Got this video clip by way of Janice Mitchell (thanks Janice). Here’s the reason why the mute button is your best friend when hosting conferences over the phone.

Actual emails from attendees that I collected over the last few months complaining about the hosting duties of the person facilitating a telesummit.

Complaint #1: “Could you ask the host to let the speaker speak please?”

This is due to 2 things – nervousness and knowledge of the topic. The host isn’t sure how to facilitate the session, so they end up yapping for most of the session. Or, they know ALOT about the topic and want to show off their expertise.

The goal of hosting a telesummit is to form joint ventures for future projects. And one of my clients said to me that the side benefit of hosting a telesummit is that he gets to be a student too.

Complaint #2: “I go on stage in 5-minutes and I don’t have the call-in details.” (or “The host is so disorganized.”)

This one is a classic case of the host doing everything. She’s answering attendee emails, she’s hosting the sessions and she’s making the recordings available on the website.

You need help. You seriously do. Because when you have help, you can focus in on facilitating each session to your best. No more dividing your attention across various tasks. The last thing you need is for the speaker NOT to show up because you FORGOT to send him the access information.

Complaint #3: “Can you tell the host to stop using so many um’s (or giggling or saying you know’s)?”

Otherwise known as verbal clutter, the host begins saying these things in order to fill dead air. The real issue is a lack of confidence. The guest expert becomes silent after making his or her point, the host doesn’t have a clue how to segue into the next point (or has misplaced the questions or was focused on monitoring the Twitter feed) and then fills it with “Um”, “You know” or giggles.

I’m teaching a virtual course called Telesummit Host Tips. If you’d like to learn how to host your next (or first) telesummit with confidence so you don’t sound like a newbie, click here to learn more about this program. Registration closes July 29, 2010.

It took me 6-years to finally become a confident Telesummit Host, but you’ll learn these winning tips in just 2-hours. Because trying to figure this all out during your live sessions is too late. You damage future joint venture relationships with your speakers and you heighten refund requests from attendees. I have thousands of hours hosting and facilitating telesummits and virtual events and I’ll teach you how to host a telesummit in a non-rookie way.

If you’ve attended telesummits in the past as an attendee or speaker, what other complaints do you have about telesummit hosts and what would you offer as a solution to help them improve?

My sister from another mother, Nancy Marmolejo, recently stated this on Facebook in a rather exasperated tone (at least that’s how I interpreted it):

“I’m happy that so many people are doing telesummits to build their businesses, but I’m getting numb to SO MANY of them. How about we mash it up a bit peeps? Who said each call has to be 60 minutes? Let’s break the mold, it’s getting moldy!!”

Twenty-two people have responded to Nancy’s plea, agreeing that telesummit organizers need to think differently. I had to add my own 2-cents because I know what is working in today’s marketplace when it comes to telesummits.

You see, I’ve had the profound privilege to manage a number of telesummits this year and because of this, I’ve been privy to some unique offerings made by my clients through their virtual events. Here are some ideas to give your telesummit a refresh:

• Hold 15-20 minute sessions instead of an hour. This rapid fire approach was used by Carrie Wilkerson for her Women’s Wildfire Rally.  She pre-recorded her interviews, then played them back one by one at a certain time on a certain day as if the speaker was there live. You can use InstantTeleseminar to play back pre-recorded sessions.
• I haven’t seen this one before, but for visual learners, you can do a transcripts-only telesummit. Release 1 transcript per day of a speaker’s session (you’ll need to pre-record and transcribe it in advance). Then, offer a mastermind to attendees later in the day so they can ask questions and apply what they learned about in the transcripts to their own business. NOTE: If anyone does this, please let me know so I can profile your virtual event as a wonderful case study.

Duration isn’t the only place where you can innovate your telesummit. Those who speak at virtual events aren’t promoting them. Those who attend virtual events are mildly engaged with them. The pricing structure is tired. The incentives offered are old. Look at what everyone else is doing with telesummits, then do something different. I dare you

PS – If you’re ready to refresh your telesummit, join me November 3-5, 2010 in Atlanta, GA for Telesummit Refresh. At this 3-day workshop, I’ll share with you what’s not working with telesummits (some of you already know what these are) and give you real strategies you can use to refresh your next telesummit. These aren’t “I hope it works” techniques. These are actual tactics my clients have used over the past 12-months and I’ll share them with you. The info page isn’t live yet, but you can click here to add your name to the early bird list.

Aside from the duration, what other moldy telesummit strategies do you wish would just go away? If you had advice for someone who’s going to host their first (or 3rd) telesummit, what would you tell them to make their telesummit stand out?

Most of the advice on this blog is directed to helping those who host virtual events do it better. So, I’m taking a slight departure to offer sage advice to those who speak at virtual events.

I’m constantly dismayed by the look of virtual event and telesummit sales pages out there. I wish I could start a virtual event and telesummit sales page hall of shame to completely rip to shreds every mistake the host is making with their content.

But why should I? They didn’t ask for my help, right?

What’s even more disconcerting is who I see speaking at these type of virtual events. Internet marketers, online superstars, best selling authors and millionaire coaches damaging their brands speaking at a virtual event or telesummit where the sales page looks like the host knows their way around Frontpage (is that still around?) or Dreamweaver.

How Virtual Event Hosts Can Ruin Brands & Piss Off Speakers

I recently went to a social media virtual summit sales page and it was hideous. Here are some of the mistakes:

• The sales page was hosted on a Wordpress page (nothing wrong with that) with all the links still intact in the top navigation and the sidebar (a basic copywriting mistake that can easily be avoided had the person invested in a course where she would’ve learned that)
• It didn’t have a powerful headline – none. The “powerful” headline was listing the names of the speakers presenting at the telesummit.
• The content listed the speakers’ names, photos, session titles and times they were speaking – that was it
• And, to access the call-in details (which is offered for free), you had to opt-in via a Google Docs sign up box (ok, how is this host going to follow up with attendees? Using the BCC option in an email?)

It was yucktastic.

So, imagine my surprise when I saw two millionaire coaches speaking at this virtual event. My jaw dropped. I just couldn’t believe that these individuals would not only say yes, but would continue to participate in a virtual event where the sales page is so ugly.

Why I Recently Pulled Out of a Virtual Event

I pulled out of speaking at a virtual event once because the sales page looked like crap. I said yes to speaking at her virtual event because I knew her and she had a platform in the marketplace.

But once the sales page went up, I was horrified. I just couldn’t believe that someone who gave the impression that she was a big deal online could produce a sales page that was so bad. There was a disconnect.

The first problem was the color she used on her page. She chose this hideous blue. It wasn’t the dark blue that American Airlines uses. It was a light blue. And not even baby blue. It was a smoky blue that just looked awful.

On top of that, the sales page content looked wonky in Firefox. The first third of the page rendered well, but as I got midway down, the page started to look weird. To be exact, my profile overlapped another speakers in Firefox, yet looked fine in Internet Explorer.

I knew that this was an HTML problem, something to do with nested tables, so I grabbed a screenshot of the page and sent it over to the host. I expected that her tech team would know how to fix it, so I waited. After a couple of days, I went to the sales page. Her “tech team” fixed it alright by putting the following sentence at the top of the sales page:

“This page best viewed in Internet Explorer.”

I pulled out. I sent her an email asking that my picture be removed and that I wasn’t going to participate as a speaker. I told her that the sales page didn’t look right and my list wouldn’t respond.

Did I burn a bridge? Probably. She has gone on to host additional telesummits using the same ugly blue. The improvement is that her pages now render well in Firefox.

However, I just couldn’t promote my participation in a virtual event knowing that the host cared so little about how her telesummit looked online. If she cared so little about how her telesummit was being perceived in the marketplace, what else will she care so little about and how would that affect my brand?

Why Pulling Out After You’ve Said Yes Will Save Your Brand

It’s so important that as a speaker, you align yourself with virtual event hosts who care about the product they’re promoting in the marketplace. If you agree to speak at a virtual event, take some time to review the sales page so you’re sure that the style, copy and tone aligns with the sophistication and elegance of your brand.

If a sales page doesn’t yet exist for the virtual event you’re being invited to speak at, ask to see the sales pages for other products and services that the host created in the past. If the telesummit or virtual event is the hosts first online program ever, ask to see an example of a sales page that the host will model or pass on speaking.

And don’t feel bad if you have to pull out. I know one bestselling author who stopped speaking at virtual events and telesummits 2-years ago because they were being done so poorly. He felt that his list had come to expect a certain level of professionalism and sophistication from him, so he could no longer promote virtual events that didn’t match his level of excellence.

At the end of the day, if a sales page for a virtual events looks awful and doesn’t follow even basic copywriting rules, it means that the hosts isn’t in a right place financially or professionally. The virtual event host is cutting corners to save a buck and will damage your brand in the process.

Because if the host couldn’t get the sales page right, chances are the host won’t know what she or he is doing managing the rest of the telesummit or virtual event.

The Luggage of My Dreams

I spent the last 5-days trying to find the luggage that you see pictured on the left. It’s made by Heys, it’s pink and it’s hardcover. I’m in desperate need of new luggage, especially since I leave today for Nancy’s I Heart My Business 3-day workshop in California, so I started my search last week to give myself enough time.

The first thing I did is call the Heys Canada head office to see if I could just pop by and buy what I want. The receptionist told me that they don’t sell direct to the public and that I should go to one of their retailers. Sears and the Bay are the 2 she mentioned, so I jumped in my car and drove to both these department stores.

Of course, they have Heys luggage in gray, lilac, teal, red and black, but not pink. I went to every Sears and Bay that’s within driving distance of where I live, but no pink. I think I burned enough gas to buy 8 sets of Heys luggage in pink with all the driving I did. I even got a Driver’s Tan on my left arm because I was in the car so much.

But to my disappointment, no pink luggage. And while at Winners, I almost bought a multi-colored luggage because I desperately wanted new luggage. I stood there and looked at the luggage for 20-minutes trying to convince myself to buy it. But in the end, I just couldn’t bring myself to settling for something I really didn’t want.

I now have to drag my lilac luggage that only has one wheel and put all my muscle into keeping it from teetering from side to side (thanks goes to Skyservice for somehow separating the other wheel from my suitcase about a year ago).

Is there a virtual event lesson here? But of course!

I believe that many of us settle when we produce our telesummits and virtual events. We want a design done for the logo that’ll represent our virtual event, so we go with the cheapest option. Then, with our backs against the wall, we settle for a crappy design instead of going out and hiring the best talent.

Or, we open up a bunch of tabs that point to 5 or 6 virtual events. We have NO CLUE how to write sales copy, but we mash together the words from 5 or 6 virtual events together on our virtual event sales page and decide that that’s good enough.

Or, we super blast our friends on Facebook inviting them to our virtual event. We don’t care that mom’s on the friends list or your cousin third removed from Kansas is on the list or that teenagers who you volunteer with at church are on the friends list. We settle for a sandblast approach to our marketing instead of really trying to understand how to build a tribe using social media who’ll take action on everything you send them.

Instead of waiting for the pink suitcase with our virtual events, we settle for the teal, lilac, gray, black or red because we’re in a rush. Because we don’t have the money. Because, because, because…

So, what ways have you cut corners with your telesummit or virtual event that came back to bite you in the butt? What advice can you share with others so they take more care when producing their virtual events?

And if you want more tips, be sure to sign up for my FREE teleclass called Why Won’t They Sign Up. I’ll share the 4 keys you need to know so you fill your virtual events that align with your heart centered values.

When I produce a virtual event on behalf of my clients, I give them a Host Guideline Checklist. In it, I provide tips on how to host their virtual event successfully, especially if they’re doing it for the first time.

The biggest success tip is that you can’t facilitate the sessions as a host and manage customer support issues at the same time. It’s just not possible.

As the host, you need to focus on the speakers and present a genial and pleasant demeanor to attendees. Your positive attitude will be adversely affected if an email comes from an attendee complaining that they can’t find the call-in details or that they can’t access the recordings.

That’s why the role of Virtual Event Host and Virtual Event Customer Service needs to be separated. The host can’t respond to customer issues right away and if he or she can’t, this will most likely increase refund requests from attendees or put a speaker into a panicky state if he or she is missing connection details.

This happened to me recently. I was to speak at a virtual event, but I couldn’t find the details on how to connect to the sessions. I frantically looked at every email correspondence I received from the virtual event organizers to see if I simply missed it.

With only 30-minutes left to go before I took the “virtual stage”, I sent an email to the speaker co-ordinator. Then to the event director. Then, I went on Twitter and saw that both had tweeted something out an hour earlier, so I sent them both a reply.

Nothing. All I could hear were crickets chirping.

With 10-minutes left before I hit the stage, I was able to dig up a phone number for the speaker co-ordinator. Thankfully, she answered the phone and said she was so engrossed in one of the panel discussions that she hadn’t checked email or Twitter in about an hour.

Eek!

So, here are my tips on how you can become a better virtual event host:

Four simple things you can do as a host of a virtual event so you create peace around you. Do you have any other tips you’d like to share?

I just presented at the 2010 Online International Virtual Assistant Convention (OIVAC) on the topic of How to Skyrocket Your Income Becoming a Virtual Event Manager. I have a soft spot for virtual assistants because they make my business look good, so I happily accepted their invitation to speak at their event.

I was most impressed by how Leslie Keffler introduced me. It was the best speaker introduction I’ve heard in ages. Maybe ever. It was so good, I want to share this gem so you too can introduce your speakers in a spectacular way when you host your own virtual event.

Leslie read my bio. So this is a tip for you as a speaker – if you’re speaking at a virtual event, your bio needs to be read in under 30-seconds. Two or three sentences max. The more you have to brag about yourself in your bio, the less important you become to attendees. So, keep it short. For example:

Leesa Barnes is President of the International Association of Virtual Event Managers and considered one of the leading authorities on how to use virtual event to boost your business. You can find out more about Leesa by going to www.virtualeventsuccess.com.

Short, sweet, let’s eat.

But here’s what Leslie did that I’ll never forget. She convinced those on the phone why I’m a leading authority by bragging about me herself. Here’s what she added to my introduction (not word for word, but something along these lines):

Whenever I plan a virtual event, I always make sure to check Leesa’s blog for tips on how I can do it better. I read her blog regularly so I don’t miss out on virtual event best practices. I’m honored to have Leesa here and I can’t wait to hear what she has to share on How to Skyrocket Your Income Becoming a Virtual Event Manager. Welcome Leesa!

Leslie sounded genuine and and helped build rapport with the attendees by describing her personal experience with my brand. Not only did Leslie stroke my ego, but she legitimized me to a group who may be familiar with her, but not with me.

I do want to emphasize that if you introduce the speaker, be genuine about it. You don’t want to say that you visit their blog often only to find out that they don’t own one. So, be sure to do your research and be truthful and honest about how that speaker has helped you in the past so you make the speaker shine.

Update: I re-listened to the recording and here’s the word-for-word of what Leslie said after my bio:

“I know that whenever I have a virtual event that I need to co-ordinate, I look to see what information Leesa has to offer on her virtual event success blog or from some of her teleseminars I’ve attended in the past. Welcome Leesa.”

My business is all virtual. I don’t write cheques anymore (all invoices are paid via PayPal), I don’t attend offline networking events anymore (repeat business and referrals keep the bills paid) and I form some of my most memorable connections using virtual events and social media.

Of course, virtual events can’t take the place of face-to-face interactions, as stated by Ann All. In a recent blog post, Ann said that  she wasn’t making any real connections attending a virtual event hosted by SAP. Ann goes on to say:

“At [non-virtual] conferences, I’ve initiated what proved to be lasting relationships while waiting in line for that 10th cup of coffee.”

Hmmm, I’ve done the same with virtual events. I can count on both my hands and both feet the number of long lasting relationships I’ve formed, not waiting in line for coffee, but networking with someone through Twitter or responding to someone in the online forums for a virtual event.

Virtual events can’t take the place of the connections that humans crave, I agree. However, virtual events are digital icebreakers that help trigger personal connections. That way, when I meet someone in person that I’ve connected with online, instead of going through the awkwardness of “So, what do you do?” or “How was your flight?”, we’re both ready to move to the next stage in our relationship.

That’s why smart virtual event hosts and organizers will combine their virtual event with a non-virtual one. As Susan A. Friedmann shared in a recent blog post called 3 Ways to Have Virtual Events Work with Physical Events, virtual events can either supplement or compliment a non-virtual one (replace is the third, but I no longer think you can afford to do this one for many different reasons).

For this reason, attendees can’t afford to blow off a virtual event just because they can’t touch or smell other attendees. By connecting with other attendees in a virtual environment, you start the process of developing personal connections. If this isn’t happening for you when you attend a virtual event, either you need to stop acting so snobby or just don’t attend.

There aren’t many things in life that get my knickers in a bunch, but one thing that does is when people say:  ”live events vs virtual events.”

Here’s the deal…

Both virtual and non-virtual events are live. When I tell attendees to meet me at 1:00pm Eastern on a certain day for a webinar or conference call, I’m conducting the session live. When I walk into a room at a conference center to listen to a speaker present, again, I’m accessing a live session.

Because both virtual and non-virtual events are live, saying that non-virtual ones are “live” and virtual ones are not is misleading. We can instead use the terms:

• Online vs Offline events
• Or, Virtual vs Non-Virtual events

But let’s drop this live events vs online events, pretty please. What other terms can we use to refer to online vs offline events?

When a burnt out therapist hosts a virtual event, what do you think happens? She makes $94,000.

Meet Casey Truffo. She attended my very first multi-speaker virtual event in 2008 and decided it was fine time for her to do the same.

Not only did she earn **almost** 6-figures, but she decided to host yet another one that same year…and has done so ever since.

Want to know how she did it? Casey will share her tips in a **FREE** interview with me on May 5th. While money wasn’t the only motivation for Casey, it sure was a nice perk.

Aside from Casey, you’ll meet another individual in this preview call who hosted a multi-speaker virtual event so he could connect with movers & shakers in his industry. You’ll also meet one more individual in this preview call who hosted a multi-speaker virtual event so she could share her message with a global audience.

Join Leesa Barnes, Casey Truffo and others as we share…

Virtual Event SUCCESS STORIES: How Consultants – Just Like YOU – Used Virtual Events to Skyrocket Their List, Their Expert Status & Their Income

This no-fee call is a SNEAK PEEK of all the great content I and my faculty of speakers will be sharing at the 2010 VIRTUAL EVENT BOOM, a 5-day virtual event taking place May 10-14, 2010.

To get the call-in details, enter your first name and email address in the boxes below. If you have to miss the call due to a meeting or another appointment, sign up anyways because only those on this list will get access to the recording.

And remember…

Virtual Event Boom starts shortly after this preview call ends. Listen to the Leesa, Casey Truffo and others share their successes with virtual event, then decide after the call whether to attend Virtual Event Boom.