Conversations

Microsoft Teams has a wide range of options for creating conversations, from the ability to change the color and style of text, format paragraphs and add links, through adding emojis, animated GIFs and stickers, all the way to schedule meetings, create approvals and access additional cloud applications which can expand the capabilities of traditional chat. Let’s see how these options are used!

Conversations can be conducted within the chat or within teams/channels. In the first case, we start the conversation by selecting the New Chat option, and in the second we select New Conversation. Then we start entering the text, as we would do within Notepad. Use SHIFT + ENTER to move to a new line, as ENTER is used to send a message. Below the text is a toolbar, and clicking on the appropriate icon accesses the desired set of features.

If you click on the icon represented by the letter A and brush, a menu will open in which you can format text and paragraph, create lists, add a dividing line, table, link … The Code Snippet option allows you to send, specially formatted, program code. The Undo and Redo options allow you to cancel or repeat an action.

By clicking on the icon represented by the exclamation mark, you can select the priority of the message: Standard, Important or Urgent! The icon represented by the clip allows you to add a local file to the conversation or to add it from the OneDrive repository.

Icons represented by a smiley, a GIF tag, and a sticker image allow you to send an emoji, animated GIF, or sticker. This can make your conversation more vivid.

Clicking on the icon reminiscent of a calendar leads directly to the Calendar menu to schedule appointments. To the right of it is an icon that guides you to the Microsoft Stream, service used to store recorded appointments. Next is the Praise option, which you can use to praise the interlocutors, and then the option to send requests for approvals, access to the MS Forms service and other cloud services. In conversations, you can use the @ sign in front of someone’s name to mention that person. Mentions are later shown within the Activity menu.