In the collaborative world of digital communication, Microsoft Teams empowers us to enhance the interactivity of our online meetings by using breakout rooms. These designated spaces within Teams allow us to split meeting participants into separate, smaller groups. This segmentation can be a game-changer for workshops, brainstorming sessions, or classes where individual discussion or focused group work is essential. Creating breakout rooms in Teams is straightforward and can be done before or during a meeting.
We can start by setting up breakout rooms prior to the meeting in our Teams calendar. It’s a matter of a few clicks to determine how many rooms are needed, up to a maximum of 50. Assigning participants to these rooms can be done automatically by Teams or manually, giving us full control over the group dynamics. Once the meeting begins, opening breakout rooms is a simple task that can foster engaging and productive discussions away from the main conversation.
- Select the number of rooms required.
- Choose between automatic or manual participant assignment.
- Rename rooms for clarity and context, if necessary.
During the meeting, Teams gives us the flexibility to move participants between rooms and even make announcements to all breakout rooms simultaneously. The ease of managing breakout rooms during live meetings allows us to facilitate discussions effectively, resolve any issues on the fly, and bring participants back to the main meeting with just a click. Our experience shows that mastery of breakout rooms in Teams can notably increase the effectiveness of remote gatherings, training sessions, and group collaborations.
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Setting Up Breakout Rooms in Microsoft Teams
In Microsoft Teams, effective collaboration in smaller groups is made easy with breakout rooms. We’ll guide you through accessing settings, scheduling, and creating rooms well before your meetings start.
Accessing Breakout Room Settings
To access breakout room settings in a Teams meeting, we need to be the meeting organizer. This is essential because only organizers have the permissions to create and manage breakout rooms.
- Go to Calendar on the Teams app.
- Select the meeting to which you want to add rooms.
- Breakout rooms option will be visible if you are an organizer.
Scheduling Breakout Rooms for Meetings
When planning a Teams meeting with breakout rooms, we schedule it from the Teams calendar. Recurring meetings can also have breakout rooms, allowing for discussions in smaller groups at every session.
| Setting | Description | Note |
| Recurring Meeting | Set up once for multiple sessions | Room settings carry over each meeting |
| Single Meeting | One-time setup | Adjust settings per session |
Creating Rooms in Advance
We can prepare by creating breakout rooms in Teams before the meeting begins. This prepares participants for immediate collaboration, without delays, once the meeting kicks off.
- Navigate to the meeting details.
- Choose ‘Breakout rooms’ and then ‘Create rooms’.
- Select the number of rooms and assign attendees.
Remember: You can have up to 50 breakout rooms in a single Teams meeting.
Assigning Participants to Breakout Rooms
When setting up breakout rooms in Microsoft Teams meetings, we have two main ways to assign participants: automatically or manually. Each method suits different scenarios, and as hosts, we want to ensure attendees are placed appropriately for the session’s objectives.
Assigning Automatically
To assign participants automatically:
- We can select the ‘Assign participants automatically’ option when creating breakout rooms.
- Attendees are evenly distributed across the rooms by the system itself.
- This method is effective when time is short or when participants’ backgrounds or skill levels do not significantly impact the room’s dynamics.
Assigning Manually
To assign participants manually:
- The ‘Assign participants manually’ option gives us full control over who goes where.
- We can group attendees based on specific criteria, such as department, skill level, or project.
- It’s perfect for structured sessions where the composition of each group matters.
Switching Participants During a Session
Moving people around during the meeting:
- We can move participants between rooms mid-session by selecting the ‘Move option’ for any attendee.
- This flexibility is helpful for responsive facilitation, allowing us to adjust group dynamics as needed.
Note that presenters and organizers can assign and move people around, but attendees cannot. Also, participants using PSTN or Teams devices might not be assignable to breakout rooms.
Managing Breakout Rooms During a Meeting
When we manage breakout rooms during a Teams meeting, it’s about control and timing. We have the capability to efficiently open and close rooms, send announcements, and keep an eye on the activities within each room.
Opening and Closing Rooms
Open Rooms – We can initiate breakout sessions by opening rooms. This is where attendees are distributed into smaller groups. Meeting hosts can do this with the click of a button, once all participants are ready to break into the pre-assigned rooms.
Close Breakout Room – Bringing everyone back to the main meeting is as simple as closing the rooms. There can be a set time limit, or we can choose to close them manually when we decide the breakouts have served their purpose.
Making Announcements to All Rooms
During the meeting, we might need to relay critical information to all breakout rooms. We can use the announcement feature to send a message that will appear in the chat of each breakout room, ensuring that no team misses out on important updates.
Monitoring Activity in Breakout Rooms
It’s our role to keep an eye on the progress in each room. As moderators, we can enter and leave any breakout room to monitor participation and offer support if needed. This way, we maintain the flow of the meeting and ensure objectives are met.
Advanced Breakout Room Features and Best Practices
To effectively manage and enhance collaboration in Microsoft Teams meetings, it’s crucial to understand advanced breakout room features and implement best practices.
Renaming Rooms and Making Adjustments
Renaming is straightforward – click on the room and choose the rename option. Use meaningful titles that resonate with the session’s goals.
Adding and Deleting Rooms During a Meeting
Don’t hesitate to adjust the number of rooms by using the ‘+’ or ‘-‘ signs to add or delete rooms. These adjustments are key for maintaining the momentum of productive discussions.
Utilizing Breakout Rooms for Collaboration
Make use of checkboxes to set room timers or make announcements to all rooms. This functionality enables seamless collaboration and keeps everyone aligned for meaningful discussions and brainstorming sessions.