It's extremely rare to host a teleseminar exclusively with people who already recognize your voice. Likewise, listeners may not recall the name of your guest. They may have downloaded or received your audio recording without an adequate written introduction. So always introduce both yourself and your guest using both first and last names.



The best way to remember this seemingly obvious inclusion is to have a standard introduction and close that you have written out in front of you during the teleseminar. Without this, you'll forget and lose some of the marketing impact of your expertise. ("Gosh, what a smart host, but Jerry who?")

Check ahead of time on the proper pronunciation of your guest's name, and write it out phonetically if necessary so you can say it (for instance: ach-mah-DEE-na-zhad). The other day I listened to an audio interview in which the host confessed that he was sure to butcher his guest's name, and would he please introduce himself? The guest then introduced himself, but without stating his name. So the host ended up being rude not only to his guest but also to his audience, who had no idea who they were listening to.

Second, listen. Listen to your guest! If you're too focused on the list of questions to get through, or you're thinking of the next question while your guest is speaking, you could commit an awful gaffe, like one teleseminar host whose closed ears amazed me. Not once but four times during the call he mis-stated something that his guest had said, so that the guest repeatedly corrected him. Anyone who'd been thinking of hiring that host as a coach or consultant would surely have finished the call resolving not to do so, he was such a horrible listener.

Third, be prepared with a list of questions for your guest. Sometimes your guest will write up the questions for you, but if not, create your own collection of things you want to ask. Instead of just mechanically going through the list one by one, however, think of it as a conversation and follow up on interesting comments your guest makes, with "Could you say more about that?" "For example?" or "What do you mean by such and such?"

Fourth, let your guest do most of the talking. You should talk no more than 20 percent of the time, with your guest talking 80 percent of the time. Remember that you chose as your guest someone your listeners are going to want to hear from, and let that happen instead of using a teleseminar interview as your own soapbox.

Fifth, as the conversation goes along, explain any technical term or insider reference that listeners may not understand. Recently while interviewing someone about her marketing successes, I politely interrupted to ask her to define terms like "marketing funnel" and "conversion" for listeners, who as relative beginners might not know these terms.

Likewise, if your guest mentions someone else's name in passing or a URL, jump in and repeat the name, spell out the URL and provide any context that might be necessary for some of your listeners.

As host you need to keep listeners properly oriented, which also creates a positive impression for yourself, too. To further polish your hosting technique, listen to top-notch interviewers on radio or TV, paying attention less to the content than to how they keep the conversation moving along and interesting for the listener.