What is a Teleclass?
How and When are The Classes Scheduled?
Do you ever offer extra sessions?
What Topics Do You Cover In The Teleclasses?
What Do I Need To Do To Participate In A Small Business Smarts Teleclass?
What Doe It Cost To Attend The Teleclasses?
What Is The Teleclass Protocol ?
Is There Any  Legal Stuff I Need To Know?

>>>>What is a Teleclass?

A Teleclass is a conference call. You and 5-10 other students call a regular phone number in the U.S. at your class time and the Teleclass Leader welcomes you. Class lecture and discussion happens in much the same way as it would in a normal classroom, except all the participants are on the phone and we often have students attending from all over the world. Participation and dialogue are encouraged. Joining MyCreativeProsperity teleclasses gives you the opportunity to build community with other creative thinkers, small business owners, and emerging leaders get real-time feedback on projects and exercises and learn fresh new techniques.

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>>>> How and When are The Classes Scheduled?

We schedule our class teleclasses for a set time Mountain Standard Time, the classes last one and a half hours. For example from 9:30-11:00 MST on Wednesdays.

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>>>> Do You Offer Extra Sessions We also may schedule extra topics or question and answer sessions at no additional cost to the students. Additional classes are offered on a discretionary basis at the discretion of the instructor(s). Extra sessions are usually scheduled for the last week of the month and alternate between Monday evening and Friday or Saturday day time slots. In this way, we hope that if you are unable to attend the special teleclass one time you will find the schedule more accommodating another time. We are sorry but due to the international nature of this class and the number of students in the MyCreativeProsperity.com community we cannot guarantee additional classes at a time slot that will work with your schedule.

All special classes are 50 minutes in length and are scheduled to start at the top of the hour. To accommodate people coming and going from the class and to ensure that we are off of the phone line in time for it to be available for the next class, all classes begin promptly at 3 minutes after the hour and conclude at 5 minutes before the next hour.

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When you register for a MyCreativeProsperity class, you will receive a breakdown of class topics and dates. Each week you will receive a recap of the important information from the last class.  Before attending any teleclass, please be sure you have reviewed any related information in the class text.

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All you really need is the special bridge number to call into, access to e-mail, a phone. You do not need your computer in order to join the teleclasses. For best results come to the class with a printout of your class materials, a notebook, a quiet space and an open mind. You may call in from home, from work, while traveling or anywhere you have access to a land line telephone.

The call in number as well as a confirmation of the date, time and topic for the next  class will be sent out by e-mail the week prior to class. If for any reason you do not receive this e-mail please write Mari or Bernie to receive your log in information.

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MyCreativeProsperity teleclasses cost the same as the in-person class ($245.00 $345.00 depending on the class). However you are responsible for the cost of the long distance phone call you must make to access the conference call. For most U.S residents, each call may cost you approximately $3-$6/hour. For most international students the cost of the calls do not exceed the equivalent of $11.00 US. Our bridge lines are hosted from Kansass, so unless you live in Kansass you will always need to make a long distance phone call. Check with your long distance carrier for your rates. There are no added teleconferencing charges of any kind--just the regular long distance charge to join the bridge line.

Please note: Although we realize that there are many computer based and Internet based systems for free or very low cost long distance YOU CANNOT USE COMPUTER BASED CALLING TO ACCESS THE TELECLASSES. Teleclass bridges simply cannot support computer-based phone technology and may crash for several days as a result of such calls. You MUST use a regular land based phone line or a very high quality cell phone to attend the teleclasses.

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We want each person's bridge experiences to be positive. To that end, here are some suggestions:

1. Find a Quiet Place & Schedule Uninterrupted Time. A small room with a door that shuts is great. At work, many people post a note on my door that they are on a conference call with the time I'll be done. At home most people set an agreement with my family ahead of time that they are not to be disturbed unless there is a real emergency. If you use a cell phone (they work great if they are high quality, have a good battery charge andtrong signal) just find a nice parking lot - we don't want to be party to your accident.

2. Use your telephone's mute button, if there is one. Background noise, the dog barking, radio, etc., could be a problem if 10 callers all aren't using their mute buttons. If your phone doesn't have a mute button, just find a very quiet place. Please also be aware of breathing, it is not something you notice with two people on a call- but with 10 people on a call it can sound like an obscene phone caller's convention if we are not careful. Hold the phone away from your mouth and nose if you do not have a mute button. Speak up slightly and hold the phone slightly away from your mouth wile talking.

3. Other phones & Call waiting. If you have more than one phone line, turn the ringer off your other phones. It will be a very shrill noise to those of us listening. If you have a 'call-waiting' feature on your line, please disable it before dialing in to the call by dialing *70. Aside from being disruptive, bridges can get hung up (unusable) for days if someone "flashes" over to check the other line. After you hang up, your call-waiting feature automatically resumes.

4. Use Speaker phones and Cordless phones only with great care. Speakerphones should ONLY be sued if you have and will use a mute button. The clarity/quality simply isn't good enough when the sound is broadcast through the bridge to 10 other people. Pick up the handset when you speak and put the mute button on when you're just listening. Most Cordless phones and headsets work fine for a teleclasses however for optimal bridge quality, please use 900+mghz cordless phones and stay close to the base unit to avoid causing static on the line. Some Cordless phones can cause feedback and squealing if you or others hear recurring static or echoes, you may be asked to use a standard telephone line.

5. NEVER use computer-based dial-ups into bridges. Teleclass bridges cannot support computer-based phone technology. Please immediately refrain from using any type of computer/internet telephony to call into bridges. Use of this technology can cause noise, distortion and static and can make bridges unusable, sometimes for days. This method is simply not permitted for any reason and may jeopardize your membership in the message boards and block you from access to the teleclasses.

6. Call back if you get disconnected.  If your line gets static, you get disconnected or you just need to take a break, simply hang up and call back. It is as simple as that. Think of the line as a casual classroom where you are free to come and go as you need.

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1. Sharing is encouraged. Your leader may ask for you to share or respond throughout the call. To manage a group who cannot visually 'clue' into each other, it is important that we follow a specific feedback protocol. Please wait with your comments until you've been prompted with a question, or invited to share comments by your teleclass leader. To indicate to your instructor that you have a question or comment and would like such an opportunity when they are speaking, press your * button one time. The Instructor will recognize you at the next appropriate time. When you do share,. Please supply your name and location so that we can all get to know you. To ensure your own privacy please ONLY use your first name and general geographic location. Mari Geasair and Accelerated Solutions reserves the right to tape these classes to use as class materials or to resell as part of other products and services. If you announce your full name, address and place of business you might find yourself more famous than you intended to be.

2. A Word About Cross Talk. If another caller says something that you want to comment on or ask more information about, go through the Instructor, don't speak to the person directly, at least at first. Let the Instructor play traffic cop. You could say something like, "Mari, can I ask that Bruce rephrase the point he just made?" On 3-4 person conference calls this is often not necessary, but with calls of between 5 and 10 people it really cuts down confusion and makes things flow more smoothly.

3. Comings and Goings. Leaving the call during the scheduled call time is allowed. If you must leave early, it is fine, just hang-up. If the baby needs changing, feel free to leave and call back. Please don't call the bridge before the scheduled time. This is a rented bridge, another class on a different topic my be happening just before our class. Please don't call the bridge number trying to reach Mari , Bernie or  MycreativeProsperity.com when the bridge isn't scheduled for a teleclass there really won't be anyone 'there!' It's just a bridge system, to connect phones calling into it at the same time, not a distinct phone line that can be answered or receive messages.

4. If you are late, please come anyway.  Yes!  Come!  Just dial in and be silent until you catch on to what's being discussed.  A short beep will sound when you call in to indicate to the others that someone new has just joined the call. The Instructor may or may not officially welcome you -but probably won't so as not to disturb the flow of the call. That doesn't mean you're not welcome! You are.

5. Please be positive!  If you do not agree with the Instructor or others in attendance, please be positive with your comments. We are all here to learn. Try to ask others how they arrived at a particular perspective, or how their perspective might relate to another related idea rather than telling them that they are wrong or missed the point. Remember all growth and learning is personal as well as practical and we all use think and succeed differently. Respectful differences of opinion are highly encouraged, abuse or disrespect of any kind will not be allowed.

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 We rarely have bridge problems, but should this occur, please read the following:

Funny Noises? Echoing? Static?
If the bridge makes funny noises (buzzing, screeching, tapping), everyone should hang up and call back. Often times, this is caused by someone's bad connection and can develop into an echo, static, etc. It's difficult to assess exactly where the bad connection is with many callers from all corners of the world.

Dropped Off the Bridge?
If you get disconnected, simply call back into the bridge. Sometimes it is the bridge itself, and sometimes a temporary break in your long distance service causes a drop to occur.

Endless Ringing?
If you call the bridge and the phone rings endlessly, this could mean:
- Wrong Bridge Number. Of course, you'll want to locate and dial the correct bridge number.
- Number was Misdialed. Check the number and dial again carefully.
- Called Early/First Caller. If you are the first caller, the phone will ring endlessly until someone else calls in - then you'll be automatically connected. If you are first or early, let it ring about 15-20 times, hang-up and call again.
- You May Have Translated the Time Incorrectly. You may want to review time translations at http://www.timeanddate.com.

Silence?
If you call a bridge and the phone stops ringing, you know you're connected with another caller. Simply say hello and introduce yourself. Other participants and your teleclass leader will check in shortly.

Message "All Circuits Are Busy" or Fast Busy Signal
- Sometimes the problem is not with the bridge, but with yourlong distance carrier. Sometimes the problem is with your regular long distance service or the pre-dial long distance service. For instance, some people use pre-dial codes (such as 10-10-811 before placing the long distance call). Before making a request to us to check for trouble, always try another long distance method (or phone) to see if it's the bridge or your line.

If you are still having difficulty it could means that there really IS bridge trouble. If that is the case please e-mail mari@coachmari.com with the details of your experience. (remember the more information the better) and she will take care of getting the problem fixed in time for the next teleclass meeting.

1) Audiotaping Release/Permission to Record - You may not audio tape the Teleclasses. You understand that Mari Geasair, Bernie Cardell and MyCreativeProsperity reserves the right to audio tape the teleclasses to be used as a teaching tool for those who have missed class or need a review. The tapes for the teleclasses you attend will not be produced or distributed comercially unless you are first notified and sign a waiver granitng us rights to distribute the class recording.

2) Bridge Number Confidentiality - You agree to not share the Teleclass bridge number(s) with anyone not enrolled in the same class that you are enrolled in.

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