Small Business Coaching And Consulting Empowers the Self Employed to Succeed.

Teleclass Etiquette

Above all else, we want you to have an enjoyable learning experience in our teleclasses. It's a great opportunity to learn new ideas and skills, and learn from your classmates' experiences. They are truly a unique experience that should be enjoyed.

A Note about Time Zones

Make sure you are calling in at the right time by verify the Time Zone.  Most Teleclasses will be setup using the "eastern time" (New York City, USA) time zone.  To determine your own time zone -- anywhere in the world -- visit:

http://www.timeanddate.com/worldclock/

Connecting to a Teleclass

• Use the telephone number provided by Passion For Business to connect to your teleclass.

• Once you dial in, you will be asked for your passcode (also provided by Passion For Business). Remember to press the pound key (#) on your telephone after typing in the passcode.

• You should dial in at about 3-4 minutes before the scheduled time.

• When you hear the instructor ask "Who is joining the call?" give your name, and if you wish, your location. For instance, you might say, "This is Mary from Oregon."

• If for some reason you can’t get through, double-check the number to make sure you haven’t misdialed, and remember to double check the time as well.

• If you're late to the call, just dial in as normal and listen silently until you catch up with the discussion.

Participation

For a Teleclass to be enjoyable and productive for everyone, there must be a solid structure for its flow. Using the following guidelines will help:

• Wait for the instructor to ask if there are any questions or comments.  Once the instructor indicates that the discussion is "open," you can ask your question or share your thoughts on the topic.

• State your name before you make a comment. For instance, you might say, "Hi, this is John, I have a question," then wait for the instructor to say, "Go ahead, John."  

• The instructor will control the flow of "traffic" so that people don't talk over each other.  Interaction is always encouraged, but please call out your name and let the instructor indicate when it's okay to go ahead. (Just like raising your hand in a classroom!)

• We want to hear from you; but don't dominate the conversation. Speak in 30-45 second sound bites.  Make your point quickly, and phrase your questions and comment clearly and simply. This way, everyone can participate equally. You're always welcome to ask a follow-up question or make additional comments throughout the class; we ask that you just be aware of the other students and give everyone a chance to participate.

• You're welcome to disagree with other people's opinion, but avoid arguing over points of view; respect that different people see things in different ways. Avoid attempting to change someone else's point of view. Do not put down other students.

• Be comfortable in asking questions. If you don’t understand something, it’s likely that others are confused as well.  The only "dumb question" is the one you don’t ask.

Things to Know About Your Phone

Please try to use a corded phone (also known as a "land line") to call in.  Internet-based phones (internet phones, Skpe, and cell phones) can cause problems with the conference call lines.  Cordless phones are sometimes acceptable, but they often bring a lot of background noise and echo to the call. If you must dial-in on a cordless phone, stay near your base unit so that you don't bring an echo onto the call.

• Mute - Because there can be up to 150 people on the teleclass call, it's IMPERATIVE that people use the mute button on their phones to prevent background noises. Listen carefully -- is there noise around you? If yes, we can hear it, too.  To mute yourself, press *6 on your telephone keypad. Just remember, when you want to talk, press *6 again to un-mute yourself.

• Call Waiting - Please disable call waiting.  Everyone can hear a loud noise when someone is trying to call you during the teleclass if you have call waiting activated on your line.  If you don't know how to temporarily disable your call waiting, check with your phone company. Sometimes you'll find instructions in the front section of your phone book.

• Speakerphones – Never use speakerphones. They create a terrible echo on the line.

• Office Environments - If you do not put yourself on mute and begin having a conversation with a co-worker, we can hear you! Telephone microphones are very sensitive. (Same thing for: yelling at your dog, cleaning the dishes, taking another phone call, smooching your spouse ... we can hear you!)

• Putting Us on Hold - If you put the teleconference line on hold to take another call, we do get to hear your "hold music." If you need to take another call, do not put the teleclass on hold. Instead, hang-up from the teleclass and call in again, later, when you're through with your other phone call.

Confidentiality and Reproduction

Never share the teleclass bridge number with anyone.  Participants may not record or otherwise reproduce the teleclasses. It's not only illegal to tape the conversations of the others on the call (unless every participant has given permission) but there is copyrighted intellectual property involved as well. All classes given by Passion For Business are copyrighted with the U.S. Copyright office.  All teleclasses are recorded and you will be notified via email when you can download a copy of the recording for your personal use.