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Microsoft Teams Is Adapting for Hybrid Meetings

New features add balance to remote and in-person meetings

By Rob Rich Rob Rich News Reporter College for Creative Studies Rob is a freelance tech reporter with experience writing for a variety of outlets, including IGN, Unwinnable, 148Apps, Gamezebo, Pocket Gamer, Fanbolt, Zam, and more. lifewire's editorial guidelines Updated on June 17, 2021 12:44PM EDT Fact checked by Rich Scherr Fact checked by Rich Scherr University of Maryland Baltimore County Rich Scherr is a seasoned technology and financial journalist who spent nearly two decades as the editor of Potomac and Bay Area Tech Wire. lifewire's fact checking process Tweet Share Email Tweet Share Email Smart & Connected Life Mobile Phones Internet & Security Computers & Tablets Smart Life Home Theater & Entertainment Software & Apps Social Media Streaming Gaming A host of new features are being added to Microsoft Teams in order to make remote/in-person hybrid meetings more accessible and easier to manage. Each of these new features is being developed with the goal of making hybrid meetings feel as close to a typical in-person gathering as possible. Remote and in-office team members will be able to interact and collaborate with their coworkers more effectively. New video conference layouts aim to make it easier for everyone to stay engaged and responsive. Microsoft Thursday's announcement on Microsoft 365 shows that Teams Rooms, Fluid, and Viva are the main focus of these updates. The most-touted addition to Teams Rooms, "front row," is a new meeting layout that organizes face cam videos horizontally along the bottom of the screen. This places remote employees' feeds in a line, similar to how they would appear sitting across the table, with added room above for relevant information that can update in real-time with Fluid. Fluid's big change is its reach is expanding to include Teams, OneNote, Outlook, and Whiteboard. This will allow team members to collaborate both synchronously and asynchronously across several Teams and Office apps. A new chat feature also will make it easier to stay organized when discussing different subjects by pinning messages to specific content. Microsoft A new "focus" mode will be added to Viva Insights later in the year, with the purpose of helping team members tackle important tasks and remember to take the occasional break. A combination of Focus music from the meditative Headspace service and custom times are meant to make working (and resting) easier to manage. Microsoft has not yet announced specific dates for these changes, but it appears to be planning to roll them out throughout 2021. Was this page helpful? Thanks for letting us know! Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day Subscribe Tell us why! Other Not enough details Hard to understand Submit More from Lifewire How to Remove Chat From Windows 11 How to Blur Backgrounds in MS Teams How to Add Microsoft Teams to Outlook How to Uninstall Microsoft Teams on Windows 10 How to Use Microsoft Teams Microsoft Teams vs Slack: Which One Is Best for You? How to Install and Set Up Microsoft Teams for Mac What Is Microsoft Teams? How to Use Slack for Work How to Share Your Screen on Microsoft Teams How to Schedule a Meeting in Microsoft Teams Is Microsoft Teams Down... Or Is It You? How to Make Someone Else a Presenter in a Microsoft Teams Meeting Zoom vs. Skype: What’s the Difference? How to Update Microsoft Teams The 10 Best Apps for Note-Taking in 2022 Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up Newsletter Sign Up By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookies Settings Accept All Cookies