Enough Said: Making facilitation fun; In defense of teleprompters

In defense of teleprompters (and reading)

In a recent episode of The Video and Livestreaming Show, Sam Proof quite unintentionally unlocked a long lost memory.

I've had a teleprompter unit for a few years now. I don't always write and read scripts on camera, but when I do, it's incredibly helpful. (Even when I don't have a script or notes, it is a great way of maintaining an eye level on video calls and livestreams.)

My Sony ZV-E10 camera is permanently inside of a Desview teleprompter with a FeelWorld monitor unit, mounted via the Elgato multi mount system and a couple of strong arms.

But the thing I had forgotten was: I used to get so frustrated tripping over my words recording videos. I would get angry. Even after it was edited, you could often see how annoyed I was by the end of a video. My delivery would speed up. At some point I'd just go, "I'm not doing another take" and would leave it as it was.

The first time I recorded a script from my teleprompter it blew my mind. It was only a short video, less than 3 minutes, and I got the whole thing done in a single take.

I know there are lots of people who aren't interested in reading. Often this is because they are not very good at it. Reading and speaking extemporaneously (which is just a beautiful word for "off the cuff") are both incredibly useful skills. There's a good chance you'll need to practice both of these to become a great presenter.

But my background in community radio as a teenager made me realise there's a lot of things you can't —or shouldn't— make up or improvise.

You don't improvise the news, the weather, the traffic report. You read the name of the song or the artist or their album, you don't just make something up. (This idea feels particularly potent in the age of AI hallucination.)

In the context of a livestream you might want to read:

• Viewer comments
• Calls to action
• Website URLs
• Names of books, programs, etc.

You may not be reading an entire speech, but there are still details you will want to get right.

I've been thinking about this for literally years at this point and will likely record an episode of Build A Presentation Muscle about it in the near future. (My use of a teleprompter is the most cited criticism of my content creation after the use of the green screen, but that's a whole other lecture for another day.)

Making facilitation fun with Said Saddouk

This week on The Video and Livestreaming show, we'll be talking to the Facilitainer Said Saddouk about making facilitation fun and some of the tools he uses to help keep his participants engaged.

Let's talk about:

• Facilitation
• Fun
• OBS Studio
• Other tools

Go subscribe to the Facilitainer YouTube channel to learn more about Said!

Join us live

See the event links for the date and time in your local time zone.

• The Facilitainer: Said Saddouk | Facilitation, Fun, OBS Studio and more! (Watch on YouTube)
• The Facilitainer: Said Saddouk | Facilitation, Fun, OBS Studio and more! (Watch on LinkedIn?)

Join us!

Have a great week

I hope you have a great week. (I noted that I was pretty tired on Tuesday, but just doing my best. It's okay to take a break and rest.)

Remember, if you're interested in video, livestreaming and content creation:

• Connect with me on LinkedIn?
• Subscribe to the Learn Livestreaming channel on YouTube. (Currently sitting on 295 subscribers. I've been building this channel for a couple of years and it feels like it's starting to get some traction. Thank you for your support!)

Have a great week.

BONUS: OBS Studio for Beginners

Watch OBS Studio for Beginners on YouTube

Last week on the show, we spoke about getting started with OBS Studio. Remember, you don't need to use all the options and features to get started easily with this free and open source cross-platform video software.