Abstract: An automatic prompter uses a script written on a paper-supply roll that is fed across a reading region and coiled in a takeup roll, and a motor drives the feed mechanism in pace with the speaker reading the script. A microphone picks up the speaker's speech, and electronic circuitry amplifies the speech and detects the portion of the speech that exceeds a threshold. Switching circuitry energizes the motor whenever the speech is above the threshold and de-energizes the motor whenever the speech is not above the threshold. The drive train, including the motor and the feed roller, has mechanical inertia that cooperates with the switching circuitry so that the motor increases speed during energization up to a maximum limit and decreases speed after de-energization to provide an average speed as a function of the portion of the total time of a given interval that the energization occurs.