Walk into almost any training room and you will find either a flipchart easel, a whiteboard, or both pushed into a corner. Trainers have strong opinions about which is better, but the right answer depends on the type of session, the size of the group and what happens to the content afterward. This guide compares the two, explains the hybrid option, and suggests setups for common training rooms.
What a Flipchart Easel Does Best
- Keeps a record. Each sheet can be torn off and kept, photographed or typed up after the session.
- Builds a room of ideas. Sheets can be posted around the walls so participants see the whole session at once.
- Supports preparation. Trainers can pre-write sheets before the session and reveal them in order.
- Is easy to move. Most easels are light and fold for storage or travel.
The trade-off is consumables. Paper pads run out, and posting sheets on walls is not allowed in every venue.
What a Whiteboard Does Best
- Erase and reuse. Ideal for working through problems, drawing diagrams and correcting as you go.
- Larger writing area. A full-size board gives more space than a single flipchart sheet, which helps when the whole group needs to read it.
- Magnetic display. Steel and magnetic glass boards hold handouts, cards and printed visuals with magnets.
- Lower running costs over time. Markers and erasers replace paper pads.
The trade-off is permanence. Once the board is erased, the content is gone unless someone takes a photo.
The Hybrid: Flipchart Whiteboards
Many trainers solve the dilemma with a flipchart whiteboard: a dry erase board on an easel with clips or hooks that hold a paper pad. Flip the pad over the top and you have a whiteboard; bring a sheet down and you have a flipchart. Options range from compact tripods, such as the 60 x 90 cm tripod flipchart whiteboard, to mobile easels with extension arms, such as the heavy-duty mobile flipchart easel with extension arms, which let you hang finished sheets beside the main board.
How to Decide: Six Questions
- Does the content need to be kept? If outputs must be collected, as in strategy workshops or requirements sessions, flipchart paper is easier.
- How big is the group? For larger groups, a full-size whiteboard is easier to read from the back of the room.
- Will you split into breakout groups? Several small easels give each group its own workspace.
- Do you travel to venues? A folding tripod easel goes in a car; a mobile whiteboard usually stays in the building.
- How much storage do you have? Folding easels need little space; full-size mobile boards need a parking spot.
- Who will restock consumables? Paper pads need ongoing purchasing; whiteboards mostly need fresh markers.
Recommended Setups for Common Training Rooms
Small training room (up to about a dozen people)
One wall-mounted magnetic whiteboard for the trainer, plus one flipchart whiteboard easel for capturing outputs. This covers both live teaching and record-keeping without crowding the room.
Large training room
A large wall board or a double-sided mobile board at the front, plus two or three easels that can move to the sides for group work. Make sure the front board is wide enough to read from the last row.
Workshop and innovation spaces
Several mobile whiteboards that double as dividers, with easels on extension arms for displaying finished sheets. Everything should roll so the room can be reset quickly between sessions.
Remote and hybrid sessions
When some participants join by video, a whiteboard placed in clear view of the camera is easier to follow than small flipchart sheets. Use dark marker colors, write large and keep the board well lit so remote viewers can read it.
Features to Look For in an Easel
- Pad clamp or hooks that fit standard flipchart pads securely.
- Magnetic writing surface so the board is useful even without paper.
- Height adjustment for trainers of different heights and for seated use.
- Base type: tripods for portability, ring or star bases with casters for rooms where the easel moves often.
- Pen tray deep enough to hold markers and an eraser.
For more on getting the most from boards in group sessions, read using whiteboards to make team meetings more productive.
Capturing the Output After the Session
Whichever tool you use, decide before the session how the results will be captured. Unclear capture is one of the most common reasons good workshop ideas disappear.
- Assign a capture owner who photographs every board and sheet before anything is erased or thrown away.
- Number flipchart sheets in a corner as you go, so they can be put back in order later.
- Leave a margin on whiteboards for the session name and date, so photos are easy to file.
- Share the photos the same day while participants still remember the context.
Tips for Trainers Using Both
- Use the whiteboard for thinking and the flipchart for conclusions.
- Photograph the whiteboard before erasing at each break.
- Write large: letters should be readable from the back row.
- Keep a spare set of markers at each easel so groups do not wait.
Equip Your Training Room
Browse flipchart easels, double-sided boards and rolling whiteboards in our mobile whiteboards category, and see tripods and floor stands in whiteboard stands. For several rooms or a large order, request a quote; for a single board or markers, try Buy from 1 Piece with flat US$9 shipping in the US.
Shop the boards in this guide
Black Dry Erase Whiteboard Markers – Bulk Supply
8-Color Dry Erase Markers with Eraser Caps (Pack of 8)
