Run a Teams meeting without the usual problems

Teams meetings are reliable once set up properly. Most of the trouble is audio devices and permissions, both of which you can sort in advance.

1. 1

   Schedule the meeting

   Go to Calendar in Teams and click New Meeting, or in Outlook use the Teams Meeting button on a normal appointment. Both produce the same joining link.

2. 2

   Invite people outside the business

   Just type their full email address in the invitee box. They can join from a browser without installing anything or having a Microsoft account.

3. 3

   Check your audio before you join

   On the join screen, click the gear icon and pick the right speaker and microphone — usually your headset, not the monitor speakers. Make a test call from Settings, Devices if you are unsure.

   Tip: If nobody can hear you, check the physical mute switch on the headset lead first. It catches everyone.

4. 4

   Share your screen properly

   Click the Share button and choose a single window rather than the whole desktop — that way your email notifications stay private. Tick Include computer sound if you are playing a video.

5. 5

   Control who does what

   Before the meeting, open it in Calendar, click Meeting options, and set "Who can present" to Only me for a large briefing, and turn on the lobby for external guests.

6. 6

   Record and share afterwards

   Click More actions, Record and transcribe. The recording saves to OneDrive (for ad-hoc calls) or the channel SharePoint site, and everyone invited gets access automatically.