Lecture mode vs. interactive teleseminars? Which one works best?

When I first started doing teleseminars to attract clients, I would do live calls with everyone on the line being able to ask me questions. My first boot camps were structured the same way as well. This worked fine when the groups were relatively small.

Background Noise is Disruptive.
What I noticed over time was, inevitably, there would be noise in the background that was very distracting. You’d hear a dog barking, a baby crying, someone washing dishes or watching TV. On occasion, one person who didn’t realize they were live on the call would answer a cell phone and you would hear the entire conversation. People didn’t realize that everyone on the call could hear everything going on.

The level of frustration as a presenter when this happens is very high. After all, you want to share all your knowledge and wisdom which is why you set up the teleseminar in the first place right? So when there are six people on the call, it’s not such a problem. But when you have 120 or 1200 and you cannot control the noise, it becomes frustrating and unworkable for everyone.

Logistically, an Open Call Is Hard to Manage.
So, even though in my heart I would love to open up the calls and have everyone join the discussion, logistically it just doesn’t work. Earlier on I would ask people to please mute themselves but surprisingly, people just don’t seem to follow these instructions and requests.

That’s why I shifted to lecture mode where the line is muted for the callers and everyone can hear me. And that’s what I recommend to my students as well. It’s just easier to put everyone on mute yourself with lecture mode to make sure all the information gets delivered clearly and without interruptions.

Open the Line for Questions.
If you really want the interaction and feel it’s essential to the learning experience, here’s another option. Mute the line while you are presenting information, then open the line for a brief question period before going back on mute. You can do this periodically throughout the teleseminar or hold all questions until the end of the call.

Your Client Attraction Assignment:

If you are holding open calls to attract clients, consider the benefits of lecture mode. It makes for a better learning experience and a better quality recording that you can sell later. To take questions, let people know when that will be possible during the call and then open the line. This way, you maintain control. Sometimes you may need to mute the call again as you answer a question because the noise level makes it too difficult to be heard otherwise.