So you want to film yourself or one of your staff team perhaps and you know the topic and have a good idea of what to say - great! The question is do you adlib or do you take the time to script it and maybe use a teleprompter or even learn your lines?

Well let me tell you why, for most people, adlibbing is a bad idea.

Energy Drop

Having filmed hundreds of people delivering pieces to camera, let me tell you that energy subsides quickly and that's bad as it's really obvious to the viewer.

If you're adlibbing, unless you really know thoroughly what you're going to say, you're likely to have to do a few takes.

The trouble is, the more takes you do, the less energy and enthusiasm you'll have!

The best take might contain the most mistakes but it's probably your best take in terms of how lively you come across.

With a script and a teleprompter and a little bit of pre-recording rehearsal you'll nail that take much sooner.

That's the first reason, but there's more!

Waffle Waffle Waffle!

The second reason I prefer scripting is that adlibbing often leads to waffling and getting off topic. It's not news that social media videos in particular have to be REALLY short and punchy if you're going to keep your audience engaged. We watch the attrition rate on the YouTube stats and it's shocking how quickly people click off (more on how to fix that in another blog). If you haven't grabbed them by the short and curlies within 7-10 seconds you might as well forget the whole thing.

Scripting forces you to map out what you're going to say and how you're going to say it in the most concise way possible. Most word processors like Microsoft Word show you a word count so if you type your script up in Word you can keep a track of how long your clip will be. As a rough guide people speak between 125 and 135 words per minute so just divide your word count by say 130 if you speak at an average speed and that's your clip length in minutes (assuming no extra clips are being added). Simples!

Emphasis

Another thing you can do is add emphasis to certain words in the script and either put them in capitals, or if you're teleprompter will display it, put them in bold.

Before you start filming, read the script out loud and work out which words you want to lean on and highlight them.

Nervous Delivery

But wait, there's even more! Scripting also reduces the nerves and helps you stay focussed on the task of good delivery. If you're only 90% sure of what you're going to say, that final 10% might well cause you stress and that will be written all over your face! With a script you can relax in that you don't have to worry about what you're going to say and focus on your performance (more on that in another blog).

Control the Pace

Finally a teleprompter can help you with pace. As soon as mr cameraman hits the record button, adrenaline will start pumping and before you know it you're rushing your lines and it's coming out as a garbled mess and you're viewer is being barraged with information! A teleprompter can help with that as you can set the speed at which the teleprompter scrolls. Aditionally you can add spaces, paragraph breaks etc which will show you where to add pauses, giving your listener time to process and you the opportunity to add dramatic effect!

The Challenges of using a Teleprompter

So that's the reasons for scripting but there are some draw backs - all of which can be overcome.

Firstly, when we read we often have a very concentrated expression. We frown and we stare at the words and our face looks anything but relaxed. Now you can fix that by firstly being aware of it and asking the camera man to point it out and secondly by reading your script out loud a few times before you hit record. That way you won't need to concentrate quite so hard because you know what's coming up and you'll have some energy left to fix your facial expressions!

The second challenge is that we can appear very wooden. Again this is because we are concentrating and also because we can't wander around so easily (unless the camera is on a dolly and can be wheeled around). So what can you do? Well the first thing is to fidget your head from side to side a little as you talk. Newsreaders are masters at this. You can hardly tell they are reading from a teleprompter because they've learned the art of how to relax their neck and alter their head position. Secondly talk with your hands. If it's a head an shoulders shot (check with the cameraman) then you might have to bring your hands up to your chest area, and that will feel a bit un-natural but do it anyway because it doesn't look awkward on screen. Thirdly, if you've built in some pauses, look up and to the side, as if you're thinking or if it's an emotional point look down and to the side. That will take practice because we do it instinctively, but it does make you seem more human to the viewer if you get it right!

Or... maybe you're really good at adlibing?

I have one client who is a business coach and ex-teacher and he really has the gift of the gab. He comes into our studio and in less than two hours he's rattled of 15-20 video clips and most of them are first or second take. His notes fit onto one side of A4 - for the whole session! Now his delivery isn't perfect, there's the odd mistake, but he's relaxed about it and that actually can be a good thing. If like me you're a perfectionist then the challenge you'll have is you'll never put anything out or it will be really infrequent because you're too self conscious about making mistakes and what people think. The truth is the viewers will be way more chilled about a few errs and ums than you are and the risk is you will be harming your marketing efforts by not getting your content out often enough. Marketing is very definitely about quantity as well as quality - especially in this age of social media. So, if you are used to public speaking or maybe you're in a sales role and talk a lot about your subject, you maybe able to dis-regard what I've said and adlib after all!