Time is a precious commodity, isn't it? Taking a whole day from work to attend professional development - even something we would passionately like to attend - is often a challenge. We think of what's going to be there for us tomorrow when we get back to our desk. Not to mention the emails.

Then there's the cost. Am I going to gain enough from the day to warrant spending so much of my professional development budget on one day workshop?

Of course, there's also the logistics of getting there - the travel, the parking. the organisation of children because you won't be home at the normal time.

This is why teleseminars are just so good. I've been participating in at least one a week for the past couple of years. They are a very time efficient way to gain new knowledge and professional development.

So What is A teleseminar?

A teleseminar is a seminar that is conducted over the telephone. You dial into a number at the advertised time and connect to the teleseminar with a conference ID number.

They are generally only 1 hour long so the presenter has to be focussed in his/her presentation. A lot of information is therefore gained in that short period of time.

And, of course, no leaving your desk! Although you may have to have your calls held and put a "Do Not Disturb"note on your door - No travel and no parking problems either. They are also very low cost.

What's also good about teleseminars is that they are usually recorded and the people who register get a copy of the recording which they can download to their iPod or burn to a CD or just listen to on their computer. So even if something happens on the day and you can't attend, you still get most of the value of the teleseminar.

I'm about to begin offering one hour teleseminars to women in the near future for all the reasons I've mentioned above.