It’s straightforward to start out a video assembly in Microsoft Groups, however there are methods to boost the expertise for you and the opposite attendees, whether or not it’s a casual video chat with co-workers, a presentation to a consumer, or a department-wide quarterly replace. Right here’s how one can get probably the most out of video conferences in Groups — finest practices for earlier than, throughout, and after your assembly.
This story is primarily for customers whose organizations have a subscription to a Microsoft 365 or Workplace 365 enterprise or enterprise plan. Though Microsoft presents subscriptions tailor-made for dwelling customers, in addition to a free model of Groups, these don’t embrace lots of the options lined on this story. Additionally notice that these directions describe the Groups desktop app; some options should not obtainable within the net or cellular variations. (Here is a have a look at how Groups compares to rivals.)
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Earlier than the assembly
To schedule a video assembly in Groups, click on the Calendar icon on the left toolbar. This brings up a calendar in the primary window. Click on the New assembly button on the upper-right nook.
A fill-out type will seem in the primary window. Kind in a title in your assembly.
Within the Add required attendees field, sort within the e-mail addresses of the individuals who you wish to attend your assembly — or, in case your group’s deal with guide is built-in with Groups, you possibly can simply begin typing co-workers’ names (or the names of company e-mail lists) and choose them from the record that seems. If you wish to invite individuals with out making them really feel that they’re required to attend, click on +Non-obligatory on the proper finish of the required attendees subject and add their names within the Non-obligatory subject that seems beneath.
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Scheduling a gathering in Groups is easy and integrates with Microsoft 365 contacts and calendaring. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
Then within the fill-in bins beneath, select a date, a begin time, and an finish time in your video assembly. Click on the Save button on the upper-right nook, and your invitation will probably be despatched to those individuals with a hyperlink to hitch the assembly in Groups.
This covers the fundamentals for inviting individuals to your video assembly and scheduling it. So now let’s go over methods to boost your invite and put together in your assembly.
1. High quality-tune your assembly time
Earlier than you click on the Save button: There’s a software you should utilize to search out out if a specific assembly time works for all of the individuals you wish to invite. Whenever you’re composing your invite, click on Scheduling Assistant on the high of the fill-out type.
Alongside the left aspect of the panel that seems is a listing of all of the required and non-compulsory attendees you’re inviting. To the correct is an hourly timeline for the day you picked to carry your assembly. Coloration coding on this timeline signifies when somebody you invited will probably be busy or free all through the day in line with their Outlook calendars.
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Use the Scheduling Assistant to ensure everybody you’ve invited is on the market to attend your assembly. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
By referring to this timeline, you could find a date and time when all your invitees will have the ability to attend your video assembly. Click on on the column for a time period to vary your assembly’s begin and finish occasions. You can even scroll forward via the times within the timeline to see if one other day has fewer scheduling conflicts for the individuals you’re inviting.
If not less than certainly one of your invitees is unavailable for a gathering time you’ve chosen, Groups will robotically recommend alternate occasions, if any can be found. These seem beneath the beginning and finish occasions that you just set in your assembly. Click on one of many advised occasions to interchange the beginning and finish occasions that you just initially selected.
2. Share your assembly’s agenda
Whenever you’re scheduling your assembly, it may be useful to incorporate your assembly agenda so invitees know what will probably be mentioned and might put together appropriately.
On the backside of the fill-out type for a brand new assembly, you possibly can add a message to incorporate within the assembly invite. It is a good place to incorporate a quick assembly agenda (particularly in an easy-to-read format, comparable to a desk or a bulleted record). We recommend that you just don’t make the agenda too lengthy, since that may make it arduous for recipients to search out the hyperlink to hitch the assembly within the invitation e-mail.
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Offering a quick assembly agenda helps invitees put together for the assembly. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
If it’s good to present a extra detailed agenda, you possibly can ship a separate e-mail with a doc (comparable to a .docx or PDF file) connected. Or think about internet hosting your assembly in a Groups channel as described beneath. There you possibly can put up a reply to the message that says your assembly with the agenda connected.
3. Host your assembly in a staff channel
Usually you’ll most likely wish to invite particular individuals to your assembly. However you possibly can arrange an “open” assembly that’s introduced in a staff channel. This may be helpful if, for example, you’ve created a channel in Groups for a selected challenge and also you need all people engaged on this challenge to attend the assembly.
As you’re going via the fill-out type for scheduling your assembly, click on contained in the Add channel field, and from the drop-down menu that seems, choose a staff and a channel inside that staff. You don’t want so as to add members of this channel as particular person attendees, however you possibly can optionally invite further attendees who aren’t members of the channel.
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Internet hosting a gathering in a channel lets any member of the channel be part of the assembly. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
One other approach to do that: Go to the staff channel the place you wish to announce this assembly. On the upper-right nook, click on the down arrow subsequent to the Meet button. From the menu that opens, choose Schedule a gathering. The fill-out type for a brand new assembly will seem in the primary window with the Add channel field already crammed in with the title of the channel that you just’re in.
Whenever you’ve completed filling out the brand new assembly type, click on the Ship button within the upper-right nook. Your scheduled assembly will probably be posted to the channel’s Posts tab. Members of the channel will get a discover of your assembly announcement, they usually can reply to this put up with background data or requests for the assembly. You possibly can reply and fasten an in depth agenda as a doc by clicking the paperclip icon.
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The assembly data seems within the channel’s Posts tab. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
4. Check and configure your laptop {hardware}
If it’s your first time main a Groups video assembly in your present laptop, do a take a look at name to make sure that your machine works appropriately with Groups. You may must grant permission to Groups to entry your machine’s digicam, microphone, and/or audio system, and likewise to permit display screen sharing in your machine. Latest variations of macOS, for example, require you to grant some permissions in System Preferences.
To check your machine, click on the Groups icon on the left toolbar. Then on the higher proper, click on the Meet button. On the video assembly panel that opens, click on the Be a part of now button on the decrease proper. The assembly window will open, and Groups ought to pop up a message asking for permission to entry the digicam, mic, and/or audio system if wanted. (For those who don’t get such a request however you possibly can’t see or hear your self, you most likely must grant these permissions anyway.)
For those who plan to share your display screen in the course of the assembly, click on the icon of an upward arrow inside a sq. within the assembly controls toolbar alongside the highest of the display screen. This can open a panel that permits you to share your display screen, an app window, or different content material. If Groups wants permission to share your display screen, it ought to pop up a message requesting this entry.
For those who’re utilizing a Mac, the permission messages Groups pops up ought to take you to System Preferences > Safety & Privateness > Privateness, or you possibly can navigate there manually. On the left aspect of the display screen, click on Digital camera, then discover the Microsoft Groups checkbox on the correct and ensure it’s checked. Discover Microphone, Accessibility, and Display screen Recording within the record on the left and examine the Microsoft Groups bins for them as nicely. You’ll must restart Groups earlier than the adjustments take impact. (Marquette College presents extra particulars and troubleshooting suggestions.)
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For those who use a Mac, you may want to move to System Preferences to grant Groups permission to make use of the digicam and microphone and share your display screen.
Likewise, if any of your invitees are new to video conferences with Groups, request that they arrive 10 minutes early. You can begin the assembly early to allow them to get their machine working correctly earlier than the assembly’s scheduled begin time.
5. Apply PowerPoint displays with the Speaker Coach
That is really a characteristic in PowerPoint, however it’s nice preparation for presenting throughout a Groups assembly: As you observe giving your presentation by talking aloud and clicking via the slides, Speaker Coach listens to and watches you thru your PC’s digicam. It offers you real-time suggestions (as banner notices that pop up alongside the highest middle of the display screen) on enhance your efficiency, such because the phrases you select to say, your tempo, and even your expressions and physique language.
Microsoft plans to implement a model of Speaker Coach to be used throughout Groups conferences someday in spring 2022. However within the meantime, you possibly can nonetheless use it as a strategy to observe giving a PowerPoint that you’ll current to others in a Groups video assembly.
To entry Speaker Coach: Open your presentation in PowerPoint. On the toolbar alongside the highest of the display screen, click on Slide Present and from the menu that opens choose Rehearse with Coach.
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Speaker Coach listens to your PowerPoint displays and presents ideas for enchancment. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)
6. Optionally flip off attendees’ cameras and/or mics
For those who’re conducting a video assembly with many attendees, you could wish to stop attendees from turning on their cameras and mics. This may enhance name high quality and reduce distractions so that you just’re the one one talking or being seen.
To show off cameras and mics earlier than the assembly begins, open a gathering from the calendar within the Groups app and click on Assembly choices. (For those who don’t see it, click on the three-dot icon within the toolbar after which choose Assembly choices.) Within the “Assembly choices” pane that opens, flip off the Enable mic for attendees? and Enable digicam for attendees? switches and click on Save.
You can even do that after you’ve joined the assembly: On the toolbar alongside the highest of the video chat panel, click on the Present contributors button, which is able to open a panel alongside the correct aspect. On the high of this Contributors panel, click on the three-dot icon and choose Disable mic for attendees or Disable digicam for attendees.
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In massive conferences, disabling attendees’ mics and cameras can enhance sound and video high quality. (Click on picture to enlarge it.)