If the speaker must sit near their computer camera, such as for a meeting hosted on Zoom, WebEx, or Microsoft Teams - one way to avoid unnecessary eye movement in closer quarters is to slow down the teleprompter speed. Not only does this make reading less noticeable, but it also allows the speaker to frame their arms and hands in a natural way that will help them underline their points with simple gestures and emote to the audience. To limit eye movement that gives away the fact that the speaker is reading, Elliott suggested sitting or standing farther away from the camera or using a longer camera zoom. “If you find yourself struggling over a passage, it’s probably a sign that it should be rewritten to be more natural.” Elliott noted that scripts should be written in a “spoken voice” to avoid sections that feel too stilted or formal, especially in a digital presentation format that can already feel less natural to attendees. “You’ll save time and correct as you go,” he wrote.
Teleprompter apps can stall and make speakers lose their place, Elliott noted, which isn’t ideal for speakers who are overly reliant on seeing the full script during their presentation.
If speakers opt to go this route, Elliott advised reading the script aloud “a gazillion times” before filming it, even if the words will still be readily available during the presentation.
In a LinkedIn post, Elliott suggested apps like PromptSmart Pro and the Mac Teleprompter. According to Timo Elliott, vice president, global innovation evangelist for SAP, there are a couple of ways to tackle this “new normal” challenge.Ī tried-and-true method for remembering lines during live events is reading from a teleprompter - something that can be recreated in the comfort of speakers’ homes. With most meetings taking place digitally, attendees get an up-close look at presenters - meaning that it’s more obvious than ever when presenters on the other side of the screen are reading from a script.
In a LinkedIn post, Timo Elliott of SAP shared his tips on how to write and master a script for a screen-to-screen event.
The website allows the logged in user to save defaults of font color, background color, font style and font size, so when that user logs back in, they will always prompt in the same colors. My project uses this concept creating a page that defaults to white font on a black background that can scroll through the script. A teleprompter is used by newscasters and other media professionals to read scripts while still looking at or near the camera. The smart-teleprompter is a website that allows a logged in user to edit text files as well as teleprompt them straight to the screen.