Teleprompter Training : 5 Tips for Better Teleprompter Presentations

Sooner or later during their career, most business people are faced with the prospect of delivering a presentation, either live or on video.

Here’s 5 tips to keep in mind when delivering your first presentation with the aid of a prompter:

1. Pre-Read the Script

The director should always let you pre-read the script on the teleprompter in rehearsal.

Words that normally run together will occasionally be split over two pages to help with the overall readability of the piece. Sometimes the opposite occurs for the same reasons.

On a written page, you will normally be reading 8-15 words per line, but with this medium you’ll be reading 3-5 words per line.

This is a different reading rhythm and needs getting used to. Your teleprompter operator will be there to help you over any readability hurdles.

2. Go at your own pace

The teleprompter operator will match the text scroll to your own reading speed. Speak faster and the text will scroll quicker. Slow down the text scroll will slow down as well.

3. Keep Eye Contact

This requires a lot of practice and usually quite a few takes to get right.

Unless the Director instructs you otherwise, before, during and after the take ends, just keep looking straight at the camera. Unless that is of course you’ve mastered the whole thing.

Eye movements are more significant, the closer the shot is. Eye movements away from your audience will make you look either uncomfortable or slightly dishonest. The only time you should really look away from the monitor is when the Director says ‘cut’.

For many, it’s an involuntary reaction and many won’t even be aware they are glancing away from the camera. Lose contact during a script edit point however and the shot will have to be taken again.

But you are allowed to blink!

4. Don’t Rock

Even when standing still, people usually sway from side to side or shuffle their feet positions. This is a completely normal reaction but one best left out of a video shoot.

Shifting from side to side makes you look uneasy, which you probably are if you’re rocking about.

Similar to the eye contact and movement discussed earlier, gesturing in a performance is fine. Animated gestures are integral to our communication process and are perfectly normal. Shifting from side to side or awkwardly shuffling your feet though isn’t an accepted part of a video shoot though.

At the start of a take, shake the fidgety off. Stretch, run on the spot, jump up and down. Anything to shake off the lethargy and fatigue. Commence each take mentally and physically prepared.

If that won’t do the trick, the crew can provide a foot rest to keep one foot off the ground or even get the shot with you sitting down.

5. Get involved

This might sounds a touch corny, but your job is more than just reading the message. You need to sell it!

Delivering a long script could make you feel drowsy, a feeling which will be reflected in your appearance.

If you yourself look bored with the presentation, imagine how your audience will be feeling. Get upbeat about the project. You might not like the script or even agree with it, but you have to deliver a convincing performance. Vary the stress of your voice, use gestures, get into things. Practice in front of a mirror if you have to but by all means try not to look bored with the whole business!

Everything you need is in the script and it’s written to be clear and easy to understand. You need to let the audience understand just how important your message is.

The Finished Product

The presentation is finished and it’s time to see how well it went.

The first thing you’ll encounter looking at the video will probably be your vanity. Don’t sweat it. This is a perfectly normal state of affairs for almost everyone.

You might think you sound weird. You might think you look strange. The reason for this impression is simple . . . you are used to seeing a reflected view of yourself rather than how everyone really sees you. Viewing your left side where your right side usually appears and vice versa is strange.

Some camera angles can also distort your appearance. You might trick yourself into believing you look unwell or have put on weight.

Giving competent presentations involves self criticism. Not negativity, but constructive criticism. Go over your performance and try to correct any distracting or awkward habits.

Don’t split hairs here. Your objective is to give a sincere, polished performance.

They say the truth is reflected in the eyes. Are you fixated by the scrolling texts or making a dull, boring delivery? Are you moving around? Are you breaking eye contact?

The point here is to get a real overview of your performance. The key objective is to deliver your presentation like you really believe in what you’re talking about.

Business leaders from all industries value the importance of an effective, personal and likeable communication style, yet public speaking is a major problem for many of us.

This article has been all about the use of a teleprompter and an overview of how to best prepare for video shoots and presentations.

When you are ready to bring your presentations in-house, be sure take a look at the affordable teleprompter software offered by PromptDog.com.