How To Conduct A Successful Teleseminar
Teleseminars are a great way for business coaches, consultants, company directors and many other professionals to engage a group of people very effectively with minimum cost. So, why aren’t more people conducting them? Part of the problem may be that many people believe that they are difficult to organize and costly to host, but this is very far from the reality.
Teleseminars are an excellent way to transmit your message, increase your credibility and make your mark as an expert in your field. Many people already successfully conduct regular teleseminars to audiences all over the world and some make good money from it. So how do you conduct your own teleseminar?
A teleseminar is a meeting between participants in different locations that occurs over the phone. All those on the call can participate in the conversation just as if they were in attendance at a seminar. If you use video conferencing you will also be able to transmit video via the internet through a video camera.
The great thing about teleconferencing is that it knows no boundaries. Whether you live in the US, Russia, UK or Australia, if you have access to a telephone you can conduct or participate in a teleseminar.
It’s always best if you can designate one person to set things up. That person will be responsible for informing participants of the time and date of the teleseminar. This can be done by calling, email or through a website. That person should also be the person that initiates the calls to assemble everyone on the day of the seminar.
The great thing about teleseminars is the lack of equipment required. Services like Sykpe or Ozonelite will let you do it for free using their software, although it is not always suitable for professional calls. In more complex setups where there may be satellite connections or audiovisual connections, you may require a specialist service.
Your need to have a well thought out agenda that stays focused and on topic. It’s always nice to give your participants a bit of a briefing before the teleseminar starts so participants know what they can expect.
Make sure you speak clearly and let avoid unnecessary pauses or long periods of silence. Is there an order of speaking? Will the call open to questions at any point? Let participants know what is expected of them. Remember this may be a new experience for them, so don’t assume they are experienced users.
As the moderator you should lead the teleseminar, which means you’ll control the flow of the conversations, identify any guest speakers you might have, and open and close the teleconference. It’s your job to ensure things run smoothly and on time.
A teleseminar is one of the most cost effective methods of bringing a group together without the need for travel and accommodation. It’s a convenient, cost effective tool that has great potential for reducing costs and reaching broader audiences.
Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article was prepared for small businesses wanting to know more about audio conferencing. For more details about teleseminars please visit ourozoneconferencing.
Find Ways To Cut Your Outgoing Business Costs
Because business conditions constantly change it is imperative that you know exactly what you are spending your money on. If you are struggling, now is the time to take a long hard look at how you go about your business. A business is a constantly flowing entity that has to change as time goes on. Regardless of whether you are seeing a drop in profits or not, constantly re-evaluating your outgoings is always a good idea in order to remain competitive and achieve your targets.
First of all, look at your regular monthly bills that you have to pay. Can you get any services at a better rate than you do at the moment? Consider whether your current suppliers are providing the best service available to you and whether or not you actually need them. As businesses grow, they can sometimes outgrow certain routines or services, so you could be spending money needlessly.
Consider how you process your payments as well. If you are trying to hold money in your account for longer by delaying payments, this could actually be harming your bottom line. See if you can get a discount for settling your accounts ahead of time. This alone can save a significant amount of cash.
Are you doing any outsourcing at present? Outsourcing certain jobs can prove to be very efficient. Are you outsourcing the right jobs, or could some of them be done more easily and cheaply in house? Some companies don’t realize that small amounts of bookkeeping and admin jobs could actually be taken on by certain members of staff.
How often do you check the marketing budgets? A fine balance is required, since cutting back too far on advertising will result in a loss of custom as well. But, you should regularly go through your various advertising methods to see how well they are performing, and make sure you monitor these expenses very closely.
Think about how you are going about your business and working with clients. Some people still like to go out and meet with clients on a face to face basis, but are this really always necessary? Nearly all businesses have email and internet access and there are plenty of options available such as phone and even the post.
One of the largest (and frankly unnecessary) expenses is travel. Instead of booking that business trip next month, why not consider web conferencing instead? As long as you are prepared to spend a bit of time setting a decent service then this can prove to be a major saving for your business. There is no reason why you cannot arrange a meeting online instead of spending the money required to travel to meeting in person. Not only will you save money on travel, you’ll save valuable time as well, because you won’t need to leave your desk. You will also likely reduce your carbon output, which may count towards tax savings, which is now becoming more prominent in business.
So make sure you look at every possibility and do it on a regular basis. That way you will find that your profits are as healthy as they can possibly be.
Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article was prepared for small businesses wanting to know more about web conferencing. For more details about teleseminars please visit ourweb conferencing services.
Good Protocol For Business Audio Conferencing
Successful audio conference calls rely on several factors. Some will be of your control, such as call quality or software capability. However, certain factors such as etiquette and protocol depend on the users and their efforts to ensure a smooth and effective conference.
Good preparation is quite often the key and the call chairperson should be responsible for this. They should ensure that a preparation checklist includes testing the facility, testing the connection and informing the participants of the details of the activity such as time, dates and how the call will be run.
The call chairperson should test the audio conference facility before the actual activity is held to ensure that the voice reception is clearly audible. This is very important because, in most cases the communication will be done using the spoken word. If there are any delays or interruptions in audio then this will leave other users confused and frustrated.
Assuming that the call chairperson has made necessary arrangements and has thoroughly tested the equipment then it is up to those on the call to make sure it is successful. It is quite common for new participants to want to interject in conversations and speak while others are talking. This can be very distracting for the person speaking and can also annoy others. It is good practice to listen carefully for the conference protocol, which is normally announced at the start of the call. If there is no announcement it is usually wise to speak when spoken to or to wait your turn. Usually there will be a function built into the call to allow you to raise your hand (virtually) which will inform the chairperson you wish to speak. This then gives you a chance to raise your points, without interrupting others.
Quite often on busy calls, stray noises from users can cause unnecessary distraction and can aggravate those that are speaking. This can be noises like keyboards tapping, mobile phones ringing and background chatter. The person(s) making the noise are usually completely unaware they are doing it, but for others it is very audible. This can be very simply sorted by observing the muting system with the call. It is normally done via your handset, but some systems are different from others, so do check.
By following a few simple steps you can do your bit to ensuring that your audio conference runs smoothly with minimal interruption or interference. On particularly busy conference calls with 25 or more users it is greatly appreciated if all users can do their best to stick to the protocol as issues are generally increased with greater numbers.
Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article was prepared for small businesses wanting to know more about audio conferencing. For more details about audio conferencing please visit our audio conferencing service.
Five Top Tips For Successful Audio Conferencing
Conference calls have revolutionized the way businesses communicate, saving time and money. Many companies now hold regular daily, weekly or monthly calls between 3 or more participants. However, for participants that are new to audio conferences, there can be a tendency to not properly follow protocol, which ultimately makes calls less effective. Here are five simple tips so that you can contribute in a positive manner and enjoy your participation in a audio conference call:
1) Be early on the call, not Late! – Like any normal meeting being punctual is very important. If you are not on time you may miss important information about the agenda for the call and protocol. You may also be left until last to speak or even worse left off altogether. This can become extremely annoying if you have important information to pass on. Logging into the conference 5-10 minutes before is good practice.
2) Call from a quiet place – If you are participating in an audio conference call then you should ideally select a quiet room or place to call from. If you are calling in from your home then you will have children and pets in the background or appliances making distracting noise. In the office there are different distractions such as phones ringing and people chatting. You may be able to mute these from the call, but once you start talking they will be causing you much distress whilst you are thinking of what you are saying.
3) Try to avoid calling in from a mobile phone – Using a mobile phone to conduct an audio conferencing call is a bad idea. Mobile phones cause call interference as they use a different format for transferring data. This may irritate other participants, as the line will appear crackly or fuzzy for all listening in. If a mobile phone is all you have, use the mute function if you are not speaking as this will lessen the distraction on the side of the participants.
4) Don’t put the call on hold – Putting the conference call on hold distracts the participants especially when the phone has hold beeps or music. Many users will be left bemused and it is hard to catch up when you are not focused. If for any reason you need to leave and you are not sure at what time you can join the audio conference call, it is better to hang up and call again if you are ready.
5) Raise your hand to speak – Avoid butting in whilst others are talking or it is not your turn. There will usually be a method to attract the attention of the chair person or organizer. Most audio conferences have a ‘raise hand’ option, which seems to work best. This informs the chair person you wish to speak and they will usually invite you in once and chance is available. If you ignore this option and simply talk over people, you will very quickly alienate others and could be asked to leave.
Follow these simple steps and you will have much more productive and enjoyable conference calls. If you don’t then you will soon encounter delays, interference and general annoyance of all participants involved.
Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article was prepared for small businesses wanting to know more about audio conferencing. For more details about audio conferencing please visit our types of audio conferencing service page.
The Basics of Setting Up a Teleconferencing Service
Teleconferencing has emerged as one of the as one of the most cost effective and useful tools for business communication. Companies all over the globe have managed to slash the costs of their executive travel by moving meetings onto phone and web. Multiple participants can engage in conference calls at low costs saving time and money. So for those businesses that are still in the dark when it comes to teleconferencing, here are some tips on setting up your own teleconferencing service.
It is important to remember that something as important as teleconferencing needs to be done right to reap the benefits. In the following paragraphs, we’ll see how to setup teleconferencing calls for successful usage.
The first thing to consider is; how great is your need for teleconferencing? This form of communication only makes sense if the number of participants is three or more. Usually teleconferencing calls are facilitated by dedicated service providers, who offer the service for a fee, normally for specific periods of call. Once the user agrees with their terms and conditions, they will be given a toll-free number and an access code, which is to be distributed among all the participants who are to take part in the teleconference call. Also, it is required for the person reserving the service to mention the exact date and timings of setting up the teleconference call or meeting. This time slot booking is usually done in order to avoid clashing with other meetings, as it is a possibility that more than one customer may demand the same time slots on a particular date.
At the chosen date and time, each of the participants will join the online conference call by dialing the toll-free number and authenticating their invite using the access code they were given. Once in the conference, each party can talk as much or as long as they want, (one person at a time is recommended). The entire session of the call will be controlled by the host, and they can decide who should be online and can knock people off the call if necessary. In the usual settings, if the host is to hang up, the entire teleconference will be terminated. But, alternate options are available so as to continue the call even if the host exits, but it is optional and that right entirely rests with the person who setup the teleconferencing service.
If you are looking to select a teleconferencing service, always setup with service provider who offer recommended conferencing solutions and technical support. Make sure you follow the instructions given by the service provider. If you follow these simple steps you will find that your business will also benefit from teleconferencing as many other businesses already are.
Peter Bennett is CEO of Ozone Conferencing Limited. This article was prepared for small businesses wanting to know more about teleconferencing. For more articles like this please visit our conferencing blog.