Collaboration, Video Conferencing and Communication Tools

Work and communicate with your colleagues using Microsoft Teams

The Teams platform enables direct messaging, file sharing, and both audio and video calling or conferencing. Read on for tips on how to maximize your productivity and for best practices.

Access Teams via the web at teams.microsoft.com or use the desktop application. Download the desktop or mobile app. (Make sure to login with your FlashLine username and password.)

Start a chat

You start one-on-one and group chats the same way.

Selecting New chat at the top of your chat screen.
Enter the name or names of the people with whom you wish to chat
Compose your message in the box at the bottom of the chat.
When you're ready, select Send . This starts the chat.

Find out more on our Microsoft Teams Chat page or visit Microsoft's Start a Chat in Teams support article for more detailed instructions.

Create a Teams Meeting

If you need to communicate directly with your group, follow these instructions for creating a meeting instantly.

For the best audio-visual experience in a Teams meeting, wear a headset and blur your background.

Start a meeting

To start a meeting, do one of the following:
- Select in a new conversation.
- Select in an existing conversation to keep all that conversation’s context.
In your video preview, enter a name for the meeting, and select Meet now.
Select the names of the team members you want to invite to the meeting. You can also type a phone number, a good way to add people outside your organization who aren't using Teams.

View Microsoft's Create Instant Meetings support article if additional instructions are needed.

Join a meeting

Look for the meeting notification icon in a conversation to find a meeting.
Select Join Now to participate in the meeting.

View Microsoft's Join a Teams Meeting support article if additional instructions are needed.

Share Your Desktop

Select the share screen icon to show your screen to the other people in the meeting.

Record a Meeting

Select more options icon to record the meeting. You'll be emailed when the video is ready so you can view, edit, and share with others.

Schedule a Teams Meeting

There are several ways to schedule a meeting.

Select Schedule a meeting in a chat (this is below the compose box) to book a meeting with the people in the chat.
Or go to Calendar on the left side of the app and either select New meeting at the top right of the app, or select a range of time on your calendar and a scheduling form will pop open.

Similar to Outlook, on the scheduling form is where you'll give a title to your meeting, invite people, and add meetings details.

On the scheduling form you will have the option to add a channel, individual people, or leave both blank to book yourself an appointment.

Find out more about Teams Meetings.

Communicating by Email or Phone

Teams is very effective for communicating with your Kent State colleagues; however, if you need to communicate with people outside of the university, we suggest you use the methods below.

Email

Access your email online from anywhere using the Outlook Web App at mail.kent.edu.
If you need to use the Outlook desktop client, here is how to install Microsoft Office if it’s not already on your computer.
For assistance with email, submit a support ticket.

Phone

For most communications, Teams is the best method for communicating with other university employees. However, if you need to use your office phone, call forwarding and Jabber are your best solutions.

Never miss a call while out of the office, learn how to set up your desk phone to ring on your cell phone.
Install Jabber on your computer to access and use your desk phone. If you are unable to log in to Jabber, you will need to put in a ticket to request Jabber phone access. Once you have been given access, you may continue the Jabber set-up process. Get acquainted with Jabber with this Quick Start Guide.

NOTE: You will need to use the VPN to use Jabber.

Conference Calling Using Your Smartphone

For an Android device:

While a call is open:

To merge current calls into one conference call, tap Call merge.
To mute or un-mute your microphone, tap Mute .
To pause a conversation without hanging up, tap Hold . To pick up the call again, tap Hold again.

For an iOS (Apple) device:

You can set up a conference call with up to five people (depending on your carrier).

Conference calls may not be available depending on your network.

While on a call

Tap Add Call
Make another call
Tap Merge Calls
Repeat to add more people to the conference.

During the conference call, do any of the following:

Talk privately with one person: Tap , then tap Private next to the person. Tap Merge Calls to resume the conference.
Add an incoming caller on the same line: Tap Hold Call + Answer, then tap Merge Calls.
Drop one person: Tap next to a person, then tap End.