How to create a Microsoft Teams meeting

The way we work is evolving – and now with the global uncertainty that swirls around, change is coming faster than ever. A remote workforce is suddenly the norm, not the exception. For some, this is their first foray into virtual meetings using Microsoft Teams. For others, it is a chance to expand their capabilities for top-team performance within the Microsoft Teams environment.

No matter where you are on your transition journey into deploying and using Teams, it is certain that there is a world of opportunity right in front of you. When you use Teams as your hub, you’ll be ready to take on your day no matter where you’re working from. Ready to get started? Here is how to create a meeting in Microsoft Teams.

First, a word about Channel Meetings

When Microsoft Teams was first launched, it did not have full interoperability with other Microsoft products. For example, it was not previously possible to schedule a “Channel Meeting” using Outlook. Fortunately, that has changed and Teams has evolved to work more seamlessly with Outlook. Users can now schedule a Teams channel meeting right through Outlook, allowing for better workflow. So, what are Channel meetings? They are, essentially, team meetings you can have within your Microsoft Teams channels. Some may be private, or you could opt for a public channel, which means anyone in your organisation can access it without the need to formally join. Scheduling meetings in this manner is a great way to promote visibility in your organisation. Even if you intend for only a few select team members to attend the meeting, using the channel means that anyone within can drop in to see what’s going on.

For these open, public team meetings, choose “Select a channel the meet in” when you are creating the meeting. This eliminates the need to invite individual team members. Anyone who is already a member of that particular team in Microsoft Teams will be invited. The meeting is scheduled and then takes place within the context of a chosen channel – say “General”, for example, is a good channel to use for weekly team meetings.

A note on etiquette here: if you schedule a channel meeting and you also send individual invitations, some people will receive two invitations: the group invite and the personal invite. It can be confusing or annoying for users to receive two invitations to the same meeting. Instead, make sure to mark necessary team members as “Optional” for the meeting so everyone knows who absolutely should attend, and who doesn’t have to.

Creating a Teams Meeting Using Outlook

Creating a Microsoft Teams meeting in Outlook is a bit different than if you were to schedule one from Teams itself. Let’s break down how to create a Teams meeting in Outlook:

1. Open Outlook in Calendar View.
2. In the top menu bar, click the Home tab. This brings up a series of buttons, one of which is “New Teams Meeting”. Click that button to begin drafting.
3. Your screen should now be showing what looks like an appointment invitation. Outlook generates a link that your recipients will use to join the meeting.
4. Name your meeting (“Title”) and fill in the rest of the meeting details, just as you would a traditional Outlook invitation. Just be sure not to change the “Join Microsoft Teams Meeting” link that was automatically generated for you.
5. Invitations to persons outside your organisation can be sent using their email address.

Making edits and choosing options

Whether you scheduled your meeting through Outlook or directly from within Teams, you can edit the details from Teams “Calendar View”. Click on “Meeting Options”. The options available to you will depend on how your organisation has configured Microsoft Teams.

One such option is whether participants can dial into your meeting using their phone. This will depend on the type of license your organisation has purchased from Microsoft. Another example of a configured option is whether participants can present during your meeting. Talk to your administrator if you have questions about these and other configurations of Microsoft Teams.

Creating a Teams Meeting using Microsoft Teams

If you want to schedule a meeting from within the Teams environment itself, the steps are similar. One advantage of scheduling your meetings this way is that you will have access to more options when creating and sending your invitation.

1. From within Teams, click on “Calendar” in the left navigation menu.
2. Your screen should now be showing a calendar view with a form below it. That is the “New Meeting” form, where you can add details and choose options for your meeting, such as whether it is a recurring meeting. The large text box at the bottom is a good place to enter the agenda.
3. Invitations to persons outside your organisation can be sent using their email address.
4. Click “Save” in the upper right-hand corner of the form. You will notice that the meeting link is generated after you save.

Continue your workplace evolution journey

With digital technology like Microsoft Teams reshaping what it means to collaborate and get work done, and with more companies beginning to embrace the notion of working from home, it is now easier than ever to hold truly effective meetings online. Now that you understand the basics, you can start leveraging more of the features of Microsoft Teams for better meetings.

Your own unique team scenarios will determine what types of meetings you hold. Over time and with practice, you and your team will eventually start to develop your own best practices for getting the most out of Microsoft Teams. But if you would like to accelerate that process, we are here to support you.