organizing teleclass – Getentrepreneurial.com: Resources for Small Business Entrepreneurs in 2024

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.

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One of the best ways you can grow your list practically overnight and interact with your audience is to host your own Teleclass. After all they are a low-cost, yet simple, marketing strategy that you can implement on a regular basis to reach your target market, and they have the advantage of you being able to interact with your audience – they’ll be able to hear your voice and you will become more ‘personable’ to them.

Just some of the reasons why teleclasses are so popular are:

* They show off your expertise
* Easy to set up
* Fun to host
* You get to interact with your target market
* Build your list a.k.a. your online community

But a couple of the downsides, and probably why many solopreneurs don’t take advantage of this simple marketing strategy, is that:

* You need to spend some time preparing the material and organizing event.
* It can seem a bit daunting if you’ve never hosted a Teleclass on your own before.

So what I’d like to do today is share with you my 7 simple steps for organizing your own teleclass so that it’s fun, brings you a TON of new subscribers, and gets you interacting with your audience.

Step 1 – Decide on a topic. Take one of your most popular articles, or if you have written several articles around the same theme use those, and turn the content into a teleclass.

Step 2 – Decide on a format – will it be a teleclass or a webinar? How long will the event last for? If this is your first time at hosting an event – keep it simple – 25 minute presentation (which includes your introduction) and 20 minute open Question & Answer session (which also includes your offer and closing statement). Make it as easy for yourself as possible.

Step 3 – Decide on a date and time. Pick a date and time that is most convenient for you to host the teleclass. Just because a lot of teleclasses seem to be hosted in the evening, doesn’t mean this is when you have to host yours! Mine are usually hosted late morning because this fits my schedule best. Also consider the different time zones too.

Step 4 – Book the line. Create an account with your teleconference company and schedule the call. Make sure that your teleconference company has conference recording capabilities.

Step 5 – Prepare your marketing materials. Create your sales page, autoresponder sequence, and promotional emails. Make sure on your sales page you let the participants know that by signing up they’ll also receive a copy of your newsletter. In your autoresponder sequence be sure to include all the call-in details (and on any subsequent broadcasts you send out).

Step 6 – Announce it. Announce your Teleclass to your subscribers and post to the various Teleclass announcement sites and your networking groups. Create a list of places where you want to post to and use this as a checklist to ensure you get everywhere covered.

Step 7 – Record your Teleclass (this is essential). Not only will it encourage sign-ups – even if they can’t make the live event they’ll get the recording – but it also gives you the opportunity of repurposing your material. You can turn your recording into your ‘free taste’ on your website, a bonus product, or add a workbook to it and sell it as a for-fee product.

And on the day of the event:

* Ensure you send out a reminder on the day of your call.
* Dial in to your teleclass at least five minutes before it’s due to start. People do dial in early, and you want to be there to greet your participants as they turn up.
* Have your class notes all written out and in front of you, along with teleclass timings.

And most importantly, remember: you are the expert. You know something that your participants don’t, and they have come along to learn from you. That thought alone will stop the nerves… I promise.

That’s it! In just seven simple steps you can be on your way to hosting your very first teleclass.