Anxious and losing sleep about that upcoming presentation or speech? Good things there’s a device that can alleviate anxiety and make you shine, persuade and get people talking about how awesome your ideas are.

Worried about public speaking?  Losing out on sleep? A teleprompter kicks those nerves to the curb!

1. Teleprompters go at your pace.

There’s a misperception that you are following along with a computer and should match its speed. Nope. Not happening. AI hasn’t taken over completely!  People scroll! You get someone – like us – sitting behind a computer, scrolling. We’re matching pace with you! And we’re good at it! We know when to pause, go ahead and we keep up with you!

So trust. We’ll always follow along, and if that’s not the case, have a conversation with your teleprompter operator, and have he/she adjust their scrolling speed.

2. Talk slowly.

Don’t race through your material. Put emphasis on powerful words, add personality, and project confidently.

Stop trying to win a non-existent reading race. It’ll lead to stumbling on words and forgetting to emphasize key ideas. Slowing down your speed lets you connect with an audience, project confidence, and leads to more usable takes during a video shoot.

During a live event, slowing down creates emphasis around ideas, and pausing at the end of an important sentence can create a powerful moment. We go into this further in articles focusing on speech patterns and vocal intonation.

3. Communicate with your Operator

Is the text too difficult to read on the teleprompter? Do you need a PAUSE added to give your speech added emphasis? Maybe pink lettering gets you to read slower? Have your teleprompter operator customize your script to fit your needs!

We want you to deliver your best performance. We don’t mind if your script winds up looking like a word rainbow!

4. Know your script

The words are right in front of you. So, I don’t have to practice… right? NO! Get your practice on! Learn those words! Practice the heck out of the presentation or script. This might sound funky – but if you want something to sound ‘off-the-cuff’ or spontaneous, you’ll actually have to practice a few hours a day to achieve those results. Only when you know your material inside and out – will you be an expert, sound natural and not walk around anxious.

The prompter is your guide, but don’t think of it as a tool that lets you off the hook. More practice, the better the final read. Practicing enables you to focus on the performance, the intonation and the projection of energy and confidence to your audience.

Ok, but I rented a teleprompter because I don’t have time to practice….

No problem! Let’s make sure you have time on-set to go through the script a few times and get comfortable. The more prep time we have, the better your read and the happier you and your audience will be with the finished product.

5. Look at the camera!

You know that round-looking thing that you can see inside the teleprompter?  You want to be staring at that. As the words scroll on the screen, try to focus your eyes through the lens – the closer you are to the camera, the more important this becomes.

Well, there you go! Feeling less anxious? Ready to get those ZZZzzzz’s? Let us know how we can make your big day a little less stressful. Need more tips? Check out our other teleprompter tips!

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