Like us, you found yourself suddenly at home to work, with your children, your colleagues, your internet connection to manage… or even all three at the same time? At Academic Work, we took the opportunity to experiment with new ways of working remotely. Today, we present the 5 Microsoft Teams functions that we have used the most since our switch to 100% teleworking to continue chatting with colleagues and partners. And as a bonus, here are some tips inspired by an article from the Harvard Business Review on the art and manner of conducting your meetings remotely.
Skype for business, Zoom, Teams, Whichh application to use?
There are many applications available today for conducting remote meetings, and we prefer Microsoft Teams for several reasons: Often already installed on professional computers, this application allows you to navigate between your files and conversations, We noticed a much higher connection quality, There are some features that are very useful for professional use, including the five detailed below.
1 Accessibility via an Internet browser
The first nice feature we find with Teams is that you don’t need to install the Teams app to attend a meeting via Teams, just as you don’t need to have an Outlook account or a Microsoft operating system. The platform allows you to use it on the internet via your browser. However, we recommend the Google Chrome browser to minimize bugs. If you are invited to a meeting via Teams, it will then be easy for you to connect, even if you won’t have access to all the features. The application will simply ask you for your name and to check the quality of your camera and microphone before joining the discussion, which you can do by clicking on join. NB: If, after this manipulation, your camera and microphone still do not work, your security settings may be responsible. In this case, you will need to authorize Teams to have access to the camera and microphone, either at the level of your browser or your computer settings.
2 Share content with one click
You are used to sharing content during meetings, which you can also do via Teams from the dashboard as below:This will make it easier to illustrate your points with tables, graphs, or data that you want to highlight. The feature that we particularly like is that you can share your entire desktop (what you see is what your interlocutors see) or just the presentation or file that you want to show. More comfortable if you handle a lot of confidential data
3 Blur the background and reduce background noise
This is our favorite feature of Microsoft Teams. Whether you’re at home or in a coffee shop, you may not want your conversation partners to be distracted by what’s going on behind you (very handy if you’re working from your cubicle for peace or good Wi-Fi). Or maybe you have an important meeting and want to appear as professional as possible in an environment that’s free of any indicators of your private life. Technically, this feature works like the “foreground” feature of the iPhone camera. To activate it, the command is on the dashboard as follows: As for background noise, the app automatically detects and attenuates it. No need to activate anything here.
4 Save the presentation
Another feature that we like and use regularly is recording the interaction for those who are absent or who need to go back to get specific information. The control is also located on the dashboard, and you can start/stop the recording whenever you want. This feature will record the slides and the audio. All participants will see, once the recording has started, a small red button that flashes. At the end of the presentation, they will receive an email with the link to access the recording.
5 Give control of your desktop to a participant
This feature is very useful in case of technical problems, for example. You can then call a person who can help you and give them control of your desktop commands. To do this, you first need to share your desktop (see feature #2 above) and then give control to the person of your choice at the top of your screen. Bonus: tips & tricks on the art and manner of conducting remote meetings
1 Get a good quarter of an hour in advance
when it comes to technology or the speed of our internet connection, we are not all equal. To avoid last-minute bugs or failures, we recommend that you test your equipment well in advance. If you are holding an internal meeting, a note the day before or a few hours before the meeting to explain how the application works is welcome
2 Use video and ask your interlocutors to do the same
When it comes to internal meetings with fewer than 5fivepeople, using video allows you to see the expressions and emotions of others and humanizes communication.
3 Focus on the essentials
if you don’t already do this during your presentations, this advice is vital in the case of a virtual meeting ebecause itis much more difficult to maintain the attention of the interlocutors. Also, there is nothing better than being prepared: the time of the virtual meeting should be used to exchange, discuss, and build rather than describe or present. At Academic Work, we estimate that a virtual meeting could be completed in 20 minutes maximum. Will you be able to beat this record?
4 Maximize the number of interactions
unfortunately, for many of us, remote meetings are synonymous with passivity. Let the one who has never consulted social networks during these famous meetings send us the first tweet! As a moderator or initiator of the interaction, you will t, ttherefore have to redouble your efforts to ask questions and make the participants interact with each other.
