Teleseminar – What is correct etiquette?

Hosting a teleseminar is becoming more and more common every day. However, if not done
right they can leave a very bad impression with listeners – many of whom could
be potential clients.

When you host a teleseminar there are any number of things that can go wrong. The
more prepared you are the better.

One part of preparation is to inform listeners how to get the most out of the
experience.

If your call includes Q&A time, you may have some participants who are not as
respectful as you would hope. The sad fact is some people either don’t know
about call etiquette or if they do, they simply don’t care. Your job is to make
the entire call experience as pleasurable for as many participants as you can.

Informing
Callers of Proper Etiquette

One way to increase your chances of a successful call with minimal challenges is to
send out a message prior to the call reminding participants of the call time,
date and call in number along with etiquette points.

Send a message out prior to the call adding in any of the following elements:

“We are thrilled you will be joining us for the call. In order to make the experience
as positive as possible, here are a few suggested guidelines for all
participants.”

• Please minimize
  background noise and interruptions.
• Turn off the
  ringer on any other phone line in your vicinity.
• Avoid breathing
  into the mouthpiece
• Realize that if
  you are typing your notes on your keyboard, others can hear you.
• Use your phone
  mute button or the (*6) function to mute when you’re not speaking, then
  release your mute button, or hit (*7) to un-mute if you need to speak.
  (Check the feature with the service you use to make sure you give the
  right digit)
• Avoid putting
  the call on hold if you have music that plays while on hold.
• Disconnect call
  waiting before the call. Usually you can do this by dialing Star Seventy
  (*70) on your phone
• Avoid using cell
  phones and speakerphones as the sound will be distorted.
• Call in a few
  minutes prior to the start time. This avoids interruptions once the call
  is in session. To make sure you are on time use. You can use (Time Gov dot
  com) for the accurate time.
• If you need to
  leave the call early you don’t need to announce you are leaving. Simply
  hang up so as not to interrupt the presenter.

A bit of upfront prep time for participants can make a huge difference in their
experience.