A teleprompter should make your leaders sound more human, not less. The trick isn’t “reading better”—it’s engineering the setup, script, scroll, and coaching so delivery feels like a hallway chat with perfect recall. Below is the studio-tested playbook we use to help executives and experts look relaxed, sound authoritative, and hit message + time—every time.
Outcomes That Matter to Decision Makers
- Message control without wooden delivery: protect compliance language and brand voice while sounding spontaneous.
- Throughput: more approved segments per day; fewer pickups; faster post.
- Scalability: one message, consistent tone, multiple markets/languages.
- Editorial efficiency: clean captions, transcripts, and translation pipelines.
1) Optics & Eye-Line: Authenticity by Design
Goal: keep the audience and the reader on the same visual axis.
- Prompter: Through-the-lens (beam splitter) for direct-to-camera pieces.
- Lens: 50–85 mm (full-frame) for flattering compression and reduced visible eye travel.
- Distance & type size: talent at ~5–10 ft; font typically 48–72 pt—large enough to avoid scanning.
- Scroll window: keep the active line near the center; avoid top/bottom edges that trigger saccades.
- Glasses & glare: slightly raise the key light, tilt the glass a few degrees, add flags/hoods; matte frames help.
Walk-and-Talks
Compact prompter on a gimbal; pre-block stops/turns so the eye-line stays within a couple inches of the lens axis.
2) Script Engineering: Write for the Ear, Not the Page
Your copy should sound like it was born out loud.
- Cadence target: 110–135 WPM for conversational corporate reads.
- One idea per line: 12–18 words. Short clauses beat comma stacks.
- Mark the “music”:
- Cues:
[PAUSE] [SMILE] [B-ROLL CUT] [GRAPHIC] - Phonetics inline for tricky names: kuh-TEG-uh-ree
- Use emphasis sparingly; avoid ALL CAPS shouting.
- Cues:
- Numbers that land: round when possible; put dense figures on graphics or VO over B-roll.
- Version control:
ExecUpdate_Q4_v9_APPROVEDwith a visible change log.
Before/After (Naturalization Pass)
- Before: “Our strategic initiative leverages a robust ecosystem to drive efficiencies of 27.4 percent.”
- After: “We’re cutting steps. On average, teams are working about a quarter faster.”
3) Scroll Craft: The Operator Follows the Speaker
A great operator is the difference between “reading” and sounding like yourself.
- Follow, don’t force: speed matches the talent’s pace; use gentle accel/decel—no stair-steps.
- Whitespace structure: blank lines between beats lower cognitive load and eye flicker.
- Live edits: route all last-minute changes to a single owner—no dueling cursors.
- Sightline hygiene: if eyes start to dart, enlarge type and re-center the active line.
4) Coaching Non-Actors: Small Levers, Big Gains
- 90-second warm-up: hum on an “M,” then one throwaway read to settle pace.
- Breath mapping: breathe at punctuation; commas = half-beat, periods = full beat.
- Landing words: lengthen the key noun/verb a touch; let connector words glide.
- Face & posture: feet planted, shoulders relaxed, chin level; carry a micro-smile through transitions.
- Pickups: redo the entire sentence, not a fragment—editors need clean in/out points.
- Wardrobe: avoid tight stripes, noisy jewelry; powder forehead/nose; keep the lav clear of necklaces.
5) Multi-Cam, Panels, Remote
- A/B cameras: match prompter size and distance across angles or you’ll chase eye-lines in post.
- Panels/interviews: use confidence monitors with talking points, not full sentences, to preserve interplay.
- Remote execs: place overlay within 1–2 inches of the webcam lens; use wired controllers and rehearse inside the actual meeting platform to check latency.
6) Shoot for the Edit
- Plan cover: script
[B-ROLL CUT]and[GRAPHIC]beats so pickups are invisible. - Handles: roll 5 seconds before/after each take for clean transitions and caption sync.
- Script-based editing: align approved copy with transcripts for legal/compliance traceability.
7) Troubleshooting: Fast Fixes On Set
- Eyes darting: bump font size, re-center active line, slow the scroll.
- Flat tone: insert micro-pauses, front-load verbs, add one human example/story.
- Glare: adjust light angle first, then tilt glass and flag spill.
- Rushed ending: add
[HOLD SMILE 2s]to the last line and capture a clean button.
8) Day-Before & Day-Of Checklists
Day-Before
- Final script (shared doc + PDF), pronunciations verified
- Shot list with planned B-roll/graphics
- Prompter/laptop/controller tested, mirror-flip confirmed
- Wardrobe guidance sent; location light/sound pre-check
Day-Of
- TTL prompter + hood, backup unit, UPS/power distro
- Lens set 50/85 mm, flags/matte box, anti-glare wipes
- Eye-line test (10 s), speed calibration pass
- Confirm time targets, landing words, CTA phrasing
Copy-Paste Script Skeleton (≈2:00, 240–260 words)
OPEN [SMILE]
I’m [Name], [Title]. Today, three updates designed to help your team move faster and make smarter decisions. [PAUSE]
BENEFIT HEADLINE
First: [Feature/Program] cuts steps in [workflow], so your process is simpler, safer, and easier to scale. [B-ROLL CUT]
PROOF
Teams like [Client] saw results in weeks—not months—and reduced [metric] by [X%]. [PAUSE]
WHAT’S NEW
Second: [Feature] adds [capability], so admins spend less time on manual tasks.
Third: [Feature] improves [process] with clearer approvals and better visibility. [GRAPHIC]
CALL TO ACTION
If you’re on [plan], these roll out [date]. To learn more, visit your admin panel or talk with your account team. [SMILE]
CLOSE [HOLD 2s]
Thanks for choosing us to help you do more with less. [HOLD SMILE]
Why This Works
You’re not “reading” a script—you’re performing your own thoughts with precision. When optics, copy, scroll, and coaching are aligned, the teleprompter disappears and viewers hear a person, not a device.
Work With a Studio That Makes Prompters Invisible
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