Making Your Microsoft Teams Meetings More Fun

Virtual team meetings are an essential part of the workplace, as they keep everyone on the same page and ensure remote employees develop a sense of camaraderie. However, they can get boring if you don’t shake things up. Injecting some fun encourages team members to engage, boosting morale and productivity. From switching up Zoom backgrounds to trying breakout rooms, here are a few ways to make virtual meetings something to look forward to.

Changing Your Virtual Background

The best Microsoft Teams backgrounds feel personalized, are visually appealing and don’t distract from what you’re saying. They’re also an easy and cheap way to make a virtual meeting more lively.

To get your team more involved, consider creating a background “theme” each quarter. Encourage employees to think outside the box and find an image that says something about them. Since there are millions of options available, everyone should be able to find a background that stands out. To get started, try out these popular themes:

• Nature
• Seasonal decorations
• Resorts and vacations
• Libraries and studies
• Modern offices

Chat Box Features

Chat is one of the most valuable features, as it allows attendees to communicate without interrupting the current speaker. You can take this further by creating different channels and labeling them. Doing so keeps the conversation organized and easier to follow. For example, you can create an “Off-Topic” channel to ensure the main channel stays focused on the meeting agenda.

Additionally, encourage employees to use emojis and GIFs. These visual icons are fun, enhance communication and break up the “wall of text” that can turn people away from using the chat box.

Incorporating Visual Aids

Speaking of visuals, charts, graphs and tables are excellent ways to concisely deliver information during a virtual meeting. In addition to breaking up the pace to avoid a monotonous presentation, visual aids appeal to visual learners and help them retain information.

You can also use visuals to make a bigger impact. For example, 18% percent may not seem like a large percentage, but when you represent it in a pie chart, your audience can compare other slices and better grasp the situation.

Microsoft Teams makes it easy to manage your visual aids with Dynamic View, which allows you to adjust layouts. Zoom and other virtual conference software have similar features.

Utilizing Breakout Sessions

If you have a large group, consider allocating time for breakout sessions. Most video meeting software allows you to assign audience members to smaller groups, which can then have their own conference. Fewer participants means everyone gets more time to speak, which can encourage quieter team members to share their thoughts.

This approach is great for brainstorming since you don’t have to worry about cross-talk. After the allotted time ends, everyone can reconvene, and group leaders can present their ideas to the whole team.

Most jobs have stressful moments, especially if you work in a fast-paced industry. Virtual team meetings can provide employees with a moment to breathe and remember why they love the work they do. Small things, such as picking a new virtual office background or chatting with coworkers for 10 minutes, can make a massive difference in morale and efficiency.