## Hook
[[Look straight into the lens. Smile before the first word.]]
Most people lose eye contact the moment they start reading. Here's how to read a script and still look like you're talking to one person.

## Why it matters
Viewers decide in a few seconds whether you're talking to them or reading at them. When your eyes drift to notes below the camera, it shows, even on a small screen.

## Point one: put the words under the lens
Move your script as close to the camera as you can. A narrow strip right under the lens keeps your eyes within a couple of degrees of it, and that reads as eye contact. On a laptop, that means the top centre of the screen. On a phone, it means the top edge, right next to the front camera.

## Point two: keep the lines short
Short lines mean your eyes barely travel. Five to eight words per line is plenty. If you catch yourself scanning side to side, make the column narrower. Bigger text helps too, because you can sit back and still read comfortably.

## Point three: slow down a little
Set the scroll slightly slower than feels natural. A short pause between ideas sounds confident, not hesitant. Mark your pauses in the script, and rehearse once out loud before you record. [[Pause here.]]

## A quick checklist
Before you press record, check three things. Is the camera at eye level? Is your face lit from the front? Is the script right under the lens, in short lines, moving slightly slower than you speak? If all three are yes, you're set.

## Proof
Text two centimetres under the lens, read from about sixty-five centimetres away, puts your gaze less than two degrees off camera. Nobody can see that.

## Call to action
Paste this script into a teleprompter, put it under your camera and record a ten-second test. Watch it back, adjust the speed, and you're ready.