How to Use a Teleprompter
To use a teleprompter, write your script the way you speak, place the text as close to the camera as you can, set a comfortable text size and speed, and rehearse it out loud before you go live. While you read, look at a phrase, then deliver it to the camera or the room. The steps below work for a glass rig, a tablet or a teleprompter app on your computer.
How to use a teleprompter in five steps
Write for speaking. Short sentences, everyday words and a new paragraph for each idea.
Put the text by the camera. The closer your script is to the lens, the less your eyes move away from it.
Set the size, width and speed. Large text in a narrow column, scrolling a little slower than feels natural.
Rehearse out loud. Read it through at least once so the words feel like yours.
Look up between lines. Glance at the next phrase, then say it to the camera or the room.
“I usually have a lot of ideas and put effort into making my presentations visually strong, but delivering everything I want to say as smoothly as I imagine it can be challenging. Notch helps bridge that gap, allowing me to communicate my ideas more naturally and confidently”
Write a script that's easy to read aloud
Most "teleprompter voice" comes from text written to be read silently. Write it to be said instead:
- Use short sentences, one idea at a time.
- Choose words you'd use in conversation. If a phrase trips you up when you say it, change it.
- Start a new paragraph wherever you'd take a breath or change topic. The gaps give you natural places to pause.
- Write numbers and names the way you say them, for example "about two thousand" rather than "1,973", unless the exact figure matters.
- Keep bullet points for parts you'd rather put in your own words, such as answers to questions.
Check the length too: at an average pace, a 2-minute talk is about 300 words. The speech length calculator works it out for any length.
Place the text close to the camera
Where your eyes go is what people notice. On a camera rig, the glass puts the text in front of the lens. On a computer, put the teleprompter window directly below your webcam, at the top of the screen, rather than in the middle or on a second monitor.
Sit at your normal distance. The further you are from the screen, the less your eye movement shows, so make the text bigger instead of leaning in.
Set the size, width and speed
- Text size: large enough to read at a glance without squinting.
- Width: a narrow column of a few words per line. Long lines make your eyes sweep from side to side.
- Speed: start slower than you think. You can speed up once you settle, and running ahead of the text feels better than chasing it.
- Mirror: turn it on only for a glass rig, where the reflection flips the text.
If you'd rather not manage the speed, a voice-following teleprompter scrolls as you speak and waits when you pause.
Rehearse before you go live
Read the whole script out loud at least once, at the pace you'll use. You'll find the sentences that don't sound like you and the places that need a pause. Rehearsing also teaches you the structure, so you can look away, answer a question or add a thought and still find your place.
Delivering it naturally
- Read a phrase ahead, then look up and say it.
- Pause at the end of paragraphs. Silence feels longer to you than to the people listening.
- Let your face and hands move as they would in conversation.
- If you lose your place, stop, find the next line and carry on. Nobody else knows the script.
Using a teleprompter on a video call
On Teams, Google Meet or any other meeting app, the webcam is at the top of your screen, so that's where your script should be. You can try the free online teleprompter in a browser window placed under the camera.
Notch is a teleprompter app for Mac and Windows built for this. It sits at the top of your screen near the webcam, floats above your slides and other windows, follows your voice in six languages, and stays hidden from supported screen sharing. There are setup guides for Teams, Google Meet and Windows.
Frequently asked questions
How do you use a teleprompter without looking like you're reading?
Keep the text close to the camera, use a narrow column so your eyes barely move, and rehearse until you know roughly what comes next. Read a phrase, then say it to the camera, and let yourself pause and smile as you would in conversation.
Where should I put a teleprompter on a video call?
Directly below your webcam, at the top of the screen. That keeps your eyes close to the lens, so you appear to look at the people on the call while you read.
What speed should a teleprompter be?
Your speaking speed, which for most people is about 130 to 170 words per minute. Start a little slower than feels right, then speed up once you settle in. A voice-following teleprompter avoids the question by moving as you speak.
How far should I sit from a teleprompter?
For a laptop or desktop screen, a normal working distance of about an arm's length works well with large text. The further away you are, the less your eyes appear to move, so increase the text size rather than leaning in.
Can I use a teleprompter for an online interview?
You can keep your own talking points in view, such as examples you want to mention and questions to ask. Use them as reminders rather than reading full answers, and follow any rules the interviewer sets. Our guide to bringing notes to an interview covers this in more detail.
Do I need to memorise my script?
No, that's what the teleprompter is for. But knowing the structure and the key points by heart makes you sound more natural and helps if you look away or someone asks a question.