How To Make the Most of Microsoft Teams Navigation
It’s no secret that we’ve all had to quickly adapt to virtual office life – we’ve all had to swap our catchups over coffee to talking over Teams.
How To Make the Most of Microsoft Teams Navigation
While we all know video calls aren’t the same as meeting in person, Teams offers you ways in which you can recreate human-to-human contact and, ultimately, boost the productivity of your meetings.
Today, we’re talking about some of the collaboration features Teams has on offer and how you can access them.
Time Elapsed
Avoid losing track of time by keeping your eye on the Time Elapsed as it ticks on throughout your meeting.
Not only is this feature great for when you want to look at how much time has passed without making it too obvious that you’re clock-watching, but it’s also useful for splitting up the agenda into manageable chunks.
For example, you can make your meetings run smoother and save time by allotting only two minutes at the start of each meeting to general chit-chat and introductions before saying “Okay, we’re two minutes in now, let’s crack on with the agenda.”
Camera On/Off
It’s a simple function that allows you to switch your webcam on and off.
Of course, we recommend switching your camera on when you’re talking with your team, but if you have to nip out the room, or your background suddenly becomes distracting, you can quickly toggle Camera On/Off without disturbing the flow of the meeting.
Mute/Unmute
When you have more than three people in your meeting, we’d recommend that everyone who isn’t talking mutes their microphones.
Again, background noise and general microphone feedback can cause disruption and confusion. Toggle Mute/Unmute as and when you need to speak.
Share your screen.
If you need to demonstrate something, Share Screen is an excellent way to get everyone on board.
You can easily share your screen, or even open up a whiteboard, in Teams to showcase a piece of work, explain a process or demonstrate your point.
Raise Hand.
This feature is brilliant for larger groups that are listening to one main speaker.
Pop up your hand and signal to the host that you’d like to ask a question or contribute.
Alternatively, Raise Hand could be used to getting a quick show of hands without everyone having to unmute their mics.
Participants.
See who is in the meeting at a glance by tapping the Participants icon. Again, this feature is useful for large teams, or if you’ve forgotten someone’s name (possible awkward moment = swerved).
Meeting Chat.
Add comments, drop links, upload files and contribute to the meeting without disturbing the flow. Simply open up the Meeting Chat to share your information with the other attendees.
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