Everything You Need to Know to Host a Teleconference

If you want a way to interact with people all over the world without leaving your office, hosting a teleconference is a superb solution. Teleseminar classes are an exciting way to bring people together in a learning environment without having to spend the big bucks on airfare, hotel, or a venue. You can choose to have free teleseminars that give you a way to promote your product, service, or affiliate, or paid ones to make money. You can also use your teleconference classes to continue making money by selling them after the fact. Paid teleseminars are a great way to make money by presenting valuable information for eager participants.

So what exactly is a teleseminar? A teleseminar, also called a teleclass, is basically a live conference call where an audience of listeners can in and either listen passively on the line, or interact with you and ask live questions. The beauty of hosting a teleseminar class is that not only can you reach many kinds of people, but also they are an exciting way to interact in a learning environment. Not only will you get a lot of the call, your participants will learn from both yourself and each other.

There are a few teleseminar secrets you'll want to know to have a successful class. These steps can take you from creating your sessions to what to when the class is over. Read on to learn how make the most out of your teleclass:

Promoting Your Class

Besides the obvious option of listing your teleseminar classes on your website and in emails, you can use class directories to promote your sessions. One example is called www.planetteleclass.com, which is a great way to let people know about you and let listeners register for the class. Planet Teleclass is free and allows users to post a photo and class description on their website, as well as a bio. You'll also want to decide if your class will be free or paid and how you'll be taking those payments.

Before the Class

When you host a teleconference, there are a few things you'll need to do to be successful. This includes having in place a reliable calling provider, willing participants, and the ability to convey information and interact with the group over a phone call. A speakerphone might be helpful both for yourself and for participants if notes are to be used or if you'll be clicking through an online presentation. Just make sure your phone has a clear connection and you'll have a quiet space for placing the call.

Another thing to keep in mind, there is nothing worse than having your callers get disconnected from the line or not being able to call in at all. There are many free teleconference providers out there, but they often have limitations, such as overused lines or problems with callers getting disconnected. One source for unlimited free teleconferencing is Conference Pro, located at www.freeconferencepro.com. Another free option is www.mrconference.com. Do your research to know what you're getting into. You may even want to hold a no cost "training" class with a few participants just to learn how to use the conference line or use a paid calling service.

Class Format

Another teleseminar secret is deciding in advance how you want to run the class. There are many models to use, such as question and answer segments, how-to classes, free introductory discussions, support group sessions, interviews with an expert, having class members watch a PowerPoint or online slide show, and power sessions where you give your presentation. Depending on your objectives you might want to combine efforts and spend half of the class in a presentation and the second haft opening up the listeners to questions.

After the Call

Be sure the calls are being recorded for your listeners. This way you can allow callers to continue learning by being able to download the call recorded as MP3 files, pod cast feed, or a CD. You can also upload the audio to your website and create a link where listeners can go to review the class. Another way to leave a reminder of your teleclass class is to offer a transcript as a free downloadable report. Your participants will really appreciate a way to go back and find anything they might have missed.

Helpful Hints

Just as in any class you would teach, you'll need to keep control of your listeners while also facilitating the class. No one likes to hear the participant who talks over others or makes it difficult to run the teleclass, and a good teacher will know how to keep everyone in line. There is a fine balance between teaching and being taught by others, but with practice you will develop the format that works for you.

Read my blog post The Secrets to Promoting Your Teleseminar.