3 new Microsoft Teams features you should know

4 min read
March 25, 2021

Want to learn more about the latest Microsoft Teams features coming soon? Their focus is especially on improving the digital workplace. In this article, we highlight 3 particularly interesting features that will take a big step forward in PowerPoint presentations, webinars, and usage analytics in Microsoft Teams 2021. Also, see what our cross-platform expert Florian Jüsten has to say about the latest changes in Teams.

3 highlights of the new Microsoft Teams features

Every year Microsoft's Ignite conference presents Microsoft's newest innovations. This year, Ignite took place from March 2-4, 2021. New Microsoft Teams functions were particularly highlighted. Among other things, it will be possible to project your own camera image live into a PowerPoint presentation. Meetings with 1,000 and broadcasts with 20,000 participants will soon be possible. You will be able to receive automatically generated recommendations for your work-life balance through Teams usage analytics.

ignite conference Microsoft Teams featuressource: Microsoft

All the new Microsoft features can be downloaded free of charge in this overview.

PowerPoint Live – making digital presenting fun

Microsoft Teams features powerpoint live

PowerPoint Live advances the digital workspace for your team. The name gives a hint: this feature allows users to give PowerPoint presentations in teams not only by "screen sharing", but also to include their own camera image in the presentation. In addition, a presenter can set a private view while the audience sees only the current slide - for example, display a slide and next to it your slide notes.

Also, PowerPoint Live lets presenters see the audience while they present. Any videos of the audience that are turned on can be superimposed on the presenter's screen.

Teams Live Mode new Microsoft Teams featuressource: Microsoft

NEWS: Teams reduces data consumption so participants can also turn on video without consuming a lot of data bandwidth. All new features from Microsoft can be found in this download file.

Expert opinion on PowerPoint Live
"PowerPoint Live creates interactivity that takes presenting
in Microsoft Teams to a new level of professionalism and personality."


- Florian Jüsten, Head of Product Development Cross-Platform

Interactive webinars with 1,000 participants

Microsoft Teams features webinars

Soon, setting up and running a webinar will be as easy as a team meeting. Microsoft Teams will enable interactive meetings and webinars with up to 1,000 participants. Meetings will include controls to automatically turn off attendee audio and video to prevent accidental interruption of the presentation.

Once a webinar expands to more than 1,000 attendees, the meeting automatically switches to broadcast mode. The broadcast mode can allow up to 20,000 attendees, but still have only one speaker while attendees listen only.

After the webinar is over, you can generate a report to understand attendee attendance, such as who attended and for how long.

Microsoft Teams features webinarssource: Microsoft

NEWS: Teams now offers inline translation in Channels and Chats, so all team members can speak and collaboration is simplified on a global level. 

Expert opinion on the new meeting functions
"I am impressed by the speed at which Microsoft Teams
is adapting to the current working world. With the new
meeting and broadcast functions, team events such as
staff meetings can take place with even less effort in the
future. The data-saving mode offers the bonus that participants
can turn on their camera without the connection being interrupted."


- Florian Jüsten, Head of Product Development Cross-Platform

Microsoft Viva – the employee experience platform

Microsoft Viva Teams features

COVID-19 has brought economic and social change to working life and work-life balance. companies are increasingly looking for people-centric solutions.

Microsoft Viva is designed to improve overall employee and people experiences and will be located directly in the Teams sidebar. With four categories - Viva Connections, Viva Insights, Viva Learning, and Viva Topics - general company information, as well as knowledge and learning content automatically tailored to the employee or their department, will be available in one overview without having to search for it. This makes it easy to integrate training courses and short-term learning units into the daily work routine. In addition, Viva helps an employee arrange regular breaks, set key times for concentrated work, and strengthen relationships with colleagues.

Productivity and wellbeing experiences in Viva Insights new Microsoft Teams featuressource: Microsoft

Expert opinion on Microsoft Viva
"Microsoft Viva is completely tailored to users and their needs,
and will revitalize the corporate culture for many. Especially
the overview of teams contact units with work colleagues can
remind employees to maintain their personal work community."


- Florian Jüsten, Head of Product Development Cross-Platform

The future of Microsoft Teams features

The Microsoft Teams 2021 features will be available later this year. We believe these innovations will help companies make great strides in digital collaboration through seemingly small enhancements to their Teams features. 

At empower®, we deal with Teams enhancements on a daily basis through apps that integrate directly into the Teams workflow. Our empower® Teams app lets you access content from a central PowerPoint library of slides, presentations, images, etc. directly from within Teams. 

If you want to learn more about all the basics and advanced features, have a look at our extensive Microsoft Teams Guide.

empower-microsoft-teams-video

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