One of the primary means of communication within Child Support Services is Microsoft Teams. MS Teams is used to hold online trainings and meetings and provides instant communication that we use every day via the chat and call features. To learn how to download Microsoft Teams and its basic functions, please visit the Quest article Microsoft Teams Basics.
Additional articles will go into more detail for each Microsoft Teams function. The following steps will describe the basics on how to facilitate a video-conference as the presenter.
Schedule a Meeting
A new window will open:
- Show as:
- Select how others see your availability during the meeting – Free, Tentative, Busy, Working elsewhere, Out of Office, or Private.
- Response options:
- You may request that participants respond to the invitation and whether they may forward it to others.
- Require registration:
- You have the option of requiring registration for either people in your organization, everyone, or no one.
- Add Title:
- This is where you will add the name of your class, training, or meeting.
- Add required attendees:
- Initially you may invite people to your meeting from this box.
- Date and Time:
- Meeting time and date can be selected here, and whether it is an all-day event. If you are not sure when to host the meeting, the toolbar at the very top has a “Scheduling Assistant” tab that can show you your participant’s schedules.
- Does not repeat:
- You may choose to repeat this meeting regularly – Every weekday (Mon-Fri), Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Yearly, or Custom.
- Add Channel (optional):
- You may host your meeting within a specific channel, allowing anyone in that channel to join.
- Add Location (optional):
- You may add a location here if needed. It is optional and not needed for online conferences.
Once you are finished filling out the previous information. Click Save.
Many people use Outlook to schedule and edit meetings. To add additional participants to a meeting after you have scheduled it, simply go into the calendar of either Outlook or Teams and click on the meeting.
- Teams:
- Go to the meeting details, as explained above, and add their email address to the list of required or optional attendees. You will then have to send an update to all participants.
- Outlook:
- A new email will open, addressed to all current attendees. Add the new email addresses to the “To…” bar. Choose if you would like to send an update to everyone or just the ones added/deleted, then press “OK”.
The update will be reflected in both Teams and Outlook.
Note: It is best practice to ensure participant updates are kept to a minimum, so it is recommended that the meeting organizer make as many edits as possible all at once for fewer emailed updates.
The Meeting
When you join the meeting you will see the following screen. The options you have on this screen are:
- Audio:
- The default setting is Computer audio. The other options are only used in specific circumstances. Under Computer audio, it will show the current default microphone and speakers. You can choose between PC Mic and Speakers or a specific headset, headphones, and/or microphone. You can also toggle the microphone on or off here.
- Join Now:
- This will bring you directly into the meeting.
- Camera:
- Toggle the cameras on or off.
When you join a meeting, you will see a toolbar near the top of the screen.
Many of these options are available to all attendees. See Microsoft Teams Meeting Attendees Toolbar for more information about these options.
People:
The first button will open the Participants panel on the right side of the screen. This will show the participants currently in the meeting and allow you to invite additional people. You can also see who is raising their hand in the order that their hands were raised.
Reactions: The third button shows the reactions you can use.
Rooms: The fourth button opens the Rooms dialog. This will allow you to set up Breakout rooms to split up your participants into groups after the meeting has started.
More: The options that are available only to the facilitator include:
- Meeting options:
- These are the same options that are available when first scheduling the meeting.
- Meeting notes:
- Notes that are taken and shared with others before, during, and after the meeting.
- Meeting Info:
- Specific details about the meeting that may need to be shared to help participants enter the meeting when they are having trouble, or to invite additional people when the participant panel’s invite option is not working.
Camera: Toggles Camera on/off and offers options for visual effects.
Microphone: Toggles Microphone on/off.
Share: This is where you will share the visuals for your meeting. When you click on the share button you will have the option to share your desktop or browser windows. If you want to share sound from your computer, make sure you toggle “Include computer sound”.
Leave: Allows you to either hang up or end the meeting for everyone.
Additional information regarding MS Teams can be found in How to Invite External Partners to Teams Meetings, and Tips for Using Teams for OAH Hearings.