How to Use Microsoft Teams: Chats and Conversation

Communication is the key to success when working in a team. Microsoft Teams allows you to leverage your communication skills with little effort by providing a set of tools that allow you to chat with your peers within seconds.

The chat features included in the product allow you to have private or public written conversations and help you to keep everything organized and centralized for easy access.

In this chapter, we are going to cover the following main topics:

• Understanding the chat feature in Microsoft Teams
• How to use private chats
• How to manage chats and contacts
• How to use the Chat application
• Understanding message options
• Understanding chats in the context of teams

The basic chat concepts of Microsoft Teams are the same as any other communication platform, such as Skype or WhatsApp; however, the functionality of Teams is far greater, incorporating a wide range of features...

Understanding the chat feature in Microsoft Teams

Chat is a default application available in the app bar that allows you to start a written conversation with any team member, inside or outside your organization (if the collaboration policies allow you to reach members outside your organization).

Figure 3.1.1: The Chat user interface and features

Before jumping into your first conversation, it is best to understand how the Chat app works to get the most out of it. Figure 3.1.1 illustrates the Chat application, with its main components highlighted, and described below:

1. The Chat app: The Chat application gives you access to private and group chats and also to any meeting chats.
2. Chat toolbar: The Chat toolbar gives you access to the chat tools that allow you to manage your contacts and filter your chats. In this bar, you will find the following options:
   • Chat/Contacts: This option allows you to switch between your existing chats and your list of...

How to use the Chat application

The Chat app on Microsoft Teams comes equipped with functionalities that go beyond writing text. To send a message inside the chat app, perform the following steps:

1. Click on the text box in the chat thread.
2. Type your message.
3. To send it, press Enter, or click on the Send button.

At this stage, everything looks like a regular chat app, just like the ones we have on our phones. However, things start to get interesting when you use the extra functionalities provided by Microsoft Teams. In Figure 3.2.1, you can see a text box with a set of icons underneath; each of these icons allows you to enrich your messages with a set of extensive features.

Figure 3.2.1: Chat boxes in Teams are equipped with an extensive range of functionality

Pro tip: Quickly edit a sent message

If you post a message and, after pressing Enter, notice that something needs amending, press the "up" arrow on your keyboard...

Understanding message options

Each message posted in the Chat app has a set of options available that you can use to manage, react to, or categorize the message. To access the message options, you will need to do the following:

1. Hover your mouse over the message, wait for the three dots (…) to appear, and then click on the icon.
2. A contextual menu will appear, as in Figure 3.3.1, and you will be able to select a message option.

Figure 3.3.1: Options available for messages

The contextual menu will be different for messages sent by you than for the one displayed for messages you receive. The available options are detailed in the following sections.

Saving messages

Save this message allows you to save a message to your Saved list. A message that is saved by you is marked with a bookmark icon and is added to the Saved list, which means you will be able to locate it faster from a central location at a later date.

To access your saved...

Understanding chats in the context of teams

Chats in the context of a team have the same functionalities as described previously. However, due to the different scope of the conversation, there are also a few other options available that will help you to communicate better and be more productive.

The chat feature is the first tab in the channel. It is called Posts and its position and label cannot be modified.

Each channel inside of a team starts with its own Chat app, which allows you to have conversations with all the members of a team, relating to the topic of the channel. The following section describes the special features present within this app.

Reply versus typing a new message

Unlike individual chats, where everything is displayed as a single thread, in a channel, things can quickly get out of control if everybody uses the New conversation button. In a channel chat, each message contains a Reply link underneath. This is the option you should use to reply...

Summary

In this chapter, you have learned how to use Microsoft Teams to chat with your peers in multiple contexts.

A written message can be much more than a simple piece of text. This chapter has demonstrated how you can use Microsoft Teams to communicate better and improve the efficiency with which daily tasks are carried out.

In a work environment, conversations cannot all be handled in the same way, and Microsoft Teams gives you the flexibility to manage them according to the environment and policies in which you conduct them. From one-to-one chats to public or private conversations, with internal and external users, Teams offers you multiple options to make your workday more structured and productive.

In the next chapter, you will learn how to use Microsoft Teams' calling functionality, along with other tools that you can use to complement everything you have learned so far.