The ability to create breakout rooms on Microsoft Teams has been crucial for many firms that want to encourage teamwork during meetings. Teachers, team leaders, and project managers who wish to divide bigger groups into more manageable, concentrated sessions may find this feature particularly helpful. In this post, we’ll go over how to create breakout rooms on Teams step-by-step and offer helpful advice for using them efficiently. We’ll also cover the little things that make sure everyone has a good time.
What Are Breakout Rooms?
Within a bigger meeting, breakout rooms are virtual areas where attendees can divide into smaller groups for targeted activities or conversations. Because of its capacity to improve team member engagement, encourage cooperation, and facilitate more individualized interactions, this feature has grown in popularity. Without being distracted by a bigger crowd, people can work on projects, exchange ideas, or have conversations in breakout rooms.
Prerequisites for Using Breakout Rooms
Make sure you fulfill certain requirements before you start designing breakout spaces:
Meeting Type: Teams meetings usually have access to breakout spaces, but meeting planners are the only ones who can design them. To use this function, make sure you are scheduled as the organizer.
Teams & Permissions: Verify that breakout rooms are enabled in Microsoft Teams settings for your company. IT administrators typically oversee this option.
Meeting Size: Only meetings with two or more attendees are eligible to use breakout rooms. In one-on-one calls, they are unavailable.
Version of Teams: For more extensive capabilities, make sure you are using Microsoft Teams’ desktop version. The mobile or web versions can have less features.
Setting Up the Meeting
You must first set up your meeting in Microsoft Teams before you can establish breakout rooms. Here’s how to accomplish it:
Start Microsoft Teams by using either the web or desktop version.
Set Up a Meeting: To start a new meeting, click the calendar button in the left sidebar. Enter the meeting information, including the title, time, date, and list of attendees.
Send the Invite: After all the information has been completed, invite everyone to the meeting.
Creating Breakout Rooms During the Meeting
The following procedures can be used to set up breakout spaces after the meeting starts:
Locate the “Breakout rooms” button on the meeting control panel when you enter the meeting as the organizer to access the breakout room options. The toolbar typically has this option next to “Share screen,” “Chat,” and “Participants.”
Choose the Number of Rooms: After selecting “Breakout rooms,” a sidebar will show up. You can choose how many rooms to create here. You can set up to 50 breakout spaces for a single meeting using Microsoft Teams.
Assigning Participants to Rooms: Participants can be assigned to each breakout room manually or automatically.
-
Automatic Assignment
: Microsoft Teams can automatically divide participants into groups for you. Simply select this option, and Teams will evenly distribute participants into the breakout rooms. -
Manual Assignment
: If you prefer more control, you can manually assign participants to rooms. Click on “Assign participants,” and select the names to add to specific rooms.
Establishing a Timer for Rooms: Following participant assignment, you can establish a timer for the duration of the breakout sessions. You have the option of entering a bespoke duration or selecting a preset time.
Breakout Room Opening: After everything is in place, select “Open rooms.” Teams will automatically transfer participants to their designated rooms and alert them when they are about to commence a breakout session.
Managing Breakout Rooms
You are in charge of overseeing the breakout rooms during the meeting as the organizer. You have the following choices:
Joining Breakout Rooms: Click the “Join room” link next to the name of any breakout room to join it. This enables you to lead conversations or support participants as required.
Announcements: You have the option to concurrently broadcast messages to every breakout room. This is helpful for notifications or reminders.
Closing Breakout Rooms: All breakout rooms can be closed when the allotted time has passed. After being notified, participants will be escorted back to the main conference room.
Extending Room Time: You can prolong the room time before finishing the conversations if they are still going on. Choose the “Extend” option after clicking on the room.
Best Practices for Effective Breakout Rooms
Take into account the following recommended practices to make sure breakout rooms fulfill their intended function:
Clearly Stated Goals: Clearly state the goals of the breakout sessions. Give participants a set of questions to discuss and an agenda.
Choose Room Facilitators: Try to designate a facilitator for every breakout space. This person can facilitate conversations, take notes, and guarantee that everyone contributes.
Give Enough Time: Ensure that the amount of time allocated for breakout sessions is suitable for the current work. Conversations that are hurried can end up being ineffective.
Follow-up: Bring everyone back to the main meeting room to discuss the conclusions and insights from the breakout sessions. This guarantees that everyone is on the same page and promotes teamwork.
Make Use of Collaborative Tools: Make sure everyone has access to the required files and tools beforehand if you need to work together on documents or exchange information. Before breakout rooms, share files or links in the main meeting discussion.
Get Input: Following meetings, get input from attendees regarding their experiences using the breakout space. This can improve engagement and help you improve subsequent sessions.
Troubleshooting Common Issues
You could run into problems when using breakout rooms, even if you prepare well. Here are some pointers for troubleshooting:
Participants Face Difficulties Verify that everyone has entered the main meeting before entering the joining rooms. If they haven’t joined the main meeting successfully, they can’t access the breakout rooms.
Technical Issues: Before entering breakout rooms, participants should verify their internet connection and audio settings if they have any technical issues, such as audio or video issues.
Need for Reassignments: You can drag and drop names from one room to another on the management panel if participants choose to change rooms.
Room Names and Configurations: Make that breakout spaces are named and configured correctly for the purpose. For convenience, unique room names can be made when the room is being set up.
Conclusion
The collaborative experience in virtual meetings can be greatly improved by setting up breakout rooms on Microsoft Teams. Effective use of this tool can help teams promote more fruitful conversations and deeper participation. To ensure a smooth communication flow, keep in mind to clearly define goals, effectively run breakout spaces, and follow up on conversations. You may maximize your team’s collaborative efforts and get the most out of your breakout room meetings by putting these suggestions into practice.
In summary, creating breakout rooms may seem daunting at first, but with practice and the right approach, you can ensure your meetings are not only efficient but also engaging and productive. Breakout rooms are a useful tool for preserving interaction in the virtual workspace, whether for educational or professional cooperation.