In a commissioned report, Microsoft learned more about the challenges employees face today: on average attendees have 10 meetings per week. during these meetings most (60%) are walking away “stressed” or unsatisfied with meetings and (57%) find meetings unproductive.
That is why the new meeting experience in Microsoft Teams has been rolled out. These updates and new features aim to create a more inclusive, engaging, and more human environment. From ‘Large Gallery’, ‘Together Mode’, and ‘Focus Mode’ to more inclusive meetings with live captions and notes collaboration – the new features will help you be more engaged and efficient in your online meetings.
Meeting Controls
One of the first things that you probably noticed is that the controls were moved to the top of the meeting screen:
The purpose of this change is a better user experience, but also to make sure users don’t block content on the call.
Large Gallery and 49 Video Streams
Another difference from the previous experience is that you can see 49 video streams at once; this is the so-called ‘Large Gallery View’ and you can switch it on from within your meeting:
10 or more attendees must be sharing their video for Large Gallery view to be available:
Together Mode
‘Together Mode’, available from the same drop-down menu and just below ‘Large Gallery’ mode. You can enter Together Mode once you’re in a group call with at least five participants. We recommend using Together Mode to prevent so-called ‘meeting fatigue’, and when you want to see all meeting members together:
Focus Mode
When content is being shared in a meeting, the focus mode is available. Focus mode enables attendees to avoid the distraction of seeing the videos and pay attention to content:
Don’t forget, you can now also:
- Access the meeting notes directly from the ‘more actions’ (…) tab, and capture meeting objectives, important notes, or action items
- Turn on live captions
- Set up your meeting options directly from the meeting, and decide who can present or bypass the lobby
- Raise a virtual hand to let the presenter know you want to contribute without interrupting the conversation.
What about the upcoming features?
Virtual Breakout Rooms
Virtual Breakout Rooms are expected to roll out in November 2020. Meeting hosts can create breakout rooms to be used by meeting participants for smaller group discussions. They can assign participants to a room and call them back to the larger group when the breakout is complete.
Meeting Attendee Engagement Dashboard
The meeting attendee engagement dashboard is in development and the estimated roll-out time is December 2020. Based on Microsoft Teams Roadmap information, this feature will enable you to ‘measure attendee engagement through participation, including registration, attendance, and interactions during the meeting’. This data is also available for download.
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