A stage gives a presenter an audience to play to. A camera gives them a black circle. The energy they'd naturally draw from a room has to be manufactured, and the technique — eyeline, framing, pace — is different from live presenting. Most of it can be taught in a 20-minute session before the show.
Eyeline: talk to the lens
The viewer is in the lens. A presenter who looks at the floor manager, the monitor or the room is, to the stream, looking away from every single viewer. Put a small mark on the camera, or a face-shaped sticker, and tell them to talk to that person. For hybrid events, agree the split: the presenter addresses the room for the room's moments and the lens for the stream's — and the gallery cuts accordingly.
Framing and movement
Presenters who wander drift out of frame and out of the lit area. Mark the floor: a spot for the opening, a spot for the screen, and the limits. Explain the shot sizes so they know when a gesture is in frame and when it isn't. Standing beats sitting for energy; leaning slightly forward reads as engagement.
Teleprompters
A teleprompter lets a presenter deliver a script to the lens without losing eyeline. It needs a script formatted for it (short lines, no dense paragraphs), an operator who follows the presenter's pace rather than forcing it, and a rehearsal — reading a prompter naturally is a skill. For executives who won't rehearse, bullet-point prompts on a confidence monitor beneath the lens are often better than a full script.
Energy and pace
Cameras drain energy; a delivery that feels slightly over the top to the presenter usually looks right on screen. Pace slower than conversation, pause after key points (the cut to the graphic needs a beat), and smile before the first word. Ask them to imagine one specific person watching on a laptop — it changes the delivery more than any other note.
Wardrobe
Solid mid-tones; no fine stripes, checks or tight patterns (moiré); nothing the same colour as the set; nothing pure white or pure black if it can be helped; no green in a green-screen studio. Matte fabrics. Remove lanyards and rattling jewellery — lav mics hear everything. Bring a spare shirt for a long day.
Cues from the floor
Agree a small set of signals with the floor manager: "you're on", "wrap up" (a rolling hand), "cut" (a flat hand), and the count into a VT. Tell presenters what will happen if a remote guest drops or the prompter fails — a presenter who knows the plan stays calm; one who doesn't improvises badly.
The 20-minute prep session
- Show them the shot on a monitor so they know what the viewer sees.
- Mark the eyeline and the floor positions.
- Run the first 60 seconds twice, with notes on pace and energy.
- Practise the handovers: to a VT, to a remote guest, to Q&A.
- Explain the failure plan and the cues.
Every presenter, however senior, benefits from the 20 minutes. The ones who "don't need it" are the ones who most do.