Our story so far:

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.

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

In the previous two installments I talked about conference lines and getting the word out. Today’s topic is recording your teleclass.

Why record in the first place?

If you’re just starting out, you might be a little shy or even squeamish about the idea of recording yourself talking. And I totally get that. I still get a little weirded out by listening to myself on a recording, so I’m right there with you.

But here’s the thing: There’s no downside to recording your class. That becomes pretty clear if you flip the question and ask “Why not?”

• I might say something stupid or sound dumb. Yep, you might, and no one ever has to hear the recording if you do. It’s yours. You can hide it, archive it, or delete it.
• No one will ever want to hear/download/buy the recording. Yep, that might be true. But no one will ever be able to make that choice unless you have a recording in the first place.
• I don’t know how. That’s OK, you can learn! Keep reading for your first steps.

Let’s flip these into reasons to go ahead and record:

• I might say something brilliant. However unlikely you may think this outcome, it’s at least technically possible, right? And if you do, you’ll have captured it for posterity. Bonus: If someone else says something nice about your class, you’ve captured an instant testimonial!
• If I ever want to create products to sell, having audio recordings gives me material to work with. You bet. You can even give them away as free bonuses, if you’re not ready to build an info product empire just yet.
• This is a chance to practice something new. I think it’s a great idea for us solopreneurs to learn how to do most, if not all, the work our businesses require. If there are tasks you hate, sure, you can plan to outsource them at some point, but even if you do have that plan, you’ll want to know enough about what you’re doing to describe your plans to future helpers, right? And if it turns out there are tasks you can do yourself that you don’t mind, you can save yourself some money and feel super-capable at the same time. What’s not to like?

Now that I’ve given this great pep talk, let’s move on to the actual recording how-to.

Use your conference provider’s built-in recording feature

Most of the free conference providers offer free recording of their calls. If your call provider doesn’t offer this service, or charges you for recording, you really ought to switch.

The exact procedure for starting and stopping the recording depends on the conference provider. There should be clear instructions on the provider’s website or in the email you received when you signed up. And the provider’s automated system should walk you through the process as you do it, too.

For example, when I’m hosting a call using FreeConferencePro, I just have to press *9 to tell the service to start recording. I’m prompted to enter a number to identify the call (this is just any number that I make up, and I don’t have to remember it), then the # key, and then I hear “This conference is being recorded.” And when I hang up, the recording stops.

That’s it. As few as four key presses, and I’m recording.

Your conference provider should store your recordings for you, but you should still download a copy of the recording to your own computer as soon as possible after the call (I’ll cover downloading in a future installment of this series).

Always have a backup plan

If you’re going to record the call, I highly recommend creating a backup recording. You can (probably) do it for free, so the same “there’s no downside” argument applies. There is more than one way to handle backup recording, so here are a few ways I’ve done it:

Use a paid service like AudioAcrobat or BYOAudio. Each is $19.95 per month after a 30-day free trial; those are not affiliate links since I’m not a paying subscriber of either service. I have used AudioAcrobat in the past and it does make publishing audio files very easy, but WordPress plugins can do that job just as easily for $0. To record a conference call, you’ll need three-way calling to connect the AudioAcrobat recording service with your conference line.

Use your computer to record directly. This only works if you’re going to use Skype or a similar VoIP service for your call (which in general I don’t recommend due to possible connection and clarity problems), and if you have audio recording software and know how to use it. You’ll also likely end up with a recording that features your voice loud and clear, while any other voices on the call will sound like they’re, well, on a long-distance line. So you’ll want to be a savvy enough audio editor to do tricks like balancing out the volume levels. Not for the faint of heart.

My current favorite backup: TalkShoe.com. It’s a hybrid of an Internet radio network and a conference-call service, allowing both live webcasts and private invitation-only calls. I simply set up a private call, dial in using three-way calling, and have TalkShoe automatically record the entire call. Come to think of it, you could do this three-way-calling backup-recording dance with any other free conference service (or even another FreeConferencePro account).

Got a question about any of these services, or about recording conference calls? Leave me a comment or talk to me during my Open Office Hours!