When court is in session there is not a lot of opportunity to move around. The judge is seated on the bench, the witness at the stand, counsel at their tables and the jurors are in the box. We are all pretty much planted in our chairs until the next break comes along. And as the day drags on, you can see it weighing on the jurors, as more and more of them slouch or stare at the ground or cast repeated glances at the courtroom clock.
Effective trial attorneys know this problem and combat it by making their presentations interactive. Movement around the courtroom by the attorneys or witnesses as they interact with exhibits and demonstratives distracts the jurors from their own predicament and helps keep them focused on the case. An interactive presentation also encourages the jurors and judge to follow along and remain in the moment, rather than zone out. Interactivity can be achieved by something as simple as having an expert write numbers on butcher paper hung from an easel, to something as complicated as implementing the latest in high-tech gear.
