Seven Tips for the Teleprompter
by
Michael Landrum
"Words are but the signs of ideas."
-Samuel Johnson, (1709-1784)
"All I have to do is read off the Teleprompter? No problem!”
Many speakers mistakenly think that reading a speech from a Teleprompter
will be easy, so they stint on the practice. That is a serious miscalculation.
While it may be simple enough to read from a scrolling text, it
is not so easy to turn that into an energetic, rapport-building
speech that successfully moves your audience to action.
A public speech is much more than merely words read into a microphone.
It is a performance intended to communicate ideas. If those ideas
are important to you and you want them to be important to your listeners,
you must fill them with your passion, commitment, and the force
of your personality. It's ironic that the communication of those
ideas is so often impeded by the necessity of reading the words.
In order to really communicate, you need to build a relationship
with the audience. Most first time efforts at Teleprompted speaking
are wooden, monotonous and deadly dull. If you are a business speaker
and would like to avoid a "Zombie-like” performance, here are seven
suggestions that will make your Teleprompter performances better.
1. The pause that refreshes. The great difficulty of speaking
from the Teleprompter is in overcoming the relentless roll of
the words. A hypnotic inertia sets in that turns a perfectly
intelligent speaker of good English into a mindless parrot.
You must impose your rhythm on the speech – not the other way
around. The most important element in rhythm is the pause. Remember,
the prompter will follow your lead. If you stop, it will stop.
So insert pauses into the text. The Teleprompter operator will
pause with you and resume scrolling when you resume speaking.
Pausing is a sign of confidence in a speaker.
2. Read in phrases. Of course the pauses are not the only way
to control the pace of the speech. In your rehearsals, look
for figures of speech, groups of words that work together, and
read from phrase to phrase rather than word to word. Good phrasing
is essential to overcome a monotonous rate of speech. You must
interpret the speech, enliven the words with energy and emphasis.
Good phrasing ventilates a speech, making it easier to understand.
3. Make the writing terse. Short, simple sentences that move
quickly to the point, are more easily grasped by the listener.
Compound sentences and convoluted syntax are fatal traps for
the speaker. Find interesting, dynamic verbs, and beware of
slumping into a passive voice; "meetings were held. . .” would
be stronger if written "the board met often.” Repetitions are
positive qualities in a speech. Restate your points in different
ways. These are good ideas for any speech, but especially for
one on Teleprompter.
4. Perform with energy. To avoid the typical "wooden monotone"
so often found in speeches from Teleprompter, the speaker must
speak through the screen on which the words are reflected, to
the audience beyond. If a good speech is a "conversation amplified,”
then the speaker must provide both halves of the conversation.
Thus, by pausing, phrasing and seeming to listen to the other
half, the audience’s half, you bring the speech to life. Be
positive and optimistic in your conversation, with an open demeanor
that invites agreement. Smile!
5. Rehearse on video. One of the most valuable tools in my coaching
kit is my camcorder. Videotape your rehearsals to discover the
energy level of your communication. Are you talking to someone,
or simply droning on? Is your face animated? Is it too expressive,
are you mugging? Play it back with the sound off and see. Is
your voice expressive enough? Are you shouting? Cover the screen
and just listen to the playback. Remember, the purpose of rehearsal
is to make the speech seem easy.
6. Give yourself stage directions. The new versions of Teleprompter
allow you to use different fonts, colored text, and many symbols
to indicate emphases, emotions, gestures and facial expressions
that will appear right on the screen along with your text. For
instance: "(Point to chart)” or "(Gesture to the Chairman)”
Your operator will be helpful in suggesting and creating useful
and personal text notes for you. Of course, you should practice
these thoroughly.
7. Consider other ways to use the Teleprompter. It's not always
a good idea to have an entire speech written out on the prompter.
You might have a favorite story that you know well and do not
need to read; or you may want to insert an ad lib conversation
with someone . . . You can break away from the prompter and
return when you're finished. Some people just put an outline
of their talk on the prompter to help them stay on track. Do
not feel compelled by other speakers to copy their style. .
. find your own. And be sure to take good old paper notes to
the lectern with you. Teleprompters, like any technological
device, can let you down.
Teleprompters do indeed make life easier for the business speaker.
More and more executives these days find themselves reading
from a scrolling white text on a dark background when delivering
a speech. As useful as it is, however, it comes at a cost. Only
by being aware of the pitfalls, can the savvy speaker prepare
and overcome the dangers of this important speaker’s tool.
©2005 Michael F. Landrum
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