Copyright 2006 Jeanette Cates

There are lessons that we learn as we go. Our mothers could have told us - but we would neither have believed them nor paid attention. Instead, they let us learn on our own.

In that spirit, let me share a few things I've learned about teleseminars.

1. They can "see" you over the telephone line! No, they can't see your flip flops or your bad hair day. But they *can* see your smile and your energy. So stand up, walk around, get excited! Smile into the phone, even when you're the only one in the room. The audience is watching!

2. You're talking to "dead air" when you mute the line. This is generally a shock to most people on their first teleseminar. And I've heard many of them unmute repeatedly just to be sure there is still someone listening. After all, it's lonely in there, in the muted area all by yourself. Never fear. Your audience is still there - you just can't hear their breathing.

3. Half the registrants won't show. They have good intentions when they sign up - especially for a "free" call. But things come up. Even when they have paid to be on the call, they get caught in traffic, company shows up unexpectedly, the dog has to go to the vet, the kids have soccer practice, the last episode of "24" is on. Things happen. It's incumbent on you, the organizer, to remind them about the call - repeatedly. Then cross your fingers and "go on with the show."

4. You need to do the follow-up work before the call. After the call you are stoked and pumped from the call - the last thing you want to do is take care of details! But the audio needs editing, the registration page has to change, email reminders have to go out, the transcript needs editing, you need to set up the product in the shopping system, etc. There is just a lot to do! And if you haven't done most of it ahead of time, you'll spend more time after the call than you did before. And that dilutes the excitement and leaves you less time to enjoy the moment.

5. It takes 6 hands to do a teleseminar. You have to follow the call outline, check the recording levels, IM your guest, field questions via email and watch the clock. What to do? Get help! Hire someone to record the teleseminar. Ask someone to handle the question emails for you and ask the questions on behalf of the audience. Add operator service to your line. You can't do this alone - unless you're a split personality or very talented.

Consider yourself forewarned about these lessons. But I'll know you weren't listening when on your next teleseminar you keep unmuting the line and saying 'Hello - anyone out there?'