Just starting out with Microsoft Teams? There’s much more to Microsoft’s connectivity platform than meets the eye. Here are ten quick tips to get you from novice to expert in no time.
1. Connect with teams
Teams isn’t just the software name, it’s also the feature that provides the most instant connectivity with your colleagues. From within a team you can host meetings, have chats, collaborate on Microsoft files simultaneously, and lots more besides.
2. Change the view
Meetings needn’t look like a boring series of tiled squares. Use Gallery or Dynamic view to tweak the look – which also has the added benefit of reducing meeting fatigue by better replicating what we’re more used to with in-person meetings.
3. Go company-wide
Throw your meetings open to the whole company to ensure that not only is everyone kept up to date but feels included too. Interactive Teams meetings can have up to 1,000 participants, so you have plenty of capacity for large-scale events.
4. Improve inclusivity
Teams meetings come with a host of inclusive features bundled in. Open the chat, let people share emojis or turn on auto captioning to ensure nobody is missed out or left behind.
5. Keep things focused
For all the above, you’ll want to ensure meetings are focused and don’t drift off course. Share agendas beforehand, use the virtual whiteboard and keep all relevant content in one place to better protect against distraction.
6. Use shortcuts
You can jump around in Teams using any one of a huge swathe of shortcuts. Spending a little time learning how to use the most relevant of these will streamline things in the longer term.
7. Allow an escape
Whilst you’ll want to keep meetings focused, it’s wise to empower employees to have a good balance and not become overwhelmed. Switching on ‘Away’ or ‘Do not disturb’ will afford employees the space to get work done before a deadline or simply take a well-earned break.
8. Collaborate
Have a spreadsheet that many people need to input data for, or a PowerPoint that needs others to add in their sections? You can all work on the same file simultaneously, with changes saved as you go.
9. Use AI
Microsoft tools are now using artificial intelligence in many helpful ways. On Teams you can let the machine learning tech automate simple tasks or daily activities – freeing you up to concentrate on the more creative tasks.
10. Work on the go
Armed with all these tips you’ll be ready to go – literally! Teams is designed to work seamlessly across devices, so you can go from desktop to laptop, mobile or meeting room with ease – and without losing a thing.
