Category: Future Work with Microsoft 365

Helping the busy BDM or manager: create ToDo tasks automatically when you are mentioned in a team channel

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 1 Comment

I have heard the story several times: too much teams, too much channels, too much notifications and especially: too much atmentions. Of course some of that can be taken care of by making Teams your own ( Check out my session at virtual Microsoft 365 Saturday Madrid to get Teams back to your control and … Continue reading Helping the busy BDM or manager: create ToDo tasks automatically when you are mentioned in a team channel

My 2nd MVP year began today

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

This was an exciting day. July 1st is famous to be the MVP renewal date. So first CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL NEW & RENEWED MVPs! YOU ALL ROCK! I am of course honored, humbled, excited and proud to receive this award (MVP for Office Apps & Services) the second time (to 2020-2021). It is a great … Continue reading My 2nd MVP year began today

How to: integrate Power Virtual Agents with Teams using SSO and how to retrieve user information

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 9 Comments

Power Virtual Agents are a great platform that allows organization to create powerful chatbots in a very short amount of time. And yes, they are easy to install into Teams as well. Let's assume you have a some kind of Power Virtual Agent bot (PVA bot) ready and you want to bring that bot into … Continue reading How to: integrate Power Virtual Agents with Teams using SSO and how to retrieve user information

What’s new and happening with Teams during summer 2020?

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

Microsoft Teams has been flying fast in recent months - there are several new features that we all enjoy and have waited. Some examples of obvious ones: 3 x 3 gallery in Teams meetings, which increases engagement and interactivity quite nicely. This is getting to be better with confirmed 7x7 gallery view that is coming … Continue reading What’s new and happening with Teams during summer 2020?

Live Events, Whiteboards & one live OneNote.

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 1 Comment

Live Events are becoming more and more popular. They are however limited in collaboration side: you can interact with audience using Q&A functionality (they ask questions, you answer them). What about Whiteboards or OneNotes and Live Events? Note: No, you can't share OneNote to Live Event in a way that everyone could collaborate and ink … Continue reading Live Events, Whiteboards & one live OneNote.

Why to OneNote instead of Whiteboard?

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 4 Comments

I have written several articles about Microsoft Whiteboard in this blog. I really enjoy using Whiteboard for several reasons (innovative, fun, included in every Teams meeting, has great features) but there is a similar flaws in it currently than with Teams Wiki or Meeting Notes - it is not enterprise ready as a collaboration tool … Continue reading Why to OneNote instead of Whiteboard?

Tips and tricks for Teams Breakout rooms and event organization

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 7 Comments

I wrote previously about how to create and organize Breakout Rooms to Teams. This article follows it up with some good practices and tips that help to facilitate the event better and get a better attendee experience. Thank you all who commented and gave feedback about their methods which gave me the inspiration to pull … Continue reading Tips and tricks for Teams Breakout rooms and event organization

How to create and manage Breakout Rooms in Teams meetings

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 38 Comments

New Breakout Rooms to Microsoft Teams were published and rolled out on 9th of December 2020. Check out my How to Definite Guide for new Breakout Rooms here. This is a older article you may want to use this do Breakout Rooms in a manual way if Breakout Rooms don't apply to your scenario. If … Continue reading How to create and manage Breakout Rooms in Teams meetings

Testing headphones for Teams use: Plantronics Voyager 8200 UC

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 7 Comments

I have written a few headset tests earlier: Jabra Elite 85h https://myteamsday.com/2020/02/07/jabra-elite-85h/Jabra Evolve 75 & Logitech Zone https://myteamsday.com/2019/11/27/microsoft-teams-with-jabra-evolve-75-and-logitech-zone-wireless/ Poly / Plantronics headsets had been missing from my personal hands-on experience but I had heard lots of good about them. When I finally got my hands on to one set a month ago I decided to … Continue reading Testing headphones for Teams use: Plantronics Voyager 8200 UC

How to use Microsoft Whiteboard in teams and channels

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 4 Comments

Using Microsoft Whiteboard in meeting is easy and I have written a couple of blogs about that earlier: https://myteamsday.com/2019/11/19/how-to-use-whiteboard-in-teams-meetings/ and https://myteamsday.com/2020/03/21/how-to-whiteboard-in-teams-meetings-efficiently-ii/ 20.1.2021: it is now possible to add Microsoft Whiteboard to a channel as a tab. Read my blog post how to. If you want to start using Whiteboard with your team in channels you … Continue reading How to use Microsoft Whiteboard in teams and channels

Guide how to do Crisis Communication in Microsoft Teams with only out of the box features

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 3 Comments

Current world-changing and wrecking Corona-crisis has raised the need for communication inside company to new frontiers and atmospheres. Employees need information for themselves (what this means to me and to my work, how we continue from now on, what changes) and for the company (how we are communicating to outside, is there a common story … Continue reading Guide how to do Crisis Communication in Microsoft Teams with only out of the box features

Creating webinar sign-ups, approvals and invitation emails sending using Forms, Teams and Power Automate (POC)

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 2 Comments

There is now more demand than ever before to create online events with Microsoft Teams. These may be training events or webinars or just a need to organize a online community meeting using Teams Meeting or Live Event. But if you don't want to share your joining link publicly in Twitter and pages (like #TeamsFest … Continue reading Creating webinar sign-ups, approvals and invitation emails sending using Forms, Teams and Power Automate (POC)

How to use Whiteboard in Teams meetings efficiently II

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 15 Comments

When you need to collaborate in more visual way with your team members you want to take a look at Microsoft Whiteboard that automatically available with every Teams meeting. If your collaboration with your team is more text-based then I advice to use OneNote. For more visual needs, free form planning or just because you … Continue reading How to use Whiteboard in Teams meetings efficiently II

Art of Pinning Channels III

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

I wrote last year two posts in this blog about Pin channels feature in Microsoft Teams. The first one was more about "what is Pin channels and how do you use it"   and the second was "what if you would turn Teams to more channel oriented". This one is more about my experiences since … Continue reading Art of Pinning Channels III

Easy Teams onboarding by welcoming new members automatically

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 5 Comments

You are added to a new team and look around. While some teams are familiar from the click one, there are some that would require a bit of more knowledge. What is the team's purpose, what are those channels, are there some agreed team practices? Instead of having to ask around for these the team … Continue reading Easy Teams onboarding by welcoming new members automatically

Sharing a teams conversations using Outlook

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 16 Comments

A new feature recently rolled out to Teams. You can now choose to share a Teams conversation using Outlook. The feature is found via message's ... (three dots, ellipses) menu. This shares the message and all it's replies. Then the Outlook-style window will open up. You can add your comments, do editing of message etc. … Continue reading Sharing a teams conversations using Outlook

Jabra Elite 85h: the best modern worklife headphones I’ve had so far

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 28 Comments

I use Teams meetings and calling a lot. I also do tons of work from various other places than my home office. Some other locations are for example a train when I commute to Helsinki, when I am visiting our headquarters, occasionally in a café or restaurant, lobby, .. You name it. Simply put: I … Continue reading Jabra Elite 85h: the best modern worklife headphones I’ve had so far

Copying files to Private Channel using Graph API

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 7 Comments

I was approached with a scenario: Once I have created a Private Channel how can I automatically copy files there? Since I didn't have a direct answer it was time to open Graph Explorer and start digging. Create a Private Channel You need to have a suitable team first. /me/joinedTeams is quite a good Graph … Continue reading Copying files to Private Channel using Graph API

Teams features hidden in plain sight: right-clicks and pinning applications

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 2 Comments

Microsoft Teams doesn't always tell you what you can do in it's interface. Since it is a kind of web application we have used to use left click around different menus. However, there are some features in Teams that will make your life easier if you right-click on them. And I am not talking about … Continue reading Teams features hidden in plain sight: right-clicks and pinning applications

Survival Guide to Microsoft Teams with multiple accounts

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 65 Comments

One very often heard challenge with Teams is that it is difficult to handle work when you have to use multiple identities (accounts). Usually you have your homebase (home tenant) where you have your work account. And I agree - using Teams  with just one account is the most simple use case. However, it is … Continue reading Survival Guide to Microsoft Teams with multiple accounts

Adding PowerApps as Teams application to Teams via Graph API

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

You may already be aware that you can export a PowerApps to Teams. In case you haven't heard about this part check this URL: https://powerapps.microsoft.com/en-us/blog/add-your-canvas-apps-to-teams/ However, the real interest is in what we can do with PowerApps once we have uploaded the application to Teams App Catalog. You need to figure out, before progressing, a … Continue reading Adding PowerApps as Teams application to Teams via Graph API

What’s next on Teams’ radar

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

There are lots of interesting features of Teams that ought to come out during the first two quarters of 2020. I know we all are waiting for a few of them, like multiwindow functionality and new Tasks application. What I really look forward and hope multiwindow fulfills the need to "spread out" the meeting to … Continue reading What’s next on Teams’ radar

Approvals in Team Channel using Power Automate and Adaptive Cards

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 9 Comments

While there has been possible to create personal approvals using Power Automate, there is also a possibility to divert those requests to Team Channel and so anyone who is a member of that team can approve the request. This can create speed, transparency and flexibility into decision making - especially if there is any discussion … Continue reading Approvals in Team Channel using Power Automate and Adaptive Cards

Create a Teams Private Channel using Graph API and Power Automate (Flow)

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 39 Comments

Have you thought about creating a private channel in Teams using a API? Yes, it is possible to do so in case you were wondering is that really supported or not. Using Graph Explorer is simple, fast and easy for this testing. First you need to figure out a few IDs: Team ID (for example … Continue reading Create a Teams Private Channel using Graph API and Power Automate (Flow)

What is cooking for Teams 2020?

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

Year 2020 is here tomorrow. Or most likely - when you are reading this - it is no longer the dark/inspiring future but the exciting present day. I thought it would be nice to take a look what is cooking and boiling for Teams during next year. But first, looking from 80s, 90s 00s and … Continue reading What is cooking for Teams 2020?

Looking back at 2019

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

2019 was a quite amazing year for me. It all started when I was honored receiver of Microsoft MVP Award on 1.1.2019. Becoming MVP was a big thing for me personally and it did gave me an access to meet lots of new people in different events and also to participate more in communities than … Continue reading Looking back at 2019

Testing Microsoft Teams Graph Presence API

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 6 Comments

Teams Presence information is now available via Graph API beta interface. It is fairly simply to test using Graph Explorer by calling /beta/me/presence. Note: you will need to give a admin consent to these API calls. You can not do this with delegated user permissions. You may want to refer for Presence API documentation in … Continue reading Testing Microsoft Teams Graph Presence API

Microsoft Teams is also about inclusivity and accessibility

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

What is inclusiveness? Including different types of people and treating them all fair & equal. In other words: everything is accessible by everyone, no-one is left out. I had the base of this article in my mind for some days but it was this tweet that finally hit me to write it. Especially Situational accessibility … Continue reading Microsoft Teams is also about inclusivity and accessibility

Microsoft Teams Wikis and Meeting Notes: breakdown

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 12 Comments

What are Teams Wiki and Meeting Notes. What you need to know about them and why you should be using OneNote instead of them. Yes, that's right. Even through this blog post gives you an overview about how Wikis look don't use them. OneNote is good. OneNote is your friend. Be a happy Teams user … Continue reading Microsoft Teams Wikis and Meeting Notes: breakdown

Teams got Live Captions to meetings, UI change and federated 1:1 chat are out

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

Live Captions feature is a big thing. Yes - it is not perfect. Yes - it does sometimes funny mistakes. But the benefits are big: People with hearing problems and read what's being said It may be a serious issue but it may affect your way to get the message from the presenter.You may have … Continue reading Teams got Live Captions to meetings, UI change and federated 1:1 chat are out

Microsoft Teams Spotlight: Latest features and roadmaps – watch my webinar recording

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

Feel free to watch my latest webinar about Microsoft Teams! The agenda: https://youtu.be/lIAxaQV6wT8 Timestamps for different parts:Private Channels: 2:55Live Events: 19:15Teams Meetings:35:50Microsoft Teams Rooms:55:18Keeping Teams noise in control: 1:02:05What's new & on the roadmap: 1:12:57

Start syncing your OneDrive for Business using Microsoft Teams

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ Leave a comment

Sometimes a feature doesn't have to be a big one. Sometimes you don't use it very often - perhaps just once or a few times. But without it's existence you would might not even consider it. Yes, I am talking about a Sync button that appeared in Team's OneDrive. It gives you an easy way … Continue reading Start syncing your OneDrive for Business using Microsoft Teams

Uploading files directly to Teams using Forms and mentioning team with Power Automate.

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 2 Comments

Microsoft Forms has gotten a new skill: file uploading. It is a easy way to starting processing and automating files forward. It could be a application, report, public announcement or whatever organizations come up with. In a way it is a substitute for building a file upload PowerApps or a more user friendly way than … Continue reading Uploading files directly to Teams using Forms and mentioning team with Power Automate.

Teams Meetings: Organizers, presenters and attendees are out!

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 55 Comments

If you have had a Teams meeting today, you may have noticed that you can now do changes who can present in Teams meetings! I tested these in a scheduled meeting, meet now and in a channel meeting. All meetings work in the same way -> whoever is scheduling or starting the meeting is the … Continue reading Teams Meetings: Organizers, presenters and attendees are out!

Microsoft Teams with Jabra Evolve 75 and Logitech Zone Wireless

~ Vesa Nopanen ~ 2 Comments

Microsoft Teams meetings experience is heavily affected by the audio quality. If you are in a meeting where you get the annoying echo (hearing your own voice) or encounter a situation where noise is "howling" (circling from speakers back to mic and only gets stronger and stronger .. ) it doesn't leave room for the … Continue reading Microsoft Teams with Jabra Evolve 75 and Logitech Zone Wireless