Teleclass Nuts & Bolts, part 1: Conference Lines

I’ve taught quite a number of teleclasses about various tech topics, but I only realized recently that the setting-up and managing of teleclasses themselves is a tech topic that you might need help with.

So, as I was going through my mental countdown for WordPress Swimming Lessons, and simultaneously starting the pre-launch preparations for my next class (my fabulous friend Shannon and I are co-teaching a class on AWeber called Love Your List), I came up with the idea for a series of blog posts describing the nuts and bolts of teleclasses.

I’ll describe the technological steps that I go through each time I set up and run a new class, from beginning to end. Each Monday I’ll publish a new installment.

I’ll start with the “tele” part: Signing up for a conference line.

That’s why they call it a teleclass

So you’ve decided to hold a class (or an interview, or a Q&A session, or a guided meditation, or whatever) on the phone. You now need a number that a group of callers can dial to get connected with you. I refer to this phone number as a conference line, but you may also hear it called a bridge line.

Fortunately, a whole bunch of companies are giving away these conference lines for free. Yes, there are paid services (and some of the free services have “pro” upgrades), but personally, I wouldn’t pay when I can get all the features I need for free.

“Free” in this case means you will probably get a number that is in some area code you’ve never heard of, that will be a long-distance call for you. In these days of flat-rate unlimited calling, you’re probably not paying by the minute for long-distance anymore…but if you are, be aware that calling your “free” conference line will result in long-distance charges.

Do a quick Google search for “free conference call provider” and you’ll be overwhelmed by the choices. Here are two that I’ve used before and can vouch for:

FreeConferencePro.com: This is the service I currently use for all my teleclasses. Despite the “pro” in the name, this service is completely free.
FreeConferenceCall.com: I used this service before I found FCP. The name says it all. One thing I like about this service is that you can get international dial-in numbers (also free), so if you have callers from outside the US, they won’t have to make an international call.

Features to look for

Here are some features I like, all of which FreeConferencePro offers:

Call recording
Online control panel so you can see who’s on the call
Ability to mute all callers (sometimes called presentation mode)
Ability to mute all callers but let them press a key to unmute themselves (sometimes called Q&A mode)
Ability to selectively mute individual callers via the online control panel (great when someone’s phone is staticky or has a lot of background noise)
Storage of multiple call recordings (you should still download them to your computer, though!)
Ability to schedule calls in advance, while also allowing “instant” or “reservationless” calls
Custom recorded greeting for your callers
Ability to change default settings (like turning off those annoying dings you hear on some calls whenever a new caller joins or hangs up — if you change the default, you don’t have to remember to turn these off every time you have a call)
Ability to change either the phone number or the access code (in effect giving you a brand-new number whenever you want it)

Some slight downsides: These services, being free, don’t tend to offer much in the way of live customer support — there’s usually a FAQ, and ideally the user instructions are sufficient and clear, but if your question isn’t answered or something weird happens, it may be hard to find a way to get help. Which leads me to…

Don’t forget to test drive

When you sign up for a conference line, get a friend to call in with you so you can spend some time practicing. You’ll want to make sure you know how to start and stop the call recording, how to mute and unmute your callers, and how to change settings during the call, for instance.

Another thing to do during the conference test-drive is to make sure your callers can hear you clearly. If your volume is too low, or your phone is too staticky, find out from a friend, well before your teleclass. I’d also recommend doing a short test recording of you and a friend, and listening to it yourself to hear whether both voices are similar in volume.

You may need to make adjustments to your phone (if you’ve got things like a volume control button), use a different phone, or buy a headset if you need one. In general, I don’t recommend using a cell phone or a VoIP service (such as Skype) to run a teleclass, as they tend to have more interference and drop more calls than landlines.

When you’re comfortable using your conference line, you’re ready to plan your teleclass.

Got a teleclass question? Leave me a comment!

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