Why Use Teams for Meetings?
If you're using Microsoft 365, Teams meetings come included—no need to pay separately for Zoom or other video conferencing tools.
Teams meetings offer:
- Video and audio conferencing for up to 300 participants
- Screen sharing and presentation mode
- Recording with automatic transcription
- Live captions and translation
- Breakout rooms for group discussions
- Virtual backgrounds and blur
- Integration with Outlook and Teams chat
According to Microsoft's 2024 Work Trend Index, Teams hosts over 300 million meeting participants monthly. For businesses already in the Microsoft ecosystem, it's the natural choice.
Scheduling Meetings
From Microsoft Teams
1. Click 'Calendar' in the left sidebar
2. Click 'New meeting' in the top right
3. Fill in:
- Title (be specific: "Project X Weekly Sync" not "Meeting")
- Required attendees (type names or email addresses)
- Date and time
- Description (agenda, preparation needed)
4. Click 'Send'
Attendees receive a calendar invite with a Teams meeting link automatically included.
From Outlook
1. Create a new calendar event
2. Click 'Teams Meeting' in the ribbon (or toggle 'Teams meeting' on in new Outlook)
3. Add attendees and details as normal
4. Send
The Teams meeting link is added automatically. This works whether attendees use Teams or not—they can join via browser.
Instant Meetings (Meet Now)
Need a meeting right now?
In a channel: Click 'Meet' in the top right of any channel. Everyone in that channel can join.
In a chat: Click the video camera icon in any chat conversation to start an instant call.
From calendar: Click 'Meet now' in the calendar view.
Recurring Meetings
For regular meetings (weekly standups, monthly reviews):
1. Create a new meeting as above
2. Click 'Does not repeat' and select your pattern
3. Options: Daily, Weekly, Monthly, Custom
4. Set an end date or number of occurrences
Tip: Each occurrence shares the same meeting link. Chat history persists between meetings—useful for ongoing discussions.
Joining Meetings
As an Internal User
From Teams: Click the meeting in your Calendar and click 'Join'
From Outlook: Click the meeting and select 'Join Teams Meeting'
From notification: A pop-up appears before meetings—click 'Join'
As an External Guest
Guests don't need a Teams account. They can:
1. Click the meeting link in their calendar invite
2. Choose 'Continue on this browser' (no download required) or 'Download the app'
3. Enter their name
4. Wait in the lobby until admitted
Tip: For better quality, encourage guests to use the desktop app or at least Chrome/Edge browsers.
Mobile Joining
The Teams mobile app supports full meeting participation:
- Video and audio
- Screen viewing (not sharing on most phones)
- Chat
- Reactions
Useful for joining while commuting or when away from desk.
Meeting Controls
The Meeting Toolbar
During a meeting, the toolbar appears at the top (hover to reveal if hidden):
Camera: Turn video on/off
Microphone: Mute/unmute
Share: Share your screen or content
Hand raise: Signal you want to speak
Reactions: Quick emoji responses
Chat: Open the meeting chat
Participants: See who's in the meeting
More actions (...): Additional options
Camera and Audio Settings
Before joining: The pre-join screen lets you:
- Toggle camera and mic on/off
- Select which devices to use
- Apply backgrounds
- Test audio
During meeting: Click the arrow next to the mic/camera icons for settings.
Background effects: Click the video icon arrow > 'Video effects'
- Blur background (hides messy rooms)
- Virtual backgrounds (images behind you)
- Add your own images
Screen Sharing
Click 'Share' (or Ctrl+Shift+E) to share:
Entire screen: Shows everything—careful with notifications and sensitive info
Window: Share a specific application only
PowerPoint Live: Best for presentations—attendees can navigate slides themselves
Whiteboard: Collaborative drawing space
Tips:
- Close unnecessary applications before sharing
- Consider 'Include computer sound' if sharing video
- Use 'Give control' to let others control your shared screen
Participant Management (Organisers)
As the meeting organiser, you can:
Mute attendees: Useful for large meetings with background noise
Remove participants: Three dots next to name > Remove participant
Disable cameras: Prevent video for all participants
Lock meeting: Prevent new people from joining
Access these via Participants panel > three dots at the top.
Recording Meetings
Starting a Recording
1. Click the three dots (...) in the toolbar
2. Select 'Record and transcribe' > 'Start recording'
3. A banner notifies all participants
What Gets Recorded
- Video of active speakers and shared content
- Audio from all unmuted participants
- Automatic transcription (speaker-attributed)
- Chat is NOT recorded (but remains in channel/chat)
Accessing Recordings
Channel meetings: Recording appears in the channel conversation
Other meetings: Recording appears in the meeting chat and organiser's OneDrive
Processing time: Recordings take a few minutes to several hours to process, depending on length
Transcription
Teams automatically transcribes recordings:
- Speaker-attributed text
- Searchable content
- Downloadable as .vtt file
Edit transcription by clicking the three dots on the recording > Edit transcript
Tip: Transcripts are useful for:
- Finding specific topics without watching entire meeting
- Creating meeting summaries
- Accessibility compliance
Recording Permissions
By default, any organiser or presenter can record. To control this:
1. Create meeting
2. Meeting options (right-click meeting > Meeting options)
3. 'Who can record' setting
Privacy Considerations
- Always announce when recording starts
- Consider whether recording is necessary
- Be aware of GDPR implications—recordings are personal data
- Set retention policies in Teams admin for automatic deletion
Advanced Meeting Features
Breakout Rooms
Split large meetings into smaller discussion groups:
1. Click 'Breakout rooms' in the toolbar (or Rooms > Create rooms)
2. Choose number of rooms
3. Automatically or manually assign participants
4. Open rooms when ready
5. Join any room as organiser
6. Broadcast announcements to all rooms
7. Close rooms to bring everyone back
Use cases:
- Training workshops with group exercises
- Team meetings with sub-topic discussions
- Interviews with waiting room
Live Captions
Real-time captions for accessibility:
1. Click three dots > Turn on live captions
2. Captions appear at the bottom of the screen
3. Click three dots > 'Caption settings' for language
Tip: Captions aren't saved unless you record with transcription enabled.
Meeting Chat
Every meeting has an associated chat:
During meeting: Click 'Chat' to open the chat panel. Share links, notes, or questions without interrupting.
After meeting: The chat persists. Find it in your Chat list (labeled with meeting name and date).
Before meeting: Chat available once at least one person has joined (not before first meeting start).
Polls and Q&A
Polls: Add structured questions for participant feedback
- Meeting controls > Apps > Forms
- Create poll questions before or during meeting
- Results shown in real-time
Q&A: Structured question submission (available in larger meetings)
- Participants submit questions
- Organisers can answer, dismiss, or highlight
- Reduces chaos in large meetings
Attendance Reports
Track who attended and for how long:
1. After meeting ends, open the meeting chat
2. Click 'Attendance report' in the meeting summary
3. Download as CSV for records
Useful for training sessions, compliance, or simply knowing who was there.
Meeting Best Practices
Before the Meeting
Set an agenda: Include in the meeting description. Helps attendees prepare and keeps discussion focused.
Test your setup: Especially for important meetings. Check camera, mic, and any content you'll share.
Join early: Be ready when the meeting starts. As organiser, join 5 minutes early to admit guests and handle technical issues.
Share materials in advance: Upload presentations or documents to the meeting chat before the meeting.
During the Meeting
Mute when not speaking: Background noise is distracting. Teams can automatically mute attendees on entry.
Use video when possible: Face-to-face communication is more effective. Seeing reactions helps discussions.
Watch the chat: Questions and comments appear there. As organiser, monitor or assign someone to monitor.
Stick to time: Respect everyone's schedules. Use a timer if needed.
Summarise action items: Before ending, recap decisions and who's responsible for what.
After the Meeting
Share the recording: If recorded, ensure relevant people have access.
Post summary: In the meeting chat or relevant channel, share key decisions and next steps.
Follow up on actions: Reference the meeting when following up on assigned tasks.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
"My camera/mic doesn't work"
1. Check if Teams has permission (Settings > Privacy > Camera/Microphone)
2. Check the correct device is selected (click arrow next to mic/camera icons)
3. Check device isn't being used by another application
4. Restart Teams
5. Try a browser if desktop app fails
"Video is choppy or freezing"
1. Turn off your video—often helps others see shared content better
2. Close unnecessary applications
3. Use wired connection instead of WiFi if possible
4. Reduce video quality: Settings > three dots > Device settings > lower bandwidth
"I can't hear anyone / they can't hear me"
1. Check you're not muted (look for mic icon)
2. Check speaker/mic selection (click arrow next to icons)
3. Check system volume isn't muted
4. Try unplugging and reconnecting headset
5. Join by phone as backup (dial-in numbers in meeting invite)
"External guests can't join"
1. Check meeting options allow guests
2. Ensure you're admitting them from the lobby
3. Ask them to try a different browser (Chrome/Edge work best)
4. Send them a fresh meeting link
5. Check your organisation's guest access settings
"Recording won't start"
1. Check you have recording permissions
2. Ensure organisation policy allows recording
3. Check OneDrive/SharePoint has available storage
4. Try again—sometimes it's a temporary glitch
Meeting Options and Security
Accessing Meeting Options
Right-click the meeting > Meeting options, or click the link in the meeting invite.
Key Settings
Who can bypass the lobby: Choose who goes straight in vs waits for admission
- Everyone (least secure)
- People in my organisation
- People in my organisation and guests
- Only me (most controlled)
Who can present: Control who can share screen
- Everyone (default)
- People in my organisation
- Specific people
- Only me
Allow attendees to unmute: In large meetings, you might want to control who can speak
Allow meeting chat: Enable or disable chat
Allow reactions: Enable or disable emoji reactions
Preventing Meeting Disruption
For meetings with external guests or large audiences:
1. Use lobby for all external guests
2. Disable attendee unmuting for webinar-style meetings
3. Restrict who can present
4. Monitor participants and remove disruptions
5. Don't share meeting links publicly
The Bottom Line
Teams meetings are genuinely capable of replacing dedicated video conferencing tools for most small business needs.
The key is learning the features that matter for your meetings—whether that's simple team calls, client presentations, or training webinars—and using them consistently.
You're already paying for it. With a little practice, Teams meetings can be as polished and professional as any video call.
