Purpose
This knowledge base article provides essential best practices for effectively using Microsoft Teams within the university environment. Whether you are a faculty member, student, or staff, understanding these guidelines will optimize your collaboration experience and streamline communication.
Note: The processes mentioned are for a Windows Computer/PC. For additional information, read
KA 625.
Teams
General Best Practices
Objective: Enhancing Collaboration with Microsoft Teams
Key Topics Covered
- Organizing Teams and Channels
Effective organization in Microsoft Teams enhances collaboration and productivity!
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Reorder Teams: Group similar Teams together or order them alphabetically. Drag and drop Teams to arrange them in a more organized list.
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Hide Teams You Don’t Frequently Use:
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Some teams may be less relevant to you. Hide them to declutter your sidebar.
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Click the three-dot icon next to the team name and select “Hide.” These teams will move to the “Hidden Teams” section.
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To unhide a team, click the three-dot icon and select “Show.”
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Hide Channels Within Teams:
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Even within active teams, certain channels might be less relevant.
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Click the three-dot icon next to a channel and select “Hide.”
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To unhide a channel, follow the same steps.
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Pin Important Channels:
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Pinned channels stay at the top of your sidebar for quick access.
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Click the three-dot icon next to a channel and select “Pin.”
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You can pin multiple channels, ensuring they’re conveniently placed.
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Creating Teams from Existing Groups
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Utilize existing contact groups, security groups, or Office groups to create Teams.
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Understand the process of importing large groups into Teams.
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Leveraging Large Teams for Collaboration
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Exploring Advanced Features
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Dive into features such as document sharing, voice/video meetings, and app integrations.
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Maximize productivity by using additional functionalities like background images and meeting recordings.
Meeting Best Practices
Co-organizers in Meetings
- Open Teams and select the Calendar icon to create a new meeting.
- Enter a title, attendees, date, and time for the meeting. If required, please include a description of the meeting for reference and any necessary attachments such as files or documents. Select Send.
- Now, right-click on the meeting, and choose Edit.
- Navigate to Meeting options.
- It will open a webpage on your browser to edit meeting options. Look for Choose co-organizers on the list displayed on the left side of your screen. Click on the small arrow selected on the image below and choose the Additional co-organizer(s).
- Select Save at the bottom of your screen.
Co-owners of Teams
- There are two main roles in Microsoft Teams: A team owner, the person who manages the team, and team members, the people who they invite to join their team.
- Team owners can make any team member a co-owner when they invite them to the group or after they have joined the team.
- Having multiple team owners enables you to share managing settings and membership responsibilities, including invitations. "UTD recommends at least two owners on every Team".
- To make another team member an owner – Right-click on the three dots on a team and select Manage Team.
- As shown below, you can use/make changes to the various functions of a Team by selecting options in the banner. You can directly add a member by selecting the Add member button.
- To edit the role of the member, click on the small triangle under the role column and choose either member/owner.
Conclusion
By following these best practices, you will harness the full potential of Microsoft Teams, fostering seamless collaboration and enhancing communication across the university community.