Work & calls
How to Use a Teleprompter on Zoom, Google Meet and Teams Calls
How to read notes or a script on video calls without looking away: floating prompter overlays, webcam placement, and tips for pitches, webinars, and interviews.
In this guide
Pitches, webinars, sales demos, interviews and all-hands updates now happen over video. A teleprompter on a call lets you hit every point without staring down at notes. Here is how to set it up.
The core idea
Your eyes should stay as close to the webcam as possible while you read. Everything else follows from that.
On a laptop
- Position the prompter window right under the webcam, at the top-centre of your screen.
- Make it narrow, a short column of a few words per line, so your eyes do not travel.
- Move the call's video tiles away from the top centre so you are not distracted by faces.
- Raise the laptop so the camera is at eye level.
On a phone
If you join calls from your phone, the call app takes over the screen. That is where a floating overlay helps: a small prompter window that stays on top of the call.
Cue has an optional call overlay for this. You turn it on, grant Android's "display over other apps" permission when asked, and your script floats over the calling app. You can close and disable it any time. It supports the same delivery marks as the main presenter, so directions and notes behave the same way.
What to put in a call script
Calls are live, so full scripts can feel stiff. A good pattern:
- Opening line, word for word: "Thanks for making the time. In the next 20 minutes, I'll show you…"
- Section headings for each agenda item
- Key numbers and names spelled out
- Transitions: "That covers pricing. Let's look at onboarding."
- Closing line and next step, word for word
Cue Cards or short headings work better than dense paragraphs. See reading styles compared.
Use cases
Sales demos and pitches
Keep objection handling as sections you can jump to. In Cue, # headings create a jump list, so "Pricing objection" is one tap away.
Webinars
A full script for the intro and outro, headings for the middle, and Q&A notes as private // notes that never display.
Job interviews
Prepare your key stories as short prompts, not paragraphs. Recruiters notice reading. Glance, then talk. See video interview tips.
Team updates
For recurring updates, keep a template script and update the numbers each week. See async video updates.
Etiquette
- Using notes is normal and professional. Reading word for word through a whole conversation is not.
- Never read someone's words as your own without saying so.
- If you share your screen, share a specific window, not your whole desktop, so your prompter stays private.
Troubleshooting
| Issue | Fix |
|---|---|
| Eyes drifting down | Move the window up to sit under the webcam |
| Losing your place | Use headings and a sentence-at-a-time view |
| Sounding scripted | Replace paragraphs with short prompts |
| Prompter shows in screen share | Share a single app window instead |
Prepared words, delivered to the lens: that is how the most polished people on calls do it.
Frequently asked questions
Can people see my teleprompter on a video call?
No. A teleprompter window on your own screen is not visible to others unless you share that screen or window.
How do I read notes on Zoom without looking away?
Place a small, narrow prompter window directly below or beside your webcam so your eyes stay near the lens while reading.
Can I use a phone teleprompter during a call on the same phone?
On Android, some apps can float over other apps using the display-over-other-apps permission. Cue's optional call overlay does this, showing your script on top of the calling app.