Hosting teleclasses is one of my absolute favorite list building strategies. Apart from being easy to do, it’s a great way to interact with my audience and get to know them, and also let them get to know me. But as with anything new there’s always a learning curve involved.
Over the years I’ve developed my own style for hosting teleclasses and found some shortcuts that allow me to present my content so that everything flows smoothly. Today I’d like to share with you my top six dos and don’ts for hosting teleclasses so that you can shorten your learning curve when you’re ready to host your own teleclasses:
1. Do prepare notes and timings. Even though you want your information to flow naturally from one point to the next, it’s also really important to have a plan and something to refer to so that you can stay on track. Planning out your topic timings means that you’ll also be able to deliver all of the information that you want to share, and within the timeframe that you’ve allocated. It also shows that you respect your attendee’s time too by sticking to your published schedule.
2. Don’t staple your notes together but do number your pages. I realize this may sound like a contradiction – if your notes are not stapled together you could easily lose your page (which is why I tell you to number them). However it’s so much easier to turn pages that are not bound than it is to fiddle around turning pages that are stapled. And any added distraction will only cause you to lose focus when you’re presenting your teleclass.
3. Do make sure you’re comfortable. This goes from the room you’re presenting in to the clothing that you’re wearing (and everything inbetween). Okay, I know it’s a teleclass and no-one can see you, but if you’re not comfortable with what you’re wearing and constantly fiddling around with it, you will come across as sounding distracted and not focused. This also goes for your surroundings too – if they’re not conducive to delivering your information, i.e. background noise, it will come through in your delivery and your attendees will sense that.
4. Do give yourself plenty of room. When I host my teleclasses I prefer to sit on the floor rather than sit at my desk. This allows me plenty of space to lay out my notes and any other materials that I may have without having to have everything bundled together on my desk. And it also goes to point three above – I’m much more comfortable sat on the floor with plenty of space around me which means that I’ll be able to focus much better.
5. Do be respectful of your attendee’s time. This means making sure you stick to your teleclass timings and if necessary ensure that you have a timer or watch in front of you at all times. Personally I take off my watch and have it on the floor in front of me so I can see the time throughout my call.
6. Do mute your attendees out during your presentation. This is important because you will get a much better quality recording if the line is completely clear of any background noise; and it also means your attendees get a clear line too. You can always open up the lines for questions at the end of your call.
Follow these simple steps above and you’ll soon be on your way to hosting your own successful teleclasses.
