Last month we shared 5 tips for Microsoft Teams beginners. Now we’re showing off 5 more features you can utilize in your Teams app.
Polls and Surveys
Engaging participants and gathering valuable insights during meetings can be facilitated by conducting polls and surveys directly within Microsoft Teams.
This feature enables meeting organizers to create and share real-time polls or surveys, allowing participants to provide feedback and opinions.
Polls and surveys provide a structured way to collect data, make decisions, and create a sense of inclusivity within the meeting. It encourages active participation from all attendees and ensures that everyone’s voice is heard. This feature allows meeting organizers to make data-driven decisions, promote engagement, and foster a collaborative environment.
Together Mode
Creating a sense of togetherness and fostering collaboration in virtual meetings can be challenging. Microsoft Teams’ Together Mode feature addresses this by placing participants in a shared virtual background, such as an auditorium or coffee shop.
This immersive setting enhances the feeling of being in the same physical space, making interactions more natural and engaging. Together Mode encourages eye contact, non-verbal communication, and a sense of connectedness, fostering a more dynamic and collaborative meeting experience. It’s particularly beneficial for large meetings or conferences where participants may feel distant or disconnected.
Meeting Recaps
Keeping track of important details and follow-up actions after a meeting is essential for productivity. Microsoft Teams’ session recaps feature automatically generates a meeting summary, including shared files, transcripts and notes.
This recap is shared with all participants, ensuring everyone understands the outcomes and next steps clearly. Meeting recaps serve as a valuable reference point, eliminating the need for extensive note-taking and enabling participants to stay informed and accountable. ]
More intelligent recaps are available with premium Teams subscriptions.
Presenter View
For seamless and practical presentations, Microsoft Teams offers the Presenter View feature. This Mode displays the presenter’s content, such as slides or shared applications, in a separate window. It allows presenters complete control over their content while keeping smooth navigation and seamless transitions during presentations. Presenter View ensures that the focus remains on the presenter and the shared content. This enhances engagement and comprehension for meeting participants.
Live Captions
Promoting accessibility and inclusivity in meetings is crucial. Microsoft Teams’ live captions feature transcribes spoken words into real-time captions, making it easier for individuals with hearing impairments or language barriers to follow along. Live captions enhance comprehension and allow all participants to fully engage in the meeting, regardless of their language or hearing abilities. This feature promotes a more inclusive and equitable meeting environment, ensuring everyone can participate actively and contribute to the discussion.
Microsoft Teams offers many hidden features that can transform your meetings from ordinary to extraordinary. By leveraging features like live reactions, meeting notes, breakout rooms, and live captions, you can foster collaboration, encourage participation, and create a more dynamic and engaging meeting experience for your team. These hidden gems in Microsoft Teams enhance productivity, improve communication, and promote inclusivity, ultimately driving better results for your organization. Explore these features, experiment with them, and unlock the full potential of Microsoft Teams for your meetings.
Check out the video link below on how to utilize these features.
Polls and Surveys: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bT0mbfLL-tQ
Together Mode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGsNmYKgeTA
Meeting Recaps: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n-ub_VdpkAI
Presenter View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ70N8u3QD8
Live Captions: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6xBsNsUSwI
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Tom Wright, Excerpt from “Top 10 Microsoft Teams Features For Beginners”, uctoday.com, Oct 04, 2023