How to Use PowerPoint as a Teleprompter

Delivering speeches or presentations can be a daunting task, particularly when you’re faced with the challenge of remembering every word. Well, there’s a solution that can help you appear confident and well-prepared – using PowerPoint as a teleprompter. PowerPoint, a tool primarily designed for creating presentations, can also serve as a handy teleprompter to guide you through your speech. In this guide, we’ll show you how to set up and use PowerPoint effectively for this purpose. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the process of using PowerPoint as a teleprompter, making your presentations smoother and stress-free.

Using Teleprompter View in PowerPoint

PowerPoint offers a Teleprompter View that can be handy when recording or playing back presentations. This feature allows you to view speaker notes alongside your presentation slides, while the audience display only shows the slides.

Teleprompter View is particularly helpful when your slides contain minimal text. If your slides are text-heavy, you may need to manually scroll through the notes or make adjustments to the font size. Here is how to use this feature in PowerPoint:

1. Open your PowerPoint presentation. If not already done, add speaker notes to your slides where you want the script to appear.

2. Select the Record menu, and click the From Beginning button to commence your presentation from the start.

3. In the bottom right corner, click the Views button. Choose Teleprompter.

Now, you’ll see your speaker notes above your presentation slides, creating a teleprompter effect.

If your notes are too lengthy, you’ll need to manage them manually by scrolling, adjusting the text size, or splitting the content across multiple slides. You can duplicate a slide and add a portion of the text to each, giving the appearance of a seamless transition as you move from one slide to the next.

Creating an Automatic Teleprompter in PowerPoint

While Teleprompter View in PowerPoint is useful for presentations with minimal text, it may not be the best choice for extensive scripts. If you want a teleprompter that automatically scrolls through the entire text without manual interaction, you can create one using PowerPoint animations.

Here’s how you can set up an automatic teleprompter in PowerPoint:

1. Begin by creating a new blank PowerPoint presentation.
2. Delete the subtitle section.
3. Click within the Click To Add Title section and type or paste your script.
4. Ensure the text aligns to the top if you initially see the bottom of your text.
5. Resize the text box to almost the full width of your slide by dragging the drag handles on both sides.
6. Change the font color to white and the background color to black for better readability.
7. Click the text box and head to the Animations menu.
8. Choose Add Animation and select Lines under Motion Paths.
9. Click Effect Options and choose Up.
10. To see your entire script scroll, use the Preview button.
11. Access the Animation Pane through the Animation menu.
12. Select the animation listed in the Animation Pane.
13. Drag the small red dot at the top of the animation icon upwards to ensure your entire text scrolls from top to bottom.
14. Right-click the animation in the Animation Pane, choose Effect Options, and set Smooth Start and Smooth End to zero for consistent scrolling.
15. Adjust the scrolling speed by changing the Duration in the Animation ribbon. A higher duration means slower scrolling, so experiment to find the optimal speed.

You might need to increase the font size for better visibility, especially if you’ll be standing at a distance from the screen. In this case, adjust the Duration accordingly.

With your PowerPoint teleprompter ready, you’ll be able to read your script smoothly and confidently.

Conclusion

PowerPoint can be a game-changer when used as a teleprompter for your presentations or speeches. It provides you with the necessary support to deliver your content confidently and maintain better eye contact with your audience. By following the steps we’ve outlined, you can harness the power of this familiar software to enhance your public speaking skills and captivate your audience. So, the next time you step up to speak, consider using PowerPoint as your trusty teleprompter.