*Up to date on December 6, 2022

On the planet of hybrid work, guaranteeing all members really feel included and might contribute their concepts in an efficient and visible manner is extremely vital. A profitable assembly not solely invitations all members however supplies everybody with the instruments to contribute to the dialog. To your subsequent Microsoft Groups assembly, you’ll be able to lead extra visually partaking discussions that hit your aims earlier than, throughout, and after the assembly by utilizing Microsoft Whiteboard. With new improvements in Whiteboard, you’ll be able to really feel empowered to create a robust and productive assembly – collectively.

Earlier than the assembly

Shortly arrange your whiteboard with dialogue aims utilizing one of many 60+ Whiteboard templates. Whether or not you’re main a dialogue for brainstorming, downside fixing, or staff bonding, you’ll be able to simply use template search within the create panel. Template search shall be typically out there for Microsoft 365 business customers in December 2022.

*Simply visualize your concepts, put together to your subsequent assembly, or follow-up in your final assembly, utilizing the Whiteboard integration in Groups 1:1 calls. When on a Groups 1:1 name along with your colleague, merely faucet the Groups share tray, click on the Whiteboard button, and drive a targeted dialogue in a smaller setting. Whiteboard in Groups 1:1 calls is now typically out there for Microsoft 365 business customers. 

Seeking to improve your assembly whiteboard? Embedded on-line movies and hyperlinks can add visible richness and make your assembly extra dynamic. Keep away from fussing with tab and window switching that interrupts the circulate of a gathering by together with supplemental movies immediately on the whiteboard with embedded on-line movies. Embedded on-line movies and hyperlinks is now typically out there for Microsoft 365 business customers.

A picture of a person embedding a YouTube video and web site hyperlink onto the whiteboard from the create panel in Whiteboard.

In the course of the assembly

Partaking your members from the second they be a part of the assembly is straightforward. Pull up the whiteboard you ready earlier by utilizing open current board in Groups conferences, and your assembly is already off to an amazing begin. Open current board in Groups conferences is now typically out there for Microsoft 365 business customers.

Present time for particular person members to brainstorm for inclusive discussions with timer in Whiteboard. Create focus, keep on-task, and preserve your assembly shifting by setting a timer for agenda actions. Timer shall be typically out there for Microsoft 365 business customers early subsequent calendar yr.

Invite customers on a whiteboard to observe your viewpoint as you navigate by way of the board for a extra visually guided dialogue. The facilitator initially locates the observe function by deciding on their profile image within the Whiteboard roster. When observe is activated, a participant can pause following the facilitator to proceed to maneuver by way of and contribute to the board on their very own. With only one click on, the participant can resume observe to get again to the place the facilitator is at any time. Microsoft Groups Rooms gadgets may also be enhanced with computerized observe classes, bringing higher flexibility for you within the convention room for hybrid work. Observe will begin rolling out to Microsoft 365 customers with a piece account by the top of the calendar yr.[1]

Improve the look and legibility of your whiteboard with computerized resizing of textual content inside sticky notes so you’ll be able to add extra strains of textual content while not having to scroll. Textual content inside sticky notes now additionally routinely scales in textual content measurement as you resize the sticky observe, growing legibility, even at decrease zoom ranges. Lastly, textual content formatting options like daring, italics and underlining, in addition to a brand new, extra skilled default font, assist emphasize your contemporary concepts throughout notes, textual content bins, and shapes. For Microsoft 365 business customers, auto-resize textual content in notes is now typically out there and textual content formatting shall be rolling out to normal availability by the top of the calendar yr.

A picture displaying sticky notes that routinely resize the font with quantity of textual content and textual content formatting choices on Whiteboard.

Need to begin afresh? Simply wipe down the board quicky with the brand new partial eraser. It understands your intent – the quicker you erase the larger it will get, letting you wipe out giant portion of the board in simply few strokes. And for the occasions while you simply wish to erase that phrase you misspelled – the identical eraser will provide the precision you would wish. Partial eraser will begin rolling out to Microsoft 365 business customers by the top of the calendar yr.

Create collaborative relationships by realizing who’s contributing notes and suggestions with sticky observe attribution. Sticky observe attribution will begin rolling out to Microsoft 365 business customers early subsequent calendar yr.

Whiteboard is a brand new Microsoft Loop endpoint, enabling you to copy and paste Loop elements into Whiteboard from Groups chat and shortly from Outlook mail and Phrase for the online. Loop elements in Whiteboard assist your staff proceed including info to lists, tables and extra whereas they brainstorm in Whiteboard. Modifications made in Loop elements in Whiteboard will keep in sync throughout all of the locations the part has been shared, guaranteeing everybody has the most recent information. Copy and paste Loop elements in Whiteboard will begin rolling out to be typically out there for Microsoft 365 business customers within the coming months.

After the assembly

The collaboration doesn’t have to finish after a synchronous assembly! The whiteboard you and your members collaborated on might be accessed within the Groups chat beneath the Whiteboard tab. With the convenience of Whiteboard integration in Groups, you and your members can proceed collaborating on the identical whiteboard asynchronously. To your subsequent synchronous assembly, begin once more with open current Whiteboard in Groups Conferences and present the progress of iterative collaboration in between conferences.

A picture demonstrating a magnifier window showcasing the Whiteboard tab in a Groups chat.

With feedback you’ll be able to share your ideas, have fun along with your teammates, or simply have a dialog. You possibly can create an anchored remark that may keep related to the content material being shared, holding issues easy and efficient, whereas remark bubbles show you how to perceive the sentiment and discover areas the place there may be extra dialogue on the content material. Commenting will begin rolling out to Microsoft 365 business customers by the top of the calendar yr.

We hear from clients on daily basis that whereas the way forward for work could also be evolving, one factor stays clear—it is by no means been extra vital for folks to have the ability to collaborate successfully wherever and each time. We proceed to be dedicated and targeted to fulfill this want, so each distant and in-person attendees can visually collaborate throughout the identical digital canvas. To get began, strive Whiteboard as we speak.

To be taught extra, go to the Whiteboard product web page or the Whiteboard assist website.

Do you know? The Microsoft 365 Roadmap is the place you will get the most recent updates on productiveness apps and clever cloud providers. Take a look at what options are in growth or coming quickly on the Microsoft 365 Roadmap, or view Microsoft Whiteboard roadmap gadgets right here.

Footnotes

[1] Observe is not going to be typically out there for varsity accounts.