How to use the teleprompter
- Paste your script into the box, or type it. Short paragraphs are easier to read from a distance than long blocks of text, so press Enter wherever you would take a breath.
- Choose a speed and a text size. The larger the text, the further away you can stand, but the fewer words fit on the screen at once.
- Press Start. After a three-second countdown the text scrolls up past the yellow reading line. Keep your eyes on that line and read the words as they reach it.
- Tap the text or press Space to pause and carry on. Use + and − to change the speed while you read, and the arrow keys to go back a line.
Scrolling at a set speed, or following your voice
By default the teleprompter scrolls at the speed you choose, in words a minute. That is the same unit as the speaking speed test, so if you know your pace you can set it exactly, and the time shown at the bottom is how long the script will take at that speed.
Follow my voice works differently. The browser listens on the device, matches what you say to your script and moves the text along as you go. Stop to answer a question or to let a laugh finish, and the text waits for you. Skip a sentence and it catches up after two matching words, so a stray word does not make it jump.
Tips for reading from a teleprompter
Put the screen as close as you can to the camera or to the audience you are speaking to. The further your eyes travel from the lens, the more it looks as if you are reading. On a laptop, drag the browser window to the top of the screen, just under the camera.
Write the script the way you speak. Use short sentences, contractions and words you would actually say out loud. Mark the places you want to pause with a new line, and write numbers the way you will say them, such as “twenty twenty-six” instead of “2026”.
Read it through out loud twice before you record or present. A teleprompter helps you remember the words, but it cannot make an unfamiliar script sound natural. Practising also shows you where the speed feels too fast, so you can set it before you start.
Teleprompter or cue cards?
A teleprompter suits videos, online classes, livestreams and speeches where you can stand behind a screen. It lets you keep every word exactly as written, which matters for a news item, an announcement or a statement.
Cue cards suit a classroom, a wedding, a debate or any talk where you walk around or there is no screen. You hold the key points rather than every word, which sounds more natural and lets you look at the audience. Many speakers use both: the teleprompter to record, and cards on the day. Make cue cards from your script.
Privacy
Your script never leaves your device. It is kept in this browser so you can come back to it, and you can clear it at any time by deleting the text. Follow my voice only starts when your browser can recognise speech on the device, and nothing is recorded: no audio, no transcript.