Teams Meetings: Our Top 6 Recommended Features (Six of the Best! - no punishment included)
A guide for non-technical users who want to collaborate effectively with their colleagues and partners
Microsoft Teams is a powerful tool that enables you to communicate and collaborate with your team members, clients, and partners in real time. You can use Teams to chat, call, share files, and work on projects together. But one of the most useful features of Teams is the ability to host and join online meetings.
Teams meetings are more than just video calls, they are interactive and engaging sessions that allow you to share your ideas, present your work, gather feedback, and make decisions. You can also use Teams meetings to connect with people outside your organisation, such as customers, vendors, or consultants.
In this post, we will show you how to get the most out of Teams meetings, by exploring our pick of the top 6 features that make them stand out from other online meeting platforms.
We will cover the following topics:
How to chat with meeting participants before, during, and after the meeting.
How to upload and share meeting files in advance and access them in OneDrive.
How to host and join meetings in Teams channels.
How to use whiteboard in meetings to brainstorm and collaborate.
How to record a meeting, produce a transcription, or use Copilot to quickly generate effective meeting minutes.
How to use the new "Add an agenda" loop feature to create, record, and assign tasks in meetings.
By the end of this post, you will have a better understanding of how Teams meetings can help you and your team work more efficiently and productively.
So, let's get started!
1. How to chat with meeting participants before, during, and after the meeting
One of the key advantages of Teams meetings is the ability to chat with the meeting participants before, during, and after the meeting. This feature aids in meeting preparation, clarification of queries or issues, and action item follow-ups.
Prior to the meeting, the chat function in the meeting invitation can be used to interact with the participants, including sending messages, files, emojis, stickers, or GIFs. The chat also serves as a reminder tool for meeting details such as time, date and agenda.
During the meeting, the chat window provides a platform for interaction. Accessible via the chat icon in the toolbar, it allows for sharing thoughts, asking questions, providing feedback, or sharing links and files. It also facilitates communication with the meeting organiser or presenter for requests like breaks, topic changes, or clarifications.
Post-meeting, the same chat window serves to continue the conversation. You can use the chat to thank the participants, summarise the key points, share the meeting recording or minutes, or assign the next steps. It also encourages ongoing conversation by asking for feedback, suggestions, or ideas.
The chat function in Teams meetings ensures everyone is aligned and comprehends the meeting’s purpose and outcome. It also fosters rapport and trust with meeting participants by demonstrating interest, appreciation, and support.
2. How to upload and share meeting files in advance and access them in OneDrive
Teams meetings offer the distinct advantage of enabling you to upload, share and access meeting files in advance via OneDrive. This feature facilitates collaboration on documents, presentations, spreadsheets, and other meeting-related files, ensuring they are organised and secure.
Uploading and sharing files in advance is a straightforward process - simply use the files tab in the meeting invitation or the meeting chat window. Here, you can upload files such as reports, proposals, slides or charts that you wish to share with the meeting participants. Additionally, you can share files for review, editing or commenting by the participants, including drafts, feedback forms or surveys. Accessing these meeting files in OneDrive is equally simple.
The files tab in the meeting chat window or the meeting details page allows you to access and open in OneDrive any files uploaded or shared by you or other meeting participants; this includes meeting-related files like the meeting recording, transcription or minutes.
By uploading and sharing meeting files in advance and accessing them in OneDrive, you can ensure that all meeting participants have the necessary information and relevant resources to actively contribute to the meeting. Furthermore, it guarantees that all meeting files are stored and managed in a centralised and secure location, easily accessible for future reference.
3. How to host and join meetings in Teams channels
The ability to both host and participate in meetings directly within Teams channels is another benefit, enhancing communication and collaboration among team members, while also providing a centralised location for tracking team projects and activities.
When you are ready to host a meeting in a Teams channel, the ‘Meet Now’ feature is your go to tool. Simply click on the ‘Meet Now’ icon located in the channel header. This feature allows you to kick off an immediate meeting with channel members or schedule one for a future time. But it doesn’t stop there – ‘Meet Now’ also enables you to extend invitations to individuals outside the channel or team, such as guests, clients or partners.
On the flip side, if you are looking to join a meeting in a Teams channel, the ‘Join’ button is your gateway, accessed by clicking on the meeting notification in the channel or the activity feed. Whether the meeting is currently in progress or scheduled for a later time, or even if you have been invited by the meeting organiser or channel owner, the ‘Join’ button is your entry point.
By utilising these features to host and join meetings in Teams channels, you ensure that team members are not only aware of but actively involved in team meetings. This also guarantees that these meetings align with team goals and objectives. Furthermore, it ensures that team meetings are easily visible and accessible to all team members, with all meeting information and resources neatly stored and organised within the channel. This is truly a game-changer in managing team collaboration and communication.
4. How to use whiteboard in meetings to brainstorm and collaborate
A fifth benefit of Teams meetings is the whiteboard feature, a powerful tool for brainstorming and collaboration during meetings. This feature helps you to generate and share ideas, solve problems, and create plans with your meeting participants.
To use this feature in your meetings, you’ll need to access the whiteboard app by clicking on the ‘Share’ icon in the meeting toolbar and then selecting the ‘Whiteboard’ option. The app transforms your meeting into a digital canvas, where you and other meeting participants can draw, write, or type your ideas, questions and solutions. To make your brainstorming session more visual and interactive, the whiteboard app allows you to add images, shapes, or stickers to the canvas.
Incorporating the whiteboard into your meetings ensures an engaging and creative environment where participants can effectively express and communicate their though and opinions. This feature also fosters collaboration and cooperation, allowing participants to build upon each other’s ideas and feedback. It’s a fantastic way to keep everyone on the same page and moving forward together.
5. How to record a meeting, produce a transcription, or use Copilot to quickly generate effective meeting minutes
One of the best tools for efficiency offered by Teams is the ability to record meetings, produce transcriptions, or use Copilot to quickly generate effective meeting minutes. These features are instrumental in capturing and documenting meeting content, outcomes, and action items for later review and sharing.
To record a meeting, simply use the ‘Record’ feature, accessed by clicking on the ‘More Actions icon in the meeting toolbar. You can use this feature to record the audio, video, and screen sharing of the meeting, before saving the recording in the cloud. It also provides options to stop, pause, or resume the recording, or to delete the recording if you don't need it.
For producing a transcript, the ‘Transcription feature is the perfect tool. Find it by clicking on the ‘More Actions’ icon again and selecting ‘Start Transcription’. This will create a written record of the meeting, identifying speakers and timestamps of speech, which you can then edit, download or delete – you can even turn live captions on or off during the meeting.
The Copilot feature is available within Teams to generate comprehensive meeting minutes. Copilot, when activated, will create a summary of the meeting, highlighting key points, decisions, and action items. It also allows you to share, export or print the minutes, and add or edit details such as the title, date or attendees.
Recording a meeting, producing a transcription, or using Copilot to generate meeting minutes, ensures that meeting content, outcomes and action items are recorded and documented. They become readily available and accessible to meeting participants and other individuals. It also allows participants to review and recall meeting information and resources, facilitating follow-up and execution of next steps. It’s a comprehensive way to keep everyone informed and aligned!
6. How to use the new "Add an agenda" loop feature to create, record, and assign tasks in meetings
Another standout feature in Microsoft Teams is the agenda loop feature for creating, recording and assigning tasks in meetings. This out-of-the-box functionality can help you to streamline and automate the meeting workflow, and to ensure that the meeting results in actionable outcomes.
When setting up a new meeting in Teams, all you need to do is scroll down to find the ‘Add an Agenda’ field at the bottom. A simple click on this box will automatically add sections for the agenda, meetings notes, and follow-up tasks. These sections serve as a template that you can fill in, providing a structured format for your meeting.
This feature is extremely beneficial as it ensures that all meeting participants are on the same page regarding the meeting’s purpose and objectives. By providing a clear agenda, individuals can better prepare for the meeting, leading to more productive discussions.
The meeting notes section allows for real-time documentation of the meeting’s proceedings, which is particularly useful for those who may not be able to attend the meeting, as they can easily catch up on what was discussed.
Furthermore, the follow-up tasks section ensures accountability among the team members. By clearly assigning tasks and deadlines, teams can stay on track and ensure that the action items from the meeting are completed in a timely manner.
The ‘Agenda’ feature in Teams meetings is a powerful tool that can make your meetings more structured, efficient and effective. So, the next time you set up a meeting in Teams, don’t forget to try it out!
Six of the Best!
In this post, we have journeyed through the dynamic world of Microsoft Teams meetings, highlighting some of the unique features that set it apart from other online meeting platforms. We have delved into:
The ability to chat with meeting participants before, during, and after the meeting, fostering seamless communication.
The convenience of uploading and sharing meeting files in advance and accessing them in OneDrive, ensuring all participants have the necessary resources.
The functionality to host and join meetings in Teams channels, providing a dedicated space for specific discussions.
The innovative whiteboard feature that allows for real-time brainstorming and collaboration during meetings.
The capability to record a meeting, produce a transcription, or use Copilot to quickly generate effective meeting minutes, creating a valuable reference for future use.
The new ‘Add an Agenda’ loop feature that enables you to create, record and assign tasks in meetings, enhancing productivity and accountability.
We trust that this blog post illuminated how Teams meetings can bolster efficiency and productivity within your team. By leveraging these features, you can transform your virtual meetings into dynamic, interactive and fruitful sessions.
We hop you are now equipped to make the most of your Teams meetings.
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