When Should You Stick to the Script and When Should You Ad-Lib?
Apr 04, 2023
Use the script as an outline, not a cage. Read it for the points you have to land, then come off it deliberately for the lines that need warmth. The skill is the handover: knowing where you are in the script before you leave it, so you can walk straight back in.
In episode 145 of the Video Confidence Collective, Chris Schwager works through five things that go wrong when a presenter tries to do both at once. None of them is a reading problem. All five are handover problems.
"How do you strike a balance between reading from a prompter and ad-libbing? It's trying to do the dance of the tango, like with two left feet." - Chris Schwager
When should you follow the script, and when should you come off it?
Each mode buys you something and costs you something, and the trade is worth naming before you pick.
Reading covers every point you have to make and keeps you on topic. The cost is that you can come across robotic or insincere if you add no personality or warmth. Speaking freely does the opposite: it connects you directly with the audience, lets your own personality in, and gives people the version of you that makes mistakes. Chris calls that a vulnerable style of presentation that is often overlooked, and he is right that audiences accept it. The cost is losing the thread, because without a solid plan or a message in place there is nothing to come back to.
So the answer is neither one on its own. Use the script as an outline and a guide, and leave room inside it for the spontaneity that keeps people watching.
The third failure in the episode is what happens when that balance tips too far towards reading: the presenter gets so focused on getting every word perfect that they stop engaging and stop making eye contact. That is a setup problem more than a delivery problem, and it has its own answer - how to use a teleprompter without sounding like you are reading.
How do you find your place again after you go off script?
This is the first problem Chris names, and it is the most common one. A presenter is reading, decides to ad lib a joke, lands it, and then has to stop and hunt for the line they left. The pause is what the audience notices, not the joke.
His fix is unglamorous: practise the switch itself. Move between scripted material and ad-libbed comments on purpose, and know where you are in the script at all times, so you can come back and pick up from exactly where you left off. The ad lib is not the risky part. Leaving without a bookmark is.
He also does it live in the episode and flags himself doing it, which is the honest version of this advice - he has the reps, so he leaves the script whenever he likes and gets back in.
Why does an off-the-cuff line sometimes land badly?
Because it does not belong to the message it landed in. Chris's example is deliberately silly: the topic is a sensitive, serious matter and you ad lib that you like the new shoe. The line itself is harmless. The clash between the line and the topic is what creates the disconnect, and the audience reads the whole thing as forced.
The fix is to integrate the aside into the scripted message rather than dropping it on top. He models it in the episode by acknowledging the weight of the topic first, then bridging into a time he faced something similar and had to make some tough decisions. Same aside, now carrying empathy, and it reads as sincere because it is connected to what came before it.
If the problem is not the aside but the read itself - the moment you look down at words and stop sounding like a person - watch a nervous speaker transform their on-camera confidence across four takes on stage.
How do you go off script without losing the main message?
Set the boundary before you record, not mid-take. The failure Chris describes is an ad lib that leads you down a rabbit hole until the point of the video has gone, and he catches himself doing exactly that on air.
The test he uses at Ridge is the controlling idea. He says he continually reminds the writer what the controlling idea is, and the job from there is sticking to it. Write it down before you turn the camera on, in one sentence. Any tangent that serves it is allowed. Any tangent that does not is a cut, however good it felt at the time.
Why can't you judge your own delivery on your own?
The fifth problem is nerves, and Chris's read on it is the sharpest thing in the episode. Practising alone gives you the convenience of stopping, starting and trying to perfect it, and he thinks that convenience is part of why people fail at this. They get into a vicious circle and never come out of it, because they are not the best judge of their own performance and not objective enough to call what actually matters to an audience.
The standard advice still applies - deep breathing, visualisation, rehearsing the presentation enough times to be familiar with the material. Chris cites Anthony Robbins on repetition being the mother of skill and says he believes it to a degree. What he does not believe is that reps alone get you there.
"I have never seen anyone get particularly better fast by rehearsing in front of a mirror." - Chris Schwager
His alternative is someone watching the take. He says he moves people through on-camera training in 90 minutes and they come out the other side like diamonds, because it is one-on-one. Rehearsal without the tools, in his words, is running blind. If you want the structured version of that, the pillar page on how to get confident on camera sets out how the coaching runs. And if what keeps giving you away is how quickly you move through the words, that is a separate decision with its own answer - pick up the teleprompter pacing trick that keeps viewers hooked.
Frequently asked questions
Should I write a full script or just bullet points?
Both work, and the choice is about what the video has to do. Where every word matters, a price, a claim, a compliance line, write it out and read it. Where you are explaining something you know cold, points are enough and the delivery will be warmer for it. What breaks people is choosing one and then abandoning it halfway through the take.
Won't ad-libbing make me look unprofessional?
Usually the opposite. Chris's point in this episode is that audiences accept mistakes, and a presenter who lets a bit of themselves through reads as more credible than a flawless read. What looks unprofessional is a tangent nobody asked for, or an aside that clashes with a serious topic. The line is relevance, not polish.
Can I just do more takes until I get one clean run?
You can, and it is the most expensive way to fix this. Takes with no feedback often get worse rather than better, because you are correcting against your own judgement of your own performance, which is the exact thing the episode says you cannot trust. It is also the most common way a video never gets published at all.
Do I actually need a coach for this, or can I work it out myself?
You can work it out. The question is how long it takes and whether you can see what you are doing wrong while you are doing it. That is the specific gap Chris names: you are not objective about your own delivery. Someone watching the take can correct the thing you cannot hear yourself doing.
Listen to the episode
Transcript
Read the full transcript
Chris Schwager:
How do you strike a balance between reading from a prompter and ad-libbing? It's trying to do the dance of the tango, like with two left feet. But let me tell you, finding that sweet spot can make all the difference in captivating your audience. So let's dive in and figure out how to avoid losing your place in the script. How to sound less like a robot. And ultimately how to make ad-libbing feel like second nature. I'm your host, Chris Schwager.
[00:00:28] So why do you need to mix teleprompter with reading, uh, ad-libs? Sorry, te teleprompter reading with ad-libs. Well, presenting by reading from a teleprompter. You get the advantage of covering all the necessary points staying on topic.
[00:00:43] But the flip side is that you may come across as you know, robotic insincere if you don't add some personality and warmth to your delivery. On the other hand, presenting by ad-libbing oh, allows you to connect more directly with your audience and inject your own personality. You know, you get this authentic, uh, view of yourself.
[00:01:04] You know, you make mistakes and people accept those mistakes, and that's a really nice thing to be vulnerable Style of presentation that that is often overlooked. However, you may struggle to stay on topic, uh, if you're reading the necessary points, if you don't have a solid plan or a script or in place or a message in place.
[00:01:23] These are things that can very much slow you down. Ideally, a good presentation will strike a balance between the two approaches and you use a script and as an outline, as a guide, which will allow room for spontaneity, adlibbing to keep the audience engaged and interested. Here are some common problems people make when attempting to do both.
[00:01:43] Well, one losing track of the script. Now I'm doing a bit of both here at the moment. Look, a presenter is reading from a teleprompter and tries to ad lib a joke, but then loses their place in the script and has to pause to find their spot. So here's a tip. Avoid losing track. Uh, presenters should practice switching seamlessly between scripted material and ad-libbing comments unless you are me and you'll do whatever the hell you like. Uh, and beware of where they, they are in the script at all times so that you can come back to your script and pick up from where you left off.
[00:02:19] Two coming across as insincere or natural. A presenter tries to ad lib, a personal, uh, antidote to connect with the audience, but it feels forced and it doesn't fit well with the scripted message.
[00:02:35] Like let's just say the topic is, uh, sensitive and serious matter, and then you ad lib that you like the new shoe. That you like the new shoe. What the hell does that mean? Christine . This immediately creates a disconnect to the topic and feels forced trying to insert personality, right? Don't try and be a dick right bottom line.
[00:03:02] To avoid this, presenters should practice integrating ad-libbing comments into the scripted message in a way that feels natural and authentic. For example, the presenter could say something like, I know this topic can be heavy, but it's important to talk about it. You know, in fact, it remains, uh, reminds me rather of a time when I was dealing with a similar situation and I had to make some tough decisions, right? So there's a bit of empathy projected in that statement. This approach acknowledges the seriousness of the topic, while also connecting with the audience on a personal level, making the ad lib feel more natural and sincere.
[00:03:43] Three over reliance on the teleprompter. A presenter is so focused on reading from the teleprompter and getting all the words perfect that they forget to engage with the audience or make eye contact. Now, if you're watching the YouTube channel right now, you should be aware, I'm actually got glasses on cuz my eyes are terribly bloodshot. So understanding the eye contact, and I always go on about the importance of eye contact in sales and marketing, anything video in this particular example or in this particular show, I'd rather keep my sunglasses on and avoid grossing you out with my terribly bloodshot eyes.
[00:04:24] Look, to avoid this, presenter should practice using the teleprompter as a guide rather than a crutch, and make a conscious effort to connect with the audience and maintain eye contact.
[00:04:34] I believe that's a good tip. I also think that if you have a word-perfect script that you need to get accurate. Then there are ways through our on camera training that you're able to do that and to make sure that you are nailing every single word and delivering it in a way that comes across real.
[00:04:52] Number four, going off on tangents just like I did then, or losing sight of the main message. A presenter ad libs a comment that leads them down a rabbit hole, causing them to lose sight of the main message of the presentation. You know, continually remind Christine, our writer, what is the controlling idea? Okay. And making sure that we stick to that. Okay? The tip here is to avoid this. Presenters should practice staying focused on the main message, while also allowing for some flexibility to incorporate adlibbing and, uh, ad lib comments.
[00:05:24] For nervousness or anxiety. Like who isn't nervous, right? When you're starting out and presenting on camera. Presenter becomes overwhelmed and freezes up when trying to ad lib or read from a teleprompter. Look, I think they have the convenience when they are ad-libbing because possibly they're doing it on their own to stop, start and try and perfect it. And I think that is part of the reason why people fail at this, is cuz they get into a vicious circle and never come out of it because they are not the best judge of their performance and they are not subjective enough to call the shots as to what is, or what is not, um, important to the audience and what, you know, basically unpacking a little bit about the personality through their vulnerability. Um, you know, people typically aren't good at that, you know, they get caught up in making sure that they are, uh, accurate with their message. Um, and that really does become quite contrived when they try to deliver it.
[00:06:23] To manage nerves and anxiety, presenters should practice relaxation techniques such as deep breathing visualization exercises, or seeking support from a colleague or coach. They should also rehearse the presentation multiple times to build confidence and familiarity with the material.
[00:06:39] Look, there's no better way to get this done quickly than to hire a video coach to do it for you. I mean, I'm ripping through on camera training in 90 minutes. People are coming out like diamonds on the other side, and it's because they have one-on-one video coaching to be able to do that. So look, I have never seen anyone get particularly better fast by rehearsing in front of a mirror. I don't advise it on people that go through on camera training, you know, because in some respect there's a possibility that they'll unwind or unravel or de uh, sort of, you know, get worse effectively. Um, not necessarily get better. Now, this is true. I'm not gonna be set the rule for this, but it's just what I've experienced, what I've noticed. People go through intensive video coaching to get good at presenting on camera. Then they've got the, the, the right amount of skills to be able to do it.
[00:07:38] They've got the tool belt, they know the methodology behind it. And you know, when you are trying to relax and manage your anxiety and get better and try and rehearse multiple times and all that sort of stuff, you just don't have the tools. Like, you know, you, you're running blind. Rehearsal's fine. It was Anthony Robbins was saying, um, you know, repetition is the mother of skill and I believe that to a certain degree, but if you have an opportunity to get somebody to really accelerate this for you, then you are going to smash it and you're gonna get over all of those hur, uh, those nerve hurdles quickly and get straight into it. Right? There you have it.
[00:08:21] Striking imbalance between teleprompter reading. Ad libbing is an art form. Takes time practice to, to do it perfectly as I just did then, you know, but with these tips, you can avoid common pitfalls and captivate your audience with a natural and engaging presentation. If you are struggling to present on camera, you know you are kind of at a loss to balance reading off a teleprompter and ad-libbing. Look, our team of experts is here to help. We offer personalized video coaching and guidance to help you create a video that will resonate with your audience, and that's what this is all about.
[00:08:53] Contact us today to learn more and don't forget to subscribe to our channel for more valuable video made simple ideas. Thanks for listening. That's all for this episode, and see you next week.
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