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People in Together mode know where others are in a shared virtual space. Best practices for large meetings in Together mode are still emerging.Īn itsy-bitsy introduction to the science behind Together mode: Together mode might still be the best choice for a meeting with more than 49 participants, but that will depend on many details about how the meeting is conducted. The initial release of Together mode supports up to 49 people at a time optimally. You might think, why even bother urging people not to video chat while driving? I wish I could say that I never see people trying to do it! Don’t, please. Together mode is more engaging than a typical video chat, and therefore more distracting from potentially unsafe tasks like driving. It looks weird, like you’re jumping around in your seat. Works best when users are not walking around or otherwise moving the camera or screen during the session. If a PowerPoint presentation is the main event and will take up the entire time of a meeting, Together mode might not be helpful. The first version of Together mode isn’t optimized to share the screen with PowerPoint presentations. If you need to show physical content in your environment, such as a physical whiteboard, then Together mode is not the best choice right now, because it only brings you, not your environment, into the shared space.
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Here are my thoughts on how to get the most of Together mode.
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The design offers unique benefits: less fatigue from frequent video meetings, better sense of connection with others, and more effective meetings.
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People typically become more relaxed, more attentive to one another, more playful, and yet more focused on shared goals. Together mode has a unique look, but it also has a unique feel. On one level, Together mode is a simple approach to making meetings feel better during the pandemic, however there’s also a deeper level that touches on our latest scientific understandings of cognition, social perception, and communication. You’ve probably seen it by now everyone is united in a virtual space as if in a theater instead of being separated in boxes. Together mode is a new option in Microsoft Teams, Microsoft’s premier app for teamwork and team connection.
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