How to use a teleprompter (and not look like you're reading)

Most people who try a teleprompter for the first time have the same experience: the words are right there, yet the recording looks stiff. The eyes dart from side to side, the voice goes flat, and every sentence ends with the same falling tone. None of that is a talent problem. It comes from a handful of setup and reading habits that are easy to fix once you know what to look for.

This guide covers where to put the screen, how big the text should be, how to sound like you are talking, and what to do when you stumble. The examples use EasyPrompter, a free teleprompter that runs in the browser on a phone, tablet or laptop, but the techniques work with any prompter.

Set up the screen close to the lens

The single biggest giveaway on camera is an eye line that is slightly off. If the text sits a few inches below or beside the lens, viewers notice that you are looking past them, even if they can't say why. The goal is to make the words appear as close to the lens as possible.

Phone or tablet as a prompter

If you record with a separate camera or a webcam, place the phone or tablet directly below or directly above the lens, touching it if you can. Below the lens usually works best because it keeps your eyelids open and your face relaxed.

If you record with the phone itself, the front camera is at the top edge. Put the text right under it: in EasyPrompter, set the Reading line position to a low value (it ranges from 10% to 70% of the screen height), so the line you are reading stays near the top of the screen and therefore near the lens. Or press Start camera: EasyPrompter turns on the front camera and shows only the two lines you are reading, in a narrow island right under the lens. With Pro, it records the take too. See teleprompter with camera and eye contact.

Laptop or desktop

On a laptop, the webcam sits above the screen, so push the reading line up toward the top, or turn on Eye contact in the prompter's quick menu so the lines you read sit in a narrow island right under the webcam. Keep the laptop at eye height (a few books under it help) so you are not looking down at the camera. If you use a beam-splitter rig, where angled glass reflects the text over the lens, see our guide to mirror mode and beam-splitter setups.

Get the distance and font size right

Distance changes everything. The closer you sit to the screen, the more your eyes have to travel across each line, and the more obvious that travel is on camera. Moving back a little and making the text bigger reduces the visible eye movement.

A useful rule of thumb: sit as far from the screen as you comfortably can while still reading without squinting, then set the font size so a line is easy to read at a glance. Some common starting points:

• Phone at arm's length: around 36 to 50 px, with a narrow text column.
• Tablet on a tripod at one to two meters: around 50 to 70 px.
• Laptop or monitor further away: 70 px and up.

EasyPrompter's font size runs from 10 to 120 px (44 px by default), and you can change it while reading with the + and − keys or the size stepper in the quick menu.

Narrow the text column so your eyes move less

"Shifty eyes" come from reading long lines. When text runs edge to edge across a wide screen, your eyes sweep left to right and snap back on every line, and the camera sees it. The fix is a narrow column, closer to a newspaper column than a book page.

In EasyPrompter, open Look (or the Layout option in the quick menu while prompting) and raise the side margins. The setting goes from 0% to 30%. On a laptop or tablet, something in the range of 15% to 25% often gives lines of five to eight words, which most people can take in with very little eye travel.

Choose a speed that follows you

A prompter that scrolls too fast makes you rush; one that scrolls too slowly makes you stall and wait for the next line. Both sound unnatural. Start at a comfortable conversational pace (EasyPrompter starts at 140 words per minute) and adjust from there. If you want to work out your own number, our guide to teleprompter reading speed explains how to measure it and how long your script will run.

The key idea: the scroll should follow your voice, not lead it. If you find yourself chasing the text, slow it down. In EasyPrompter, the ↑ and ↓ keys change the speed by 10 words per minute while you read.

Read the line ahead, not the line you're saying

Experienced presenters read slightly ahead of their mouth. While they say one phrase, their eyes are already on the next one. That small buffer is what lets the voice sound natural: you know where the sentence is going, so you can shape it instead of discovering each word as you say it.

This is where the reading line helps. EasyPrompter draws an amber guide line across the screen. Treat it as the place where you are speaking, and let your eyes rest just below it on the words coming up. Placing it around the upper third of the screen, nudged toward the lens, leaves room to see what's coming.

Think in ideas, not words

Reading word by word produces a monotone. Speaking idea by idea produces a voice. Before each take, know what every paragraph is for: the point it makes and the feeling behind it. When you hit a paragraph on the prompter, your job is to deliver that idea, using the text as a reminder of the exact wording.

A few habits help with this "chunking":

• Glance, then look up. Take in a short phrase, then say it to the lens. Your eyes don't have to stay locked on the text the whole time.
• Keep paragraphs short. One idea per paragraph gives you natural places to breathe and reset. Our guide on how to write a teleprompter script covers formatting in depth.
• Paraphrase when it helps. If a phrase feels awkward in your mouth, say it your way. Nobody but you knows what the script said.

Use pauses and emphasis on purpose

Pauses are the strongest tool you have for sounding natural, and they are the first thing people drop when reading. A short pause before an important point gives it weight. A pause after a question gives viewers a moment to think.

Mark pauses in the script with a blank line or a cue like [pause]. For emphasis, pick one word per sentence that carries the meaning and lean on it slightly. If every word is stressed, none of them is.

When you need a longer pause, actually stop the scroll. In EasyPrompter you can tap the text to pause and tap again to continue, or press Space, Enter or K on a keyboard. You can also drag the text with your finger to move it by hand.

Control the prompter with a remote

Reaching for the screen in the middle of a take is distracting, especially when you are standing back from the camera. A Bluetooth keyboard or a presentation clicker solves that. EasyPrompter responds to these keys:

Most presentation clickers send Page Up and Page Down (or arrow keys), so in EasyPrompter they move to the previous or next paragraph. See the remote control section of the user guide for more.

A simple rehearsal routine

A short rehearsal makes a bigger difference than any setting. A routine that works for many people:

1. Read the script aloud once without the prompter. Fix anything you trip over.
2. Read it once in Preview. EasyPrompter's Preview shows a clean full-screen read-through so you can check line breaks and spot typos.
3. Do a run on the prompter at a slightly slower speed. Focus on reading ahead and pausing between paragraphs.
4. Record a test take and watch it back. Check eye line, eye movement and pace. Adjust one thing at a time.
5. Record for real. By now you know the script well enough that the prompter is a safety net, not a crutch.

Recovering from mistakes

Everyone stumbles. What matters is how you handle it, and that depends on whether you are recording or live.

• When recording: stop, pause the prompter, go back to the start of the paragraph (← or Page Up), take a breath and restart from the beginning of the paragraph. Restarting at a paragraph break keeps the edit clean.
• When live: don't stop. Rephrase the sentence in your own words and carry on. The audience doesn't have the script.
• If you lose your place: pause the scroll, find the start of the current paragraph, and continue from there. EasyPrompter's thin progress bar shows roughly how far through you are.

Pre-recording checklist

Run through this list before you press record:

• The text sits as close to the lens as possible, with the reading line near the camera.
• The font size is comfortable at your actual recording distance.
• Side margins are wide enough that your eyes barely move.
• The speed matches your natural pace, and you know how to adjust it mid-take.
• The script has short paragraphs and marked pauses.
• You have read it aloud at least once and fixed awkward phrases.
• Your remote or keyboard is paired and tested (play, pause, jump back).
• The 3-2-1 countdown is on if you want a moment to settle before the scroll starts.
• The device is charged and the screen won't sleep. EasyPrompter keeps the screen awake while prompting in browsers that support it.
• You recorded a short test and checked your eyes on playback.

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Frequently asked questions