Discussion: Do you script your content? When is it right or wrong? Share your thoughts for $5!

When it comes to my content, most of it involves publications, so there's no need for extemporaneous speaking as in a live show. However, I do conduct a lot of interviews, which involve live interaction. In these cases, maintaining eye contact is crucial for professionalism, so there’s no room for reading from a notebook.

I don’t see a big difference in approach between publications and public speaking during presentations, announcements, or business meetings. In both scenarios, everything starts with a plan. I determine (if possible) the topic, audience, and core ideas, that shape my overall strategy. Then, I create a structure like a skeleton, mapping out the key ideas I want to convey and the techniques I will use to do so.

If it's written content, I can leisurely flesh out this 'skeleton,' taking the time to refine and revise. However, for public speeches, I usually stop at that framing stage. While I might mentally form key sentences or note down a highlight or joke, I never write down the entire speech.

Here’s why: those who script everything in detail often become 'text slaves.' Their delivery becomes too scripted, lacking the flexibility to adapt or improvise. It’s usually quite obvious when someone is reading from a script, no matter how well they try to hide it.

In summary, it's best to have an agenda and a clear understanding of what you want to convey and in what order. Let the finer details come naturally in the moment, guided by the muse of spontaneity. Your passion and knowledge of specific topics will be noticeable to the audience, which you can use to build trust and engagement with your viewers.

Bonus tip for streamers: If you want to discuss a specific topic, you can subtly guide your audience to ask related questions, or use an alternate account to trigger the conversation yourself. This is why co-streaming/guests are so great asset to your content. This way, you can smoothly transition into discussing your chosen topic for an extended period.

There is certainly a time and place for impromptu vs. scripted content, but I am a firm believer in the first few seconds of a video making or breaking the average viewer's willingness to view all, or at least the majority of what you've published. With that in mind, I always script the intro with a strong, energetic thesis statement and editorial promise, regardless of whether or not the remainder of the video is scripted. For just about any type of content, the intro is key to nail.

The best way to avoid what you've scripted feeling stiff is to write it in your voice. Finding your voice as a writer can take time, especially considering most people have different "text" voices to their speaking voices. But, once you've found it, scripts can only be a positive addition.

That being said, I've never scripted a livestream. The closest I've come is thinking ahead of time how I would set the mood for the reading of a horror story as I activated the various ambient sounds. I believe people tune into livestreams to see your off-the-cuff personality.

As a Talent Manager behind some large channels, scripting can be a huge help, and it can be a huge hindrance too.

I find sometimes it can be better to bullet point your key beats and then flow naturally into the conversation, you retain your normal speaking voice instead of the awkward reading voice many have. This creates authentic VO and retains those key beats.

However, scripting can be very useful when you are delivering the perfect beats and tone when you have something you have to say in a specific way, be that an ad read or facts in a documentary and you need to sound authoritative and precise.

Without a script you can say whatever you like, however you like, and it can often be the right way to go for an informal and relaxed feel, or if you know your stuff it can demonstrate that with the natural tone your audience loves

TLDR: It's all about what you are making, the tone and the formality.

Scripting content can work really well for productions that need a set structure to them like youtube videos- whether in the form of news-like videos, condensed livestream highlights, reviews etc. It looks organised and keeps all essential information structured and in one place to make it easy to digest. Livestreaming, which is what I primarily focus on, is basically impossible to script. One could attempt to plan out how much progress they wish to make in a game on that day but what is said and how things are accomplished cannot be controlled to that degree. Sometimes some of the best things that a streamer says or does are just in the moment reactions. I also think, for me doing the other entertainment work that I do, being able to improvise and still make engaging and fun content is a skill that you either have or you don't. Over-scripting can feel fake and patronising but no script and no ability to improv makes for awkward and uninteresting content. But every content creator works differently and wants to present themselves differently, it's all about figuring out who you want to be and how you want to show that off, then utilising the correct tools to do so.

Zero script, zero planning - warts and all!

Jokes aside - pretty much 95% of what I do is based on the outcome of a situation, and / or reacting to a situation - I am in a fleet with up to 30 people shooting spaceships, reacting to an ever changing situation. Having a script just is not possible.

The only time there is any degree of a script is closing the stream down, and or wrapping up for an evening. This is fairly rigid.

Overall, i think scripting is bad, as it removes any degree of spontaneity and real life reaction to situations as they arrive. That is when content creation becomes truly important!