Adjusting activities
In Microsoft Teams meetings, the default setting is to have your camera and microphone on. However, while in a meeting, having your microphone on all the time can cause some problems.
Your microphone can pick up all sorts of sounds like typing, clicking, and background noises (dogs barking, partners whining, children laughing, even cars driving by). All of these little noises may be easy for you to ignore as you’re focused on the presentation, but for the meeting presenters and other meeting attendees, they can be very distracting.
A simple fix
The easiest fix is to turn off your microphone whenever you aren’t talking. You’ll still be able to hear what the presenter is saying, and if other attendees haven’t turned off their microphones all the unnecessary noise theirs is picking up.
To turn your microphone Off (and On), click on the microphone icon from the control bar of your meeting:
Your microphone will be Off when there is a slash through it.
When speed matters
Another and perhaps even faster method of turning your microphone On and Off is to use a keyboard shortcut.
Keyboard shortcuts allow you to carry out the same tasks as you would with a mouse or touch screen, but with far fewer steps.
To adjust your microphone, use Ctrl+Shift+M.
Applying this keyboard shortcut will cause a microphone that is On to turn Off and a microphone that is Off to turn On.
Using this shortcut, like when you use a mouse, will not affect anyone else's microphone in the Microsoft Teams meeting.
Go for speed
There are many keyboard shortcuts that can help improve your efficiency while working in Microsoft Teams. To locate the keyboard shortcut window, navigate to your profile icon in the upper-right corner of the Microsoft Teams desktop application.
1. Select your profile to open the additional options menu
2. Click on Keyboard Shortcuts and the window will open.
Elevate your performance
Virtual meeting can be complicated, especially if you are just getting used to the platform. But that’s never an excuse to not do your best, and as a Microsoft Teams attendee, one of the best moves you can make is to mute your microphone until you’re ready to talk.
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