An Intro to Meeting Online with Microsoft Teams

The way we work and connect is changing. In MS Teams, you can collaborate with anyone by scheduling meetings or calling individuals. Calling someone and meeting with people are two distinct ways of communicating, each serving different purposes and offering unique features. For immediate, one-on-one discussions, give someone a call. For organized collaborations with multiple participants, consider scheduling a meeting with someone. Learn about each method below.

Meetings in Microsoft Teams

As the primary video conferencing platform at UIW, MS Teams is used by most for scheduling online meetings. Meetings in MS Teams include audio, video, and screen sharing and are an essential place where work and collaboration happen. Also, you don't need to be at UIW, or even have a Teams account, to join a meeting in MS Teams. Scheduling a meeting is ideal for:

Scheduled presentations, project updates, or regular team meetings.
When you need a calendar item for your meeting, schedule in advance and send invites.
Customizing meeting options for configure settings such as presentation privileges, camera and mic options, and a lobby.
Gatherings that need to be recorded.

How to Schedule a Meeting

There are several ways to schedule an MS Teams meeting:

Meeting Templates

Want to organize a meeting for a specific scenario, like a class, lecture, or a registered event? With meeting templates, new types of meetings are possible and meeting options will already be set, saving you time and ensuring meetings adhere to what you need. Currently, available meeting templates are listed below.

Webinar

Ideal for structured, engaging presentations or interactive workshops that require registration. Attendees have clear roles: one or several presenters share their ideas or speak directly to attendees. Some notable features of the Webinar template include:

Webinars always require registration.
A unique, customizable webpage is created for each Webinar, offering attendees and organizers a place to learn more, register, and join the event.
Can be restricted to UIW-only or public.
By default, audio and video permissions are turned off for attendees.
Can use Chat or Q&A.

Town Hall

Ideal for large events centered around attendee consumption, where attendees aren't expected to speak, share, or register. Some notable features of the Town hall template include:

Registration is optional for Town halls.
Can be restricted to UIW-only or public.
Town halls can host up to 10,000 attendees, whereas normal meetings in MS Teams can only support 1,000 people.
By default, audio and video permissions are turned off for attendees.
No Chat option, must use Q&A.

Class

Ideal for meetings where an educator is presenting a topic to a body of students. Some notable features of the Class template include:

Meeting Chat is only available during the meeting for active discussions.
Chat is disabled, but viewable, before and after the meeting ends.

Lecture

Ideal for meetings where an educator is presenting a topic to a body of students. Some notable features of the Lecture template include:

Meeting Chat is turned on during the meeting, and available before and after the meeting.

To start scheduling a meeting with a template, you must use the MS Teams application either on your desktop or through Cardinal Apps. Within the MS Teams app 1) Open Calendar and 2) Choose the drop-down arrow next to +New meeting and choose a template.

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Calls in Microsoft Teams

While meetings are a great way to collaborate and set aside time on everyone's calendar, calls can be a more direct way of connecting. Making a call in MS Teams is similar to a traditional phone call and can be a more direct way of connecting for completing specific tasks using audio or video. Choosing to call over a meeting is ideal for:

Quick, direct communication for immediate responses or informal discussions.
Personal or brief conversations when face-to-face interaction is unavailable.
Non-recorded conversations (calls cannot be recorded in MS Teams)

How to Make a Call

Wherever you are in the MS Teams app, you can start a call with someone by selecting the phone icon found in each space. Learn more about making calls in Microsoft Teams.

Video Overview

FAQ

Where Can I Learn More about Meeting Options and Features?

Learn how to adjust your video and audio settings.
Feature language interpretation in your meetings.
Learn all about recording your MS Teams meeting and how to extend or cancel the expiration of a recording.
Utilize live captions for a more clear presentation.
Present and collaborate with Microsoft Whiteboard or the built-in annotation feature.
Leverage breakout rooms to break up conversations while staying in the same meeting.

How Can I Learn More about Microsoft Teams?

MS Teams opens new avenues of communication far beyond video and audio conferencing. It is the ultimate messaging app for your digital life, a workspace for real-time collaboration and communication, meetings, file and app sharing. All in one place, all accessible to everyone. We think the

Get familiar with personal chats and group chats.
Manage your notifications.
Gather people and create a Team for a shared space to collaborate.
Understand channels as organized workspaces.
Learn about file sharing in MS Teams.
Do more by exploring apps.