaways

• Foam boards and digital trial presentation can complement one another: a physical exhibit can remain visible even after the courtroom screen changes.
• A witness can write, draw, calculate, or identify information directly on a board.
• Digital presentation is useful for enlargement, highlighting, callouts, and quick retrieval.
• Information developed on a foam board may later be captured and displayed digitally. A separate Quick TechTip will explain that process.
• Every exhibit should help the jury understand the evidence without drawing attention away from the witness or the testimony.

Why Foam Boards Still Matter

I have watched courtroom presentation technology evolve from paper exhibits and easels to TrialDirector, TrialPad, PowerPoint, synchronized video, and high-resolution courtroom displays.

One lesson has remained consistent: new technology does not automatically eliminate the value of a traditional presentation method.

A foam board provides something a digital display does not always provide—a fixed visual reference. The exhibit can remain in the courtroom while the screen changes, displays another document, or goes dark.

A foam board can also become part of the testimony itself. A witness may write figures, create a list, draw on a photograph, identify a location, or complete a calculation while the jury watches.

That physical process can help jurors follow how the information develops. Instead of seeing only a completed exhibit, they see the witness create or explain it step by step.

Foam boards should still be used selectively. Too many boards can clutter the courtroom, and an exhibit that cannot be read from the jury box accomplishes little. Continued display should serve a clear purpose.

Choose the Medium That Fits the Evidence

The decision should begin with the evidence and the teaching objective—not with the available equipment.

Consider using a foam board when:

• The exhibit should remain visible for an extended period.
• A witness will write, draw, mark, or calculate on it.
• The jury needs a continuing reference point.
• The physical development of the information is part of the presentation.

Consider using the digital display when:

• A detail needs to be enlarged.
• Particular language or markings should be highlighted.
• Counsel must retrieve the exhibit quickly.
• The presentation requires callouts, comparisons, or video.

In some situations, the same exhibit can serve both purposes. A witness may develop information physically on a foam board, and the completed work may later be preserved for digital display when appropriate and permitted.

A future Quick TechTip will explain how to capture a witness-marked foam board and display the same exhibit digitally without changing the underlying exhibit.

The technology should always support the testimony. It should never become the focus of the presentation.

Remember—you are the storyteller.

Related Articles

• How Can You Convert a Witness-Marked Foam Board into a Digital Trial Exhibit?
• When Should a Trial Exhibit Remain Visible on an Easel?
• How Should You Prepare for Courtroom Technology Failure?

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