5 Tips for Using a Teleprompter

Jerry Seinfeld once said that more people are scared of public speaking than dying. Meaning, more people would rather be in the casket than speaking at the eulogy. With lots of anxiety around public speaking, a lot of people think that using a teleprompter will help.

The truth is that using a teleprompter comes with its own conundrum- sounding natural. We all have seen those 2 a.m. infomercials where someone is poorly reading cue cards. 😝 If you want or need to use a teleprompter, below are 5 tips for using a teleprompter.

Move Your Head

When of the biggest giveaways that someone is reading from a teleprompter is that you can see their eyes moving as they read the lines. To decrease this unavoidable gesture, remember to move your head from side to side like you would if you were having a conversation with a friend. The listener will focus on your movements instead of just your eyes (because the rest of your head is moving 👀).

Use Gestures

Speaking of gestures, be sure to use them! You want to use gestures just like you would if you were giving a presentation without a teleprompter. Gestures should match the message. For example, when talking about big or small, show a big space or small space between your hands. Another important gesture to use is to take up space around you. Lean forward for things that are key points in a message, and lean back for the rest of the message.

Make Your Voice Dynamic

This is a big one! In addition to looking like a robot when reading from a teleprompter, speakers often become monotone. Make your speech dynamic by changing your rate of speech, intonation, and volume. For key points that are important, positive, or exciting- increase ⬆️ your rate of speech, intonation, and volume. For key points that are negative, or sad- decrease ⬇️ your rate of speech, intonation, and volume.

Align Teleprompter

If possible, be sure that the teleprompter aligns with your eye line. The audience will be able to tell where you are looking and you want to appear as if you are looking straight ahead (or even better, at the audience).

For online presentations, align the teleprompter right above your camera. No one will see it, so use whatever books or boxes you need to 😉 If using a teleprompter with your phone, make sure you use an app that lets you move the words right next to the camera, like the Teleprompter Premium app.

Change Fonts & Colors

There are teleprompters in which you can change the font size, color, and speed. You can use these changes as cues for you to know when you should change your intonation, pitch, or volume as well as use gestures. You can make the font bigger, so there is less need to visually scan (therefore decreasing your eye movement). Changing the fonts and colors is especially helpful if you have a speech writer and don’t have time to practice your speeches beforehand.

What do you think about using teleprompters? Let us know below ⬇️