Hello all! Happy Monday! Hopefully you all had a nice and relaxing weekend. We all know Monday’s can be rough, so today’s topic is gonna be very quick and painless to learn about and it’s something most of you could probably pick up very quickly: how to use the TelePrompTer!
To start out, you need to know who is doing the reading of the TelePrompTer and know their reading style. Your problem lies with how fast or slow this person reads things. You are in total control of what is written, specific cues on how to say them or introduce people, and the speed in which it appears on the screen for the reader.
Some obstacles you face with the TelePrompTer is making sure there are no grammatical errors if you copy and paste a script, making sure you use the right shortcuts to stop and start the script, and making sure you’re staying on track with how the speaker is reading. You don’t want them to sound too slow like they’re waiting for the next line, but you also don’t want them rushing to read so they don’t miss lines. Stay in tune with the reader and adjust the speed when necessary.
The best way to overcome some of these obstacles is to do a practice round of reading the script before you go on air so they get a feel for how fast to go and so you are aware of their presentation style. You can also make sure that they are aware of the topic they’re speaking about rather than just reading off a script, that way if by chance you do mess up and they lose track, they have a way to imrpovise without sounding completely helpless on air. Ultimately everything would be your fault unless the speaker just chose to not read, but speed and typos all lie with you.
The TelePrompTer is really a easy thing to use and it is unlikely that you will mess the script up, but just to be safe, an easy solution is to practice reading it yourself. Keep the text moving at a comfortable speed for you, and although everyone reads differently, it should work so that it is not too fast or too slow so the audience doesn’t feel awkward watching. Practice makes perfect as we all say, and rereading will definitely be beneficial so you don’t mess up on air.
I know my answer, but comment yours below to this question so that I can see what type of readers I have on this blog in regards to the TelePrompTer: If you could only either operate the TelePrompTer or read off of it, which would you prefer for your skill set and why?
See, that was a quick and easy lesson on the TelePrompTer! Hopefully you learned a little bit and feel comfortable enough to operate and read off of one. That’s the cup o’ Joe for today, until next time friends!
-Joe