Tips for Your Microsoft Teams Meeting

Many businesses have come to rely on Microsoft Teams for remote collaboration, whether for small daily catch-ups or larger company-wide virtual meetings. If you are looking to run more effective online sessions, there are a few practical tips you can apply right away. This post focuses on simple but useful features, including the newly introduced pop-out chat option that can help you manage multiple conversations without losing track of the main meeting.

A Thoughtful Start

When you open Microsoft Teams, you might already notice how chat panels, meeting invites, and team channels interweave. Remote work has gained a major foothold, so it is more important than ever to keep your meetings streamlined and organized. One strategy is to plan the agenda in advance and upload essential files into the relevant channel or chat, so participants can open them prior to the call. Another tip is to consider using the background blur or a custom background if you need to present yourself in a more focused or professional manner. These small steps can set a positive tone from the very start.

Pop-Out for Chats

One of the standout features introduced in Microsoft Teams during 2020 is the pop-out chat. This feature allows you to open your direct messages or group chats in separate windows. In the past, you had to switch back and forth within the Teams interface, which sometimes caused confusion if you needed to read chat updates while still paying attention to the ongoing meeting. By using the pop-out functionality, you can keep your main Teams window dedicated to the meeting or channel, while monitoring direct messages or side conversations in a different window.

How to Use It:

1. Open the chat list in Teams.
2. Right-click on the chat or hover over it, then select the pop-out icon if it appears.
3. The conversation appears in its own window, letting you resize or position it on a secondary monitor if you want.

This approach can be invaluable if you are in a meeting where you also have to coordinate with a subgroup of participants in real time, or you must answer important direct messages without missing what is being said.

Additional Tips for Productive Meetings

• Turn on Video Wisely:
  Engaging by video can help foster a more personal connection, but if your bandwidth is limited or if you are dealing with a large group call, consider turning video off to preserve call quality.
• Use Breakout Channels or Chats:
  If your call spans multiple topics or teams, break up the conversation by using distinct channels or pop-out chats to keep each discussion focused.
• Mute and Unmute Mindfully:
  Encourage participants to keep themselves muted unless they are speaking. This cuts down on background noise and ensures the meeting flows smoothly.
• Leverage Meeting Notes:
  Consider designating a note-taker or use the built-in note functionality, so you have a record of key decisions and tasks that come from the session. This is particularly important when you cannot rely on in-person follow-ups.

Conclusion

Running an effective Microsoft Teams meeting revolves around thoughtful planning, smart use of the platform’s collaborative features, and an awareness of new capabilities such as pop-out chat. By separating your direct messages into another window, you can interact with your meeting more fluidly, providing quick responses or clarifications to colleagues, while still focusing on the main event. Combined with best practices like background blur or structured agendas, you can ensure your remote sessions remain both engaging and efficient.

If you have discovered other tips for productive Teams meetings, feel free to let me know. As the remote work landscape keeps evolving, the simplest tweaks can make your daily interactions more effective and enjoyable.

More Tips & Tricks for Teams here in my Blog or on Microsoft Tech Community

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