How to use a Word document or Google Doc as a teleprompter script on a Mac

A word processor is built for printing and editing, not for reading from two metres away while you look at a lens. Small fonts, long paragraphs, comments in the margin and tracked changes all get in the way once the text is on a prompter.

• Long paragraphs hide where one sentence ends and the next begins.
• Comments, tracked changes and footnotes are not part of what you say.
• Stage directions such as “(smile)” or “[pause]” look like script text unless you mark them.

In Google Docs, use File, then Download, and choose Microsoft Word (.docx) or Plain text (.txt). In Word, save a copy as .docx or as plain text. In Pages, File, then Export To, offers Word and Plain Text. The exact menu names can differ between app versions.

Plain text is the safest choice when you only need the words. A .docx keeps your headings, which helps if you want sections.

1. 1Remove comments, suggestions and anything you do not say aloud.
2. 2Split long paragraphs into short spoken sentences, one idea per line.
3. 3Write numbers and names the way you say them, for example “twenty twenty-six”, if you stumble on them.
4. 4Put each stage direction on its own line and decide whether it is a note to yourself or a section marker (see below).

Sections let you jump to a part of a long script without scrolling through the rest, and they show how the script is built. In Word and Google Docs, apply a Heading or Title style to the lines that start a new part. Keep the headings short.

A heading is a label, not something you read aloud, so do not put spoken words in it.

Open the script on the prompter and read the first few lines out loud at your normal pace. Look for stray symbols, missing line breaks and notes that ended up in the text. Fix them in the script, not on the fly.

A quick word count tells you how long it will take. Most people speak at about 130 to 160 words a minute, so a 600-word script runs roughly four minutes.

Talkzy for Mac is a script bar that hangs from the MacBook’s notch, or sits top-centre on a display without one, and stays above Zoom, Meet or Keynote. It is on the Mac App Store for macOS 14 or later.

• Import a .txt, .md, .rtf or .docx file with Import in the Library or Command-O, or paste the text into a new script. You can choose several files at once, and each one becomes its own script named after the file.
• From a .docx, Talkzy reads the text of each paragraph. A paragraph styled as a Heading or Title becomes a line starting with # (a section), which is Talkzy’s section syntax. Comments, images and page layout are not carried over.
• Markdown marks such as **bold**, backticks and links are removed so only the words remain.
• A line that starts with # is a section, and so is a line that is only a word or phrase in [square brackets]. If you write “[pause]” on its own line, Talkzy will treat it as a section named “pause”, so write directions inside the sentence or leave them out.
• The section hotkeys are free. The section chips on the bar are part of Talkzy Pro.

The iPhone and iPad app is coming soon to the App Store.