Here are five ways you can improve your next teleprompter presentation:

1. Pre-Read the Script

The Director should always allow you to pre-read of the script on the teleprompter during rehearsals.

Sometimes you find that words that usually go together on one line are split up over two lines to help readability. Occasionally the opposite helps.

On a written page, you are normally reading 8-15 words per line, but with this medium you’ll be reading 3-5 words per line.

It’s a different rhythm and requires getting used to . . . it’s your autocue operator’s job to help you with readability options.

2. Keep to your own speed

An experienced teleprompter operator will react to your talking speed, changing the scroll speed to keep up with your reading speed. Speed up your delivery and the teleprompter go faster. Slow down and the teleprompter slows downs with you.

3. Maintain Eye Contact

Easier said than done, this needs practice and will probably need a few takes to get spot on.

Until the Director tell you anything different, before the take starts, during the take and after it finishes, just keep looking straight into the camera. That is of course unless you’ve mastered the technique.

Eye movements are more important, the closer the shot is. Eye movements away from your audience will make you look either uneasy or slightly dishonest. The only time you can really look away from the screen is when the Director says ‘cut’.

Most people won’t even know they are looking away from the camera. Turn away during a script edit point and the shot will have to be re-done.

It’s ok to blink though!

4. Don’t Rock

Even when standing still, people usually move from side to side or shuffle their feet positions. This is a completely normal reaction but one best left out of a shoot.

Swaying from side to side makes you look uneasy, which you probably are if you’re rocking about.

It’s a bit like the eye contact and body movement discussed earlier on. Animated gestures during a shoot are fine as part of our communication is based on movement. Awkward looking swaying or shuffling aren’t.

At the start of a take, shake the fidgety off. Stretch, run on the spot, jump up and down. Anything to shake off the lethargy and fatigue. Begin each take mentally and physically prepared.

If the warm up still won’t keep you still, ask for a pedestal to rest one foot on or even make your presentation sitting down.

5. Sell the Message

This may sound a bit cheesy, but don’t just read your message . . . value the script!

Delivering the script could well make you so drowsy, your face starts to look like it’s going to sleep.

If you yourself look bored with the presentation, imagine how your audience will be feeling. Get upbeat about the project. You might not like the script or even agree with it, but you have to put on a convincing presentation. Vary the stress of your voice, use gestures, get involved. Practice in front of a mirror if you have to but by all means try not to look bored with the whole business!

Your script has all the information you need and it’s written so that the message is understandable. Now . . . let your audience SEE how valuable it is.

Looking Back

So you’ve finished your recording and it’s time to see the finished product.

The first thing you’ll confront when viewing the tape is vanity. Don’t worry . . . it happens to everybody.

You might think you sound strange. You might think you look weird. The reason for this impression is simple . . . you are used to seeing a reflected view of yourself as opposed to how everyone actually sees you. Seeing your left side where your right side usually appears and vice versa is odd.

Some camera angles can also distort your appearance. You might trick yourself into believing you look unwell or have put on weight.

Becoming a polished presenter means casting a critical eye back over your performance. Critical but not negative. Assess your presentation and address any awkward habits or mannerisms.

Don’t go over your presentation looking for details. The objective is a sincere delivery.

The eyes rarely lie. Is you attention focused on the teleprompter texts, are you making a monotonous, boring performance? Are you shuffling around? Are you dropping your eyes?

It’s all about getting an appreciation of your own performance. Most importantly, do you look like you believe what you are saying?

Leaders from all walks of life recognize the importance of an effective communication style delivered in a sincere, personal style, but public speaking remains a hurdle for many of us.

This article is intended to acquaint you with the intricacies of video production and the use of a teleprompter. You will have to do some groundwork, but if you stick to the advice given here, you’ll be better armed to concentrate on delivering a sincere, professional presentation when the big day arrives.

When you are ready to bring your presentation in-house, use professional teleprompter software . . . it will make a huge difference to the success of your production. You can find a review of this teleprompter software available now on YouTube.

Healthcare vendor credentialing is becoming more critical with the increased responsibility that hospitals and other healthcare centers carry. The sheer volume of the vending sources required to effectively run a hospital or other healthcare facility can quickly overwhelm anyone considering implementation of a vendor credentialing system.

REPTrax is quickly becoming the national standard in Hospital vendor management with hundreds of hospitals and more than 6500 vendor companies participating. Learn more about REPTrax Hospital vendor credentialing.

There are options already on the market that will quickly bring any hospital or healthcare center into compliance, without them having to reinvent the wheel. Hospital vendor management and credentialing has never been easier and more economically feasible.

This is what we mean by a vendor credentialing service. A hospital vendor credential management system provides the necessary tools to assess vendor credentials and track vendor entrance and exit to the healthcare facility. Centralization of this information removes pressure from hospital administration to credential individual vendors and provides the necessary tools for access.

Individual practices and proprietary systems from facility to facility inevitably create confusion and an abundance of needless paperwork.

Securing a management company gives the administration peace of mind knowing that all vendors carry current credentials, accurate identification, and all entrance and exits are electronically logged.

Anytime questions arise regarding who is in the healthcare facility or who was in the facility at a particular time, that critical information can be easily obtained through the web-based technology. Tracking this information is especially critical when dealing with vendors delivering various drugs and other important resources to the hospital or healthcare center.

Web-based hospital vendor management can be set up within a few minutes, once the proper framework is established. Standard off the shelf computer equipment is all a facility needs to get the system up and running. Badges are printed for all the vendors and scanned upon entry and exit.

In most cases setting up the software can be done in less than 5 minutes. Vendors that sign up with a central hospital vendor credentialing system receive access to all hospitals for one flat fee. The centrality of such a system allows cost to the vendor to remain low, thus keeping vendors from passing rising costs to hospitals.

REPTrax is the emerging national standard in Healthcare vendor credentialing with hundreds of hospitals and more than 6500 vendor companies participating.