BBC Richard Dimbleby lecture - teleprompting?

[Mixermend]

Along with many others I would guess, I really enjoyed the 2012 Richard Dimbleby lecture on BBC TV, this year given by Sir Paul Nurse on the wonders of science.

 

Sir Paul is a really good, naturally gifted speaker - but there was no sign, visible to me at least, of any type of prompting in use. With some lecturers and news readers, you can tell by their eye movements and where they are looking, that screens are in use - but not on this occasion.

 

So - how was this done, or is Sir Paul able to remember and deliver it from memory?

[ramdram]

It was a good lecture, slightly too long, possibly, (nd strayed into politics perhaps towards the end)?

 

My guess would be he had practised and practised (a la Cicero bouncing his speeches against Tiro) until he was certain of his delivery, which was for the most part faultless.

[Simon Lewis]

If you deliver the same sort of talk on a regular basis it is relatively easy to speak without a script or prompt. I have come across inspirational talkers and church preachers who have nothing more than a card with six bullet points on.

 

Even I can talk for a "little while" without notes;-)

[kerry davies]

Did the man use any sort of projection? If so it becomes relatively easy having your "bullet points" in the form of pictures as prompts. Any demonstration objects work the same and as Simon says, practise makes perfect.

 

Lecturing, like preaching, is just another element of performance and actors remember huge pieces of work precisely. Lecturing has an advantage in that it allows diversion and ad libbery to suit each "audience" and some people just find it easy.

 

Sir Paul may not be at all naturally gifted but he has an advantage over some. He has been lecturing in a subject he is passionate about at world class level for at least 25 years, you can't beat experience.

[stevefez]

you can't beat experience.

You definitely can't. As someone whose day job means they interact occasionally with Sir Paul, I can assure you, he has plenty of that.

I didn't see the particular lecture, but if memory serves, he usually lectures from very basic notes anyway. It wouldn't surprise me at all if he only used his powerpoint/slides as cues/prompts.