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When actress Jennifer Coolidge took to the stage to present at last year’s Golden Globe Awards, her speech was hilarious and, as expected, went viral.

She humorously spoke about her fear of reading off the “ticker tape” at the right time and how it always seems to “get ahead of her.”

She was referring to a teleprompter.

The prompter operators our team works with worldwide beautifully follow the speaker, making sure the teleprompter is aligned exactly where your eyes need it while you’re speaking.

Even though it’s easy to make sure your experience is perfect – her discomfort with it is not unique.

One mistake is common when it comes to teleprompters, and as a media and public speaking coach, I’ve seen countless professionals struggle with this.

The critical mistake that undermines a speaker’s credibility with the audience is:

Reading from the teleprompter without connecting with the audience.

It’s a common scenario: You have a keynote or quarterly earnings report to deliver, and the pressure is on. You need to make a lasting impression.

If you want to captivate your audience and convey authority and authenticity, try these five things.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Invest time to rehearse your script before stepping in front of the teleprompter. You want to practice so the teleprompter operator can adjust the font size for your eyes, and you can get to know that exact stage. Every setup is different. Knowing how that stage feels and how the monitors will reflect your script is important. You want to be familiar with the content and the setup so you can deliver your talk naturally.

Practice delivering the words aloud, focusing on inflection, pacing, and how you will emphasize the key points you want the audience to remember.

Own Every Word

When delivering your presentation, make a conscious effort to own every word. You want to think about each word. Don’t just read them.

Imagine having a one-on-one conversation with someone rather than reciting a script. This mindset shift will help you establish a genuine connection with your audience and convey sincerity and authenticity.

Adapt and Adjust

Don’t be afraid to adapt and adjust your delivery as needed. If a sentence feels awkward or doesn’t flow well, rework it. Get your script ahead of time and carve out time to work with it.

While significant changes may not be feasible (legal departments), subtle adjustments can enhance the clarity and impact of your message. Make the speech your own.

Utilize Formatting Options

Use formatting options such as underlining or capital letters to emphasize key points or phrases. These visual cues guide your delivery and ensure the most important points resonate with your audience.

Avoid Cold Reading

Reading directly from the teleprompter without infusing your personality and passion into the delivery is a surefire way to lose the attention and trust of your audience.

Connect with your listeners on a personal level by speaking in your voice.

We do everything from just shortening sentences to major surgery on speeches to make sure they sound conversational.

Leaders need to connect with the audience and not just READ to them.

By making this simple yet powerful shift in your approach to teleprompter usage, you can elevate your presentations to new heights and leave a lasting impression on your audiences.

Remember, the goal isn’t just to deliver information – it’s to inspire, persuade, and connect.

Your audience will thank you for it, and you’ll reap the rewards of their trust and confidence.

Need one-on-one coaching with teleprompters? Our team can help

The Presentation Pitfall Everyone Makes (and How to Avoid It)

There’s a huge mistake nearly everyone makes when it comes to giving slide presentations.

You might be doing this without even knowing…

It’s okay, I’m here to protect you.

If you want people to …

• Pay attention to you
• Buy from you
• Invest in you
• Or do whatever it is you want them to do …

Stop STARTING with the slides.

Imagine you log onto a webinar, and the first thing you see is a slide deck.

No human.

No person talking to you.

No connection.

Just a boring old slide filling the screen.

It’s probably not that hard to imagine because it happens all the time.

You might hear the presenter’s voice – but their face is hidden behind the content. 

The person – the actual entity you’re supposed to be connected with – is trapped in a tiny little Zoom box.

You can’t connect with them. You can barely even see their eyes.

Do you feel their passion for the subject? The brand? The product?

You. Don’t. Know.

You. Can’t. See. Them.

Despite how common it is, this approach misses a key element of effective communication: the personal connection between the presenter and the audience.

So, what’s the solution?

The Right Way To Engage Your Audience And Make An Impact With Your Presentation

If you want to engage your audience and make an impact with your presentation, come out on camera WITHOUT the slides and make a connection with your audience first.

Start by building a relationship.

Start by building trust.

This initial face-to-face interaction will grow the audience’s confidence in you – and the tone for the rest of your presentation.

 It’s not just about starting strong – it’s also about ending on the right note. 

When concluding your presentation, don’t stay stuck behind your slides. Instead, return to the camera to deliver your final remarks. 

This lets you maintain that crucial connection with your audience as you summarize your key points and deliver your call to action.

Why does this approach work?

Being visible on camera throughout your presentation creates a personal and engaging experience for your audience. They can look you in the eye, see your facial expressions, hear the tone of your voice, and feel a deeper connection to you as the presenter. 

This human element is essential for building trust and making your message resonate with your audience.

The next time you prepare a slide presentation, remember this valuable tip:

Always start and end with yourself on camera.

Build that trust, make that connection, and watch as your presentations become more impactful than ever before.

You find out you have to do a talk.

You come up with the topic.

And then you dig right into the slides.

Right?

I have news for you.

This is what the majority of presenters do wrong.

Do you know the first thing you should do before creating a talk, presentation, webinar, or slide deck? 

The one thing you must do before creating your slides is know your audience.

The first step in speaking to anyone is to know who you’re talking to.

Know their pain points.

Know what matters to them.

Know who’s in the actual audience.

If you don’t know – how do you know what to say?

What will resonate with them?

I recently had a conversation with someone preparing a presentation for work.

She had meticulously crafted her slides and rehearsed her content, but a crucial piece was missing – she didn’t know her audience. Her boss never provided insights into who would attend the presentation.

As a result, she found herself struggling to create something meaningful and engaging. She had difficulty creating something in a vacuum and feeling passionate about it.

It’s a scenario many of us can relate to. 

It can feel impossible to connect with your audience online or on stage if you don’t know who they are.

Don’t wait until you get there.

Some executives think it’s acceptable to breeze through slides for 45 minutes – just talking about what THEY want to talk about.

Guess what? That’s a surefire way to lose your audience’s interest and credibility as a speaker. Do that, and they won’t connect. They won’t buy your product. They won’t trust you. They won’t even like you very much… and if you’re a paid speaker, you likely won’t be invited back.

The key to being a successful presenter is to shift your mindset from merely delivering information to engaging in a conversation with your audience.

And it’s not a real conversation unless you know them.

You see them. 

You need to know your audience to feel them.

Presenting blindly is a recipe for disaster. 

Empower yourself by asking questions about your audience ahead of time. Contact event planners or organizers (or get your EA or team) to gather insights to help you tailor your presentation, know what to teach them, and how to talk to each person. What do you ask?

Who are they? 

What are their ages?

What are the other demographics? (ex: What level of education?)

What time am I presenting (this matters … people are TIRED at 3 pm, so you’ll need to ENTERTAIN)?

Bonus questions you’ll need to ask:

Will there be a prompter?

Is there a podium?

If it’s a panel, what is the seating? (Bar stools, chairs, etc)

Stick mic or lavalier mic?

Remember, it’s not about what you want to talk about – rather, what your audience needs to hear.

Is fear stopping you from living life to its fullest?

Close your eyes and picture this:

You’re a kid again. You’re in the third grade, and you’ve been dreading this day for weeks. 

You don’t understand why people keep telling you to picture the audience in their underwear.

Your hand-written cue cards are stuffed in your pocket as you try to remember the words on the way to school. You’re resisting the urge to pull them out and read from them line by line. 

The thought of your classmates – all 30 or so eyeballs – staring at you when it’s your turn to speak has you considering developing a sudden, unexpected case of the flu. 

It was at that moment you unlocked a new fear – you were terrified of public speaking!

Did your stomach flip on you? Did your skin crawl? Some hated the spotlight then, and they still hate it now. 

I bet it’s stopped them from doing a lot of things. Whether it’s public speaking, heights, or creepy crawlies – fear prevents us from living life to the fullest.

This is true for women especially. 

I recently read a study out of Harvard. It suggested women avoid public speaking for fear of looking bad, sounding bad, appearing inexperienced, or not sounding confident.

It also suggested one of the number one things causing women to turn down speaking opportunities is the fear of appearing to grab too much attention.

I find this so interesting because, being a woman myself and having experienced this in my own career …

This is just a story we tell ourselves.

Now, in my mid to late 40s, I can attest this goes on in our heads in our 20s, 30s, and 40s. Our clients feel it in their 50s and 60s.

It’s hard to overcome the anxiety and fear of public speaking.⁠ Who wants to make a mistake and feel like they’ve failed?⁠

With more experience in front of people, we become more and more confident in taking on bigger opportunities.

As for my clients, they tend to reach out to me in their 40s. It’s at this point they realize:

• It’s time to say yes
• It’s time to go for that promotion 
• It’s time to go for that governance board
• It’s time to go for that presidential position
• It’s time to go for that conference talk

Don’t wait to take on those opportunities.⁠ Bet on yourself, and take that chance NOW. ⁠

You’re a rockstar.⁠

There’s no reason why you can’t bring that same confidence to webinars, stages, Zoom meetings, leading your team, the boardroom, investor pitches, media interviews, and job interviews.⁠

And we’re here to help.⁠

Did you know working on one skill will raise your value by 50%?

Many of our clients – leaders, Fortune 500 companies, doctors, CEOs, salespeople – hire our company to train them so they’re more confident when speaking to the media, in webinars, with their teams, with investors, the board, on stage, in job interviews, and with clients. ANY time they need to make a bigger impact.

Even Warren Buffett and Richard Branson talk about why it’s so important to communicate powerfully. 

When Buffett went to college, he avoided all classes requiring public speaking. He was terrified of it. When he graduated, he realized his fear was killing his ability to move up in his career.

He took a public speaking course after college and has since said, “My public speaking course was arguably the best investment I made in my life. You can improve your value by 50% just by learning communication skills.”

Richard Branson says, “Communication is the most important skill any leader can possess.” 

“Today, if you want to succeed as an entrepreneur, you also have to be a storyteller … It is not enough to create a great product; you also have to work out how to let people know about it.”

Knowing how to communicate with impact helps you motivate change, influence decisions, and form connections so you can get what you want out of life.

Great public speakers master the art of communication to influence and lead.

You must be able to effectively communicate with your boss, your colleagues, employees, customers, future customers, patients, donors, and investors. 

Leaders who inspire are trusted by their employees. Leaders with communication and public speaking skills have a much easier time influencing their coworkers. 

Plus, public speaking helps you increase your confidence level. If you can get up in front of a crowd, you can ask for a raise, inspire your employees, have more successful first dates, and even be more successful and happy at home! 

At our company, we’re committed to equipping individuals with the tools and techniques needed to excel in any speaking scenario, whether addressing one person or millions. By embracing and implementing these skills, you’ll not only enhance your value but also unleash your full potential to lead, inspire, and thrive in every facet of life.