Take a moment to look down this list and choose one of these mistakes that you think it would be really important for you to remember - what could be your 'growing edge', with attention and practice?

1. Mistake: Asking follow up questions without getting permission. (Directing)

   When a participant asks a question or makes a point it can be tempting (and even effective) to ask one or several follow up questions. Before asking another question you ask permission first. If you don't ask permission to follow up it can sound like grilling or interrogation and may make the participant uncomfortable.

   Tip: Simply ask the person if you can ask a few follow up questions - they will almost always say yes AND you'll put everyone else at ease in the process.

2. Mistake: Lecturing to the Participants. (Directing or presenting)

   TeleClasses are not the same as a typical classroom. Participants come to learn but not to be lectured. Participants want to be engaged, to be challenged, and to contribute to the session.

   Tip: Identify 3 questions to ask Participants that get them engaged in the discussion. Have them learn THAT way instead of via lecturing.

3. Mistake: Weak projection. (Mediating or Strategizing) Because you have to reach through the phone lines, your voice and its power must be strong, not weak.

   Tip: Ask 10 people how powerfully you project.

4. Mistake: Not being crystal clear about what you want participants to know. (Presenting or Strategizing)

   It's good to have lots of things to share with participants, but it's even more important to identify the 5 things that you most want them to know. This focuses you AND the call.

   Tip: Ask yourself, "What do I most want people to know about this subject?"

5. Mistake: Assuming that information is enough. (Strategizing)

   TeleClasses are about learning with energy and entertainment; not just about transferring information (if participants just wanted information, they could get that from a book). Some are seeking an interactive experience with the resulting synergy and connection. Some are primarily interested in information, not necessarily in relationships. (This speaks to the desires of different styles).

   Tips:
   

   • Make your courses interactive and offer ways to put participants together between sessions.
   • You may also find it useful to provide handouts, with the class content, before each call. This gives participants time to digest some of the information and come to the call with relevant questions. (This tactic will particularly appeal to strategizing styles)

6. Mistake: Making a participant wrong. (Directing)

   TeleClasses are as much about energy as they are about information. Be open to all points of view to keep the energy flowing. You can, of course disagree with someone AND you can to it gracefully and inclusively.

   Tip: Ask yourself, how can I make this person seem brilliant? How can I create value from what they just said?

7. Mistake: Stepping over someone who tries to speak. (Directing or Mediating)

   Often times several participants will speak at the same time. 'Stepping over' means to simply allow the loudest, most persistent or most aggressive person to continue speaking.

   Tip: It is a simple and valuable technique to capture the names and allow each in turn an opportunity to reply (queuing).

8. Mistake: Losing control of the class (Mediating or Strategizing)

   The key point about losing control is that it's a palpable feeling in the "space" and it makes most people uncomfortable. When you're uncomfortable it's very hard to learn.

   Examples:
   • Allowing a highly participative person to dominate the conversation - making it hard for others to join in.
   • Losing track of the agenda while the dialogue is flowing
   • Allowing a participant to speak to / about another participant without permission or in an inappropriate manner - this is challenging. Sometimes participants have great ideas for each other which can be magical AND sometimes it can get out of hand with gang-advising. There is a fine line between gang-advising and brainstorming. This difference lies in how you manage it AND in "getting permission" first.
     
   Tips:
   
   • You can control a conversation without dominating it. Always keep your voice in the conversation (even if it's a subtle "mmm") Set the tone early in the conversation that everything goes through you.
   • Make sure you keep the conversation as a 'dialogue' format where everyone is speaking to everyone.
   • Interrupt at the breath - listen for the breath and step in with acknowledgement and request to move on.

Keep your eye on the clock as the dialogue flows. Be willing to wrap up a particular section even if it seems unfinished. Watch for the 'perfect segue'.