Making the right impression: optimising your usage of Microsoft Teams

After two years of pandemic living and hybrid working, we’ve all become far more accustomed to the novel technologies that have allowed us to bridge the gap between home and office. One of the primary changes witnessed throughout this time, has been the move to virtual meetings – primarily held through Microsoft Teams.

Whilst we may feel we have a good grip on the practicalities of Teams, it’s essential to ensure we maintain a highly professional working manner, even when not in the meeting room. As time goes by standards may begin to slip, which is why we’ve put together a Teams refresher, highlighting how you can continue to maintain the utmost professionality when conducting online meetings.

Professional Attire

In order to maintain an element of normalcy and formality during an online business meeting, it’s essential to dress in a smart manner. When in the office, dressing appropriately and smartly is a key pillar of good office conduct, the same expectations still apply when working remotely.

Oftentimes the easiest option is to throw on a comfy outfit whilst working at a desk all day, however it is advisable to dress as you would for a face-to-face meeting when speaking with colleagues, clients, or prospective clients. Whether you opt to wear a shirt, suit, or smart dress – just ensure you are making the desired impression when speaking to others. It could be the make-or-break factor in gaining future clients!

Branded Backdrops

More recently, businesses have started to design and roll-out branded backgrounds to employees’ Microsoft Teams platforms. As Teams provides the capability to personalise a background, it is advisable that businesses capitalise on the feature to push business uniformity and presentability. As conveyed by Microsoft, when in an online meeting you want the focus to remain on you, not other things in the room. Applying a smart, clean, corporate approved background ensures the focus remains on what you’re saying – not what else is going on!

Over the past two weeks, we at Fitzrovia IT have rolled out an official custom background to all end users in order to convey our identity as a business. With a bright and branded background, all Fitzrovia employees can attend meetings with a unified background image representative of us, whilst also removing any potential visual disruptions in the background. Our custom background also allows us to move seamlessly between the physical office and virtual meeting room!

Disturbance Free

A final point to touch on is the importance of minimising disruptions to meetings. Whilst it is not always possible to avoid the disturbances of daily life when working from home, ensuring you can be clearly heard and understood is central to a positive meeting experience. As has been the general guidance throughout this period of hybrid working, it’s always preferable to conduct meetings in a quiet location with optimal WIFI connectivity. If this isn’t possible, sometimes improved clarity and reduced disruption can be achieved with the help of technology (such as headsets and webcams). We previously covered the back to work essentials, providing a comprehensive list highlighting the best equipment to maximise your online workspace!

Optimising Teams for the Future

As discussed, over the past two years we’ve all become accustomed to the trials and tribulations of hybrid working. However, a brief refresher in online best practice is sometimes required to optimise online working! Meetings are central to business growth and trajectory, thus posing the most important space in which to implement good online etiquette.

If you’re interested in optimising your usage of Microsoft Teams, or want advice around creating tailored backgrounds or investing in the best tech for your employees – don’t hesitate to contact one of our IT specialists today.