Using Microsoft Teams effectively

Microsoft Teams is a multi featured collaboration tool that is used widely at 久久精品. You can share and collaborate on files with groups, host conversations, video conference, meet online and chat with anyone. Take a look at the tips below to learn more about using Teams to its best effect.

Tips for using Microsoft Teams effectively

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Curate your channels

Keep your workspace focused by unfollowing or hiding channels you don’t need. You can also customise notifications per channel, pin essential channels, mute or leave irrelevant chats.

To hide a channel:

  1. Click the 3 dots menu button next to the channel you wish to hide.
  2. Click Hide.

You also have the option to unhide a channel by clicking on a hidden channel then clicking Show.

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Use focused status modes

When you really need to focus, set yourself to Busy or Do not disturb to signal to colleagues that you’re unavailable and to reduce interruptions.

To change your status in Microsoft Teams:

  1. Click your profile picture at the top right of Teams.
  2. Click your current status.
  3. From the drop down, choose another status from the list.

Teams will automatically set the status in some cases, like when you’re on a call. Don't forget to reset your status once you are done.

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Tailor your notification settings

Go to Settings > Notifications and adjust how Teams alerts you. You can set preferences for different categories such as chats, channels, mentions, and reactions.

Decide whether you’d like a banner notification (a pop-up on your screen), an update in your activity feed, or no alert at all. For example, you might want banner alerts for direct messages but only feed updates for channel posts.

If you spend most of your day working in Teams, consider turning off email notifications to cut down on duplication.

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Build shared spaces for group collaboration

You can create a shared OneNote notebook or Teams channel for collaborative notes, resources and feedback. This central space encourages co-editing, transparency and easy review. If you use the web version of OneNote, it's often easier to work with a notebook that's stored in Teams.

To add a new notebook to a channel in Microsoft Teams:

  1. Click Add a tab at the top of the channel.
  2. Click OneNote.
  3. Click Create a new notebook.
  4. Give the notebook a name.
  5. Click Save.

Once you have added the notebook, everyone in the channel can collaborate.

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Collaborate in real time

Open shared files in Microsoft Teams using Word, Excel or PowerPoint. You can open files in both the browser version or the desktop version and everyone can edit at the same time; there's no need to wait your turn. You can look for the coloured cursors to see who’s editing what.

To open a file in Teams you simply click on the file you wish to work on.

To open in the desktop or browser version of the app:

  1. Click on the file to open in Teams.
  2. Click the 3 dots menu in the top right of the app.
  3. Click Editing.
  4. Click Open in Browser or Open in Excel (or whichever app you are using).
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Use tabs for quick access

You can use tabs in a channel to pin resources that your team use every day to the top of the channel. This can include a website, file or app such as Planner or OneNote. This keeps everything your team needs visible and accessible, without having to dig through numerous chats or folders.

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Stick to one shared file space

Choose one central location for storing and sharing files, and make sure everyone uses it. Microsoft Teams is a shared team space and files stored in Teams are owned by the group, not an individual. This means files can still be accessed when someone leaves the University.

Always upload or create shared files within a channel in Teams, not in private chats. This avoids duplicates, keeps everything easy to find, and supports smooth collaboration.

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