{"id":6747,"date":"2023-10-04T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2023-10-04T16:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/?p=6747"},"modified":"2023-10-10T12:19:38","modified_gmt":"2023-10-10T19:19:38","slug":"driving-inclusive-and-effective-meetings-at-microsoft-with-microsoft-teams","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.microsoft.com\/insidetrack\/blog\/driving-inclusive-and-effective-meetings-at-microsoft-with-microsoft-teams\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving inclusive and effective meetings at Microsoft with Microsoft Teams"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"MicrosoftAt her core, Susan Sims is a relationship builder. In her work as a senior program manager on the Portfolio Integration team, she has prioritized running inclusive and effective meetings.<\/p>\n

It was a task made even more crucial in the wake of the global pandemic and the company’s transition to a hybrid working model. With the flexibility for employees to choose between on-campus and remote work, Sims saw an opportunity to enhance meeting experiences by taking advantage of the latest features in Microsoft Teams.<\/p>\n

\u201c<\/strong>We rely on meetings to build and maintain relationships, but we\u2019ve had to adapt our workflows to support remote work and back-to-back meetings,\u201d Sims says. \u201cI want to make sure that everyone\u2019s voices are heard.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bush
Sara Bush (left) and Sarah Lundy partnered to develop a guide for running inclusive and effective meetings at Microsoft using research-based best practices. (Photo by Aleenah Ansari | Inside Track)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

As part of efforts at Microsoft to empower hybrid work, Sara Bush, a principal PM manager on the Seamless Teamwork team within Microsoft Digital, led a research-driven initiative to develop guidance for running inclusive meetings. The aim was to provide employees with the tools and knowledge to fully participate and contribute, regardless of their work location.<\/p>\n

“Inclusive meetings are the cornerstone of an effective hybrid work culture,” Bush says. “We want every employee to feel valued and empowered to engage from anywhere.”<\/p>\n

We\u2019ve learned a lot by listening to our employees\u2014it\u2019s been important to hear directly from them.<\/p>\n

\u201cTeams Meeting Recap plays a pivotal role in asynchronous inclusion by providing insights to all the meeting content and relevant documents both before and after a meeting. Along with AI generated notes from the meeting recording\u201d says Sims.<\/p>\n

Our research-based guide outlines key elements of an inclusive and effective meeting, emphasizing access to relevant documents, content, and participants before, during, and after the session. To make it easier for teams to follow these principles, Microsoft Teams now offers pre-made templates that can be customized to fit various meeting types, ensuring a consistent and inclusive experience for all attendees.<\/p>\n

A significant aspect of inclusivity in meetings is ensuring that everyone can engage with the content effectively. Microsoft Teams addresses this by introducing live captions and translations of the captions during meetings, making it more accessible for all attendees and easier for everyone to participate and contribute meaningfully.<\/p>\n

The Microsoft Teams live captions translation feature opens the doors for employees from every corner of the world to actively take part in meetings using the language they’re most comfortable with, allowing everyone to contribute and engage fully, no matter what language they prefer.<\/p>\n

\u201cInclusion is defined by the ability to feel comfortable contributing their ideas and perspectives,\u201d Bush says.<\/p>\n

Chanda Jensen, senior product manager in Microsoft Digital who worked with Bush to compile a research-based guide to running inclusive and effective meetings, saw a lot of value in putting these best practices in one place. \u201cWe don\u2019t need to reinvent the wheel on guidance for running effective meetings,\u201d Jensen says. \u201cWe want people to go back to the basics, so we created a dynamic resource that we\u2019ll update as features or guidance changes.\u201d<\/p>\n

The impact of inclusive meetings extends beyond the virtual meeting room. With the adoption of these best practices, teams across Microsoft have experienced increased collaboration and improved productivity. Employees now readily share their insights and suggestions, fostering a culture of active participation and mutual support.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe response from employees has been great,\u201d says Laura Oxford, a senior content program manager who works with Bush and Jensen. \u201cWhen we share the latest features or guidance on Viva Engage, we hear from people who are using these best practices to successfully support asynchronous collaboration, which is more and more important for our global workforce.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"A
Susan Sims is a senior program manager in Microsoft Digital. (Photo by Susan Sims)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Sims, inspired by the meeting guide and the innovative features in Microsoft Teams, has seen tremendous success in creating a positive and inclusive meeting experience for her team. She ensures live transcripts and captions are available and encourages team members to express themselves through avatars, strengthening the sense of unity and engagement within her team.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe meeting guide helped me get the basics right and take small steps to ensure that meetings are inclusive for everyone,\u201d Sims says. \u201cFor example, one of the suggestions is to start meetings five minutes past the hour to reduce meeting fatigue and give people a break from back-to-back meetings<\/a>. And if you\u2019re in a meeting with someone who needs guidance, you can invite people to check out the meeting guide and incorporate some of the tips.\u201d<\/p>\n

One small change that Sims is making?<\/p>\n

She\u2019s been scheduling virtual coffee chats with new employees on her team, which Microsoft Teams has been a core part of.<\/p>\n

\u201cI recognize how challenging it is to build an inclusive team when we can\u2019t sit down and meet face to face to build trust,\u201d Sims says. \u201cThat\u2019s why we\u2019ve been using Microsoft Teams as a tool to connect regularly.\u201d<\/p>\n

Find out how Microsoft enables its employees to work remotely with Microsoft Teams.<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Microsoft Teams features support inclusive meetings<\/h2>\n

It\u2019s easy to think of a meeting as just the time of the call itself. In reality, meetings aren\u2019t just a point in time\u2014there\u2019s a before, during, and after, and Sims sets expectations for each call, manages roles and access, and follows up with decisions and outcomes.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf I own the agenda for a meeting, I always try to clarify the purpose of the call,\u201d Sims says. \u201cThe reality is that we\u2019re in so many back-to-back meetings, so we need to remind people at the beginning of the goal and intent of the meeting.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Three
Meetings aren\u2019t just a point in time\u2014there\u2019s a before, during, and after. The meeting guide provides context to support inclusive and effective meetings at each of these touchpoints.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Bush says that there are crucial steps everyone can take to make meetings more inclusive. For example, it\u2019s important to drop an agenda into every meeting invitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cUsing an agenda can help attendees identify if they need to attend or join asynchronously by watching the recording or reviewing outcomes later, freeing them up from back-to-back meetings so they can focus on the highest impact work,\u201d Bush says.<\/p>\n

[Teams] features like hand-raising or reactions with emojis ensure that employees can communicate their ideas and emotions with others.<\/p>\n

\u2014Chanda Jensen, senior product manager in Microsoft Digital<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Bush defined six meeting categories, or archetypes, that are common at Microsoft: status<\/em>, strategic<\/em>, tactical<\/em>, informative<\/em>, ideation<\/em>, and social<\/em>. For each meeting type, the meeting guide outlines a recommended duration, number of attendees, and guidance on how to keep attendees engaged using interactive features in Teams.<\/p>\n

Bush says that the team landed on these archetypes based on industry research and data on meetings at Microsoft, and new Teams features that can help make the meeting experience more engaging. For example, the addition of the raise your hand feature enables any attendee to signal that they have a thought or question.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeatures like hand-raising or reactions with emojis or their avatars ensure that employees can communicate their ideas and emotions with others,\u201d Jensen says. \u201cWe also encourage meeting organizers to establish norms at the beginning for how to engage in the meeting, and even assign a moderator to watch for raised hands and chat messages and invite people to chime in.\u201d<\/p>\n