How to Use Comfort Monitors to Enhance Your Presentations

Comfort monitors - a fantastic tool when giving large-group presentations - can make you look prepared as a speaker, while literally putting your mind at ease.What is a comfort monitor? A comfort monitor is a video display that a presenter can easily read from, typically from a stage. Unlike a traditional podium teleprompter, one or more flat screen monitors are positioned at the foot of the stage, mostly hidden from the audience’s view. The positioning and angle permits the speaker to take easy glances at their slides or talking points, while being able to maintain strong eye contact with the audience.As an audience member, you’ve probably seen comfort monitors on the floor, near the stage, typically covered in a black drape to keep them more hidden from view and to hide the wires, thereby making the environment aesthetically pleasing.Politicians often use teleprompters, as you can see in this image of President Obama:However, comfort monitors can be more effective for engaging with your audience. Who uses comfort monitors? Comfort monitors are frequently utilized on TED Talks, as you can see in this screenshot of Amy Cuddy’s TED Talk on Body Language below:CEOs, business heads, speakers at corporate conferences or industry events, and anyone moderating a panel or hosting an important company town hall will find comfort monitors to be an essential component of a successful public speaking engagement.When are comfort monitors appropriate? Many speakers enjoy the freedom to move around on a stage. Business leaders are recognizing the need to be more interactive with audiences, and many discerning audiences are looking for signs of leadership though relaxed on-stage presence. Podiums are still appropriate for many formal events, but for other situations, staying locked behind a podium can signal too much rigidity.This when a comfort monitor comes into play.  You can see an exact representation of what your audience is seeing (no need to turn your back to the audience to check that you are on the correct slide), or, you can set up your PowerPoint to help you in other ways. You will be able to put much more of your attention on the quality of the delivery of your message and connecting with your audience.