Why classic teleprompter apps fall short
June 30, 2022
How does a classic teleprompter or teleprompter app work?
A classic teleprompter "scrolls" text across the screen. The speaker reads the text out loud and doesn't have to memorize anything.
TV reports and news broadcasts often use expensive prompters that even allow news from the editorial team or newsroom to be fed in during the show. For untrained speakers, however, such an app is more of an obstacle than a help.
Why is a teleprompter app only suitable for professionals?
What is daily routine for a TV anchor is a completely unfamiliar situation for an untrained speaker. Reading out loud is a big mental effort for a non-professional. That's why videos in which the speaker reads from a teleprompter often look stiff and impersonal. Speech, after all, is not just spoken words but also non-verbal components. Gestures, facial expressions, tonality and speaking pace are essential parts of communication. When you concentrate on reading a text, these components usually fall by the wayside because you're too focused on the reading itself. The voice sounds monotonous, the face looks frozen, and the video ends up lifeless and boring.
Important vocal qualities of a video
A video that isn't meant purely for self-promotion but is supposed to trigger an emotion in the viewer must itself be emotional. If the speaker doesn't sound convinced, why should the viewer be convinced?
The important components are:
- Variable volume, even the occasional whisper
- Emphasis, pauses, rhetorical questions
- Variable speaking pace
- Motivating language
- Emotions like joy, seriousness, confidence
How can you use PowerPoint in a teleprompter?
How PPT Mirror helps you record an effective video
PPT Mirror mirrors a PowerPoint presentation. To keep this presentation from becoming as boring as a read-off text, we recommend the following approach:
- Think of a "storyline"
What do I say first to draw the viewer into the story / the topic? - Which important details do I mention?
- What is my closing line, my call to action?
- Write down only bullet points that help you keep the thread – not fully written-out text
- Only spell out important, short statements that are meant to stick
- Keep it brief and get to the point
A helpful question: "If I could only say one sentence, which one would it be?" - Use "stage directions" in your slides, e.g. "-short pause-", "demonstrate product" etc.
- Use consistent font styles, e.g. red for things that need emphasis
Tip: It has proven useful to practice at least the first few sentences and the ending in front of a mirror; that way you immediately notice your gestures and facial expressions – and usually get into a good mood, too.
In general, it's worth running through the talk several times – with or without the camera. Ideally, you rehearse the talk while you're still creating it in PowerPoint, so the mirrored slides don't need to be reworked or regenerated later.
How do you get a good mood and positive energy into your video?
Before recording your video, listen to some powerful, uplifting music – ideally "your power song". Recording becomes much more fun, you carry that momentum into the video, and your viewers will thank you for it, because the video turns out far more interesting and motivating.
Good luck!