4-Min Read|May 8, 2020|Webinar Training

Communicating Using Microsoft Teams

The ability to communicate quickly and effectively with your team is a vital part of the modern working world, especially during the pandemic. Have you learned how to use every means of communication offered by Microsoft Teams?

At this point in the COVID-19 pandemic, you should have a collaboration solution you rely on in place for your business. But if you’re still looking for an effective way to meet with remote contacts, you should consider Microsoft Teams.

Microsoft is currently offering a free 6-month trial of Microsoft Office 365 E1, including Microsoft Teams, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Check out our latest webinar to learn about its collaboration capabilities:

Chatting On Microsoft Teams

Microsoft Teams’ chat function is your most direct way to get in touch with team members. Use this function to send a quick message. There are several features of the chat function that make communication simple:

Under the Chat tab, you’ll have access to a range of different information – who has read a message that you’ve sent, your full list of contacts, and recent conversations.
Teams shows your coworkers’ availability, with green for Available, yellow for “Be Right Back” or “Appear Away,” or red for “Busy” or “Do Not Disturb.”
You can start a new chat with the pencil icon near the top right of the window, and either select the person you want to talk to from your contact list or type their name in.
You can add additional people to the conversation to start a group chat.
Beneath the text field for your message, you’ll see the many different types of content you can send – files from your computer or another Microsoft app, emojis, GIFs, stickers, calendar invites, and more.
You can also chat with entire channels, allowing you to better communicate with specific teams within your organization.

Harnessing the full capabilities of the chat function will allow you to communicate more quickly and efficiently than by composing an email. Any time you need to ask a quick question or directly share some info, the chat function is your best bet.

Internal Team Calling On Microsoft Teams

For some conversations, text chatting isn’t the most efficient method of communicating. For a more direct interface with team members, you can place audio and video calls.

You can place a call to a specific team member by selecting the phone icon (audio only) or video camera icon (audio and video) in the top right-hand corner of the chat window
During a video call, you can maintain the call while viewing other windows, which will minimize the video feed
You can add additional team members to an active call by selecting the Participants option on the call menu, and invite other contacts in the right-hand menu
Clicking the ellipsis on the call menu will open up a range of additional options, such as the capability to record the meeting
Microsoft Teams allows users to blur or replace their background, also found under the ellipsis on the call menu
You can share your screen via the option on the call menu, which allows you to select whether you share your desktop or a specific window

Want To Learn More About Microsoft Apps?

TLC Tech will be holding webinars like this one every Wednesday, to further explore Teams and other solutions included in the Microsoft 365 suite. CLICK HERE to access our on-demand library of past webinars to learn more.

Like this article? Check out the following blogs to learn more:

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Zoom v. Microsoft Teams: What is the Right Video Chat Software?

Microsoft Teams: Everything You Need To Know To Connect Your Team While They Work From Home