This tiny tweak to Teams will make meetings smoother

Have you ever been in a Teams meeting and found yourself clenching your teeth every time someone said, “next slide, please”?

Me too.

If your business frequently conducts online meetings or webinars, you’re likely familiar with the frustration of awkward transitions and pauses when switching presenters.

Well, there’s some good news. And it’s about time.

Microsoft is introducing a small yet impactful update to Teams that will significantly improve the way your meetings are conducted.

First, if you’re not very familiar with Teams, here’s a quick overview. It’s Microsoft’s comprehensive communication platform, combining video calls, chat, file sharing, and collaboration tools in one place.

Whether your team works remotely, in a hybrid setup, or all in one location, it helps everyone stay connected and productive without having to switch between multiple apps.

Now, back to the update. Microsoft is adding a feature that allows multiple people to control the presentation slides during a Teams meeting or webinar.

Currently, if you’ve ever tried co-presenting in Teams, you know that only one person can control the slides. Everyone else has to ask the presenter to advance the slides. This is not only frustrating but also disrupts the meeting flow.

This new feature will enable the meeting host to grant slide control to more than one person.

This means that if several people are presenting different sections of a deck, each can take control of the slides when it’s their turn, without interrupting the meeting or awkwardly giving instructions. It may seem minor, but it will make meetings feel much more natural and professional.

This feature has already begun rolling out, starting with the Windows desktop version of Teams. It will likely involve the host selecting co-presenters when setting up the meeting. Hopefully, the setup will be as seamless as the presentations will be.

In my opinion, this is an update that should have been implemented years ago. But hey, better late than never, right?

Alongside other recent enhancements like real-time text messaging during calls (great for those who prefer typing over speaking), it’s evident that Microsoft is striving to make Teams more flexible and user-friendly.

Need assistance in maximizing the use of Microsoft Teams or other tools in Microsoft 365? That’s what my team and I are here for. Get in touch.