How to Set Up a Teleprompter for Live Events
• John Barker
A teleprompter helps speakers deliver scripted content naturally, without fumbling with notes or memorizing entire scripts. But a poorly set up prompter is worse than no prompter at all — if the text is too small, the scroll speed is wrong, or the screen is in the wrong position, it becomes a distraction rather than a help.
Here’s how to set one up properly for a live event.
What is a teleprompter?
A teleprompter (also called an autocue) displays scrolling text for a speaker to read while looking at the camera or the audience. There are several types:
Presidential / glass prompters
Two angled glass panels mounted on stands in front of the speaker. Text is reflected on the glass but invisible to the audience. The speaker can look left and right naturally while reading. This is the classic setup you see at political events and corporate keynotes.
Camera-mounted prompters
A glass panel mounted directly in front of the camera lens. The speaker reads the text while looking straight into the camera — creating the appearance of direct eye contact with the viewer. Standard for news broadcasts and video recording.
Monitor / confidence prompters
A screen placed on the floor in front of the stage, on the back wall of the room, or on a stand visible to the speaker. Less discreet than glass prompters, but simpler to set up. Works well for events where the speaker moves around the stage.
Tablet / software prompters
A tablet or laptop running prompter software, positioned on a stand near the speaker. The most portable and affordable option — suitable for smaller events, rehearsals, or when a full prompter rig isn’t practical.
Setting up a teleprompter
1. Position the screen
For glass prompters: Place them at the speaker’s natural eye line when looking slightly left and right. If they’re too low, the speaker looks down. Too high, they look up. Both are noticeable to the audience.
For floor monitors: Position them at the front edge of the stage, angled up toward the speaker. Increase the font size significantly since the screen is farther from the speaker’s eyes.
For camera-mounted: Center the text in the speaker’s line of sight through the camera lens.
General rule: The screen should be close enough that the speaker’s eye movements while reading are imperceptible to the audience. If their eyes are visibly scanning, the screen is too far away or the text is too small.
2. Choose the right font and size
- Font: Sans-serif fonts are easiest to read on prompter screens. Arial, Helvetica, or similar clean fonts work best.
- Size: Big. Bigger than you think. The speaker should be able to read comfortably without squinting. Test this with the actual speaker in the actual position.
- Line width: Keep lines short — about 3-4 words per line. Long lines force the reader’s eyes to sweep back and forth, which looks unnatural.
- Contrast: White text on a black background is the standard. High contrast is essential, especially in bright stage environments.
3. Set the scroll speed
The scroll speed should match the speaker’s natural pace. This sounds obvious, but getting it right takes practice:
- Start slow — it’s easier for a speaker to pause and wait for the text than to speed up to catch it
- Use a dedicated operator — someone who follows the speaker’s pace and adjusts in real time. Auto-scroll rarely works for live events because speakers naturally speed up, slow down, pause for emphasis, and ad-lib
- Mark the reading line — most prompter software shows an arrow or highlighted line where the speaker should focus. Position this in the upper third of the screen so there’s more upcoming text visible below
4. Format the script for reading
A prompter script is not a print document. Format it for easy real-time reading:
- ALL CAPS or sentence case — some speakers prefer all caps, others find it harder to read. Ask the speaker.
- Short paragraphs — break the text into small, digestible chunks
- Mark pauses — use [PAUSE] or extra line breaks for intentional pauses
- Highlight cue words — bold or color-code words where the speaker needs to look at the audience, gesture, or change tone
- Phonetic spellings — for difficult names or foreign words, include a phonetic guide in parentheses
Tips for natural delivery
Practice with the prompter
The biggest mistake is the first time a speaker uses the prompter being the live event. Schedule rehearsal time specifically for prompter practice. Even experienced speakers benefit from a run-through with the actual setup.
Tell speakers to look away
A speaker who reads 100% from the prompter looks robotic. Encourage them to look away regularly — at the audience, at a guest on stage, at their hands. The prompter is a safety net, not a script they must follow word for word.
Keep the script conversational
Write the script the way people talk, not the way they write. Short sentences. Simple words. Contractions. If a sentence feels awkward to read aloud, rewrite it.
Have a backup
Prompter technology can fail — screens go blank, software crashes, connections drop. Always have a backup plan:
- Printed notes on the lectern
- Key bullet points the speaker has reviewed and can improvise from
- A tablet with the script as a secondary reference
Using a prompter output with your rundown
Modern rundown tools can feed a prompter view directly from your show’s content — no separate prompter software needed. Each cue’s content appears on the prompter screen, scrolling automatically as the show progresses.
This means your rundown and your prompter are always in sync. When you update a cue’s script in the rundown, it’s immediately updated on the prompter. No more managing two separate documents.
Learn more about how Rundown Studio’s prompter output works.
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