Microsoft Teams continues to add new features and ways to engage meeting attendees. Sometimes, when you’re the presenter in a Teams meeting, you’ll want to allow someone else to present or give control to someone else in the meeting. We’ll look at different ways to present and how to give control in Groups to others.
The information below applies to all Microsoft Teams meetings, including breakout sessions and webinars. Some features, like PowerPoint Live, are only available when using the desktop version of Teams and are not accessible if you are running Teams in a web browser.
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Share content in a group meeting
When you’re in a Teams meeting and you select the Share button, you can choose to share the content in different ways:
- Share your screen: This option will allow meeting attendees to see anything on the screen you choose.
- Share a specific window: This option will only allow attendees to see the specific window you choose to share.
- Create a whiteboard: This option will launch Whiteboard app so meeting attendees can collaborate.
- Share PowerPoint: Select a specific PowerPoint file to present to meeting attendees.
When you choose to share a PowerPoint presentation (instead of sharing the specific window PowerPoint is in), meeting attendees get a few extra features, and so do you.
When you share a presentation using PowerPoint Live, attendees will be able to move through the slides in your presentation at their own pace. Don’t worry — meeting attendees have no control over what other attendees see. You’ll still be in control of your presentation. However, if an attendee wants to skip a few slides ahead to see what’s coming, they can. When they are ready, there is a sync button that will sync them with the presenter.
If you don’t want attendees to manually move through the presentation, you can disable that feature by selecting the eye icon on the panel that appears over the presentation.
When you share a live presentation via PowerPoint, you’ll be able to see your notes, slides, and audience while you present. This is a feature that Teams users have come to love, and we’re glad to see that Microsoft has listened.
You’ll also have access to multicolored laser pointers, pens, and markers to aid in your presentations.
Roles in group meetings
First, let’s get clear about the different roles available in Teams meetings. The person who created the link to join the meeting is the organizer. He or she has ultimate control and can do things no other attendee can do like manage break-in rooms.
The organizer can designate other meeting attendees as presenters. Only the organizer and presenter can share content in the meeting. In addition to the organizer and presenters, the other people in the meeting are called Attendees.
Organizers can schedule a presenter before the meeting or move quickly during the meeting. To place the presenter before the meeting, the meeting organizer should select the Meeting Options link in the calendar invitation for the meeting.
A web page will open where you can choose who can present in the meeting.
If you choose Specific peopleEnter the names of the people you want to be the Next Presenter.
How to motivate an attendee to be a presenter in a group
If you’re the meeting organizer, it’s easy to promote a meeting attendee to a presenter in the meeting itself.
- Find attendees in the participants list.
- Choose Another choice (three dots) link next to the attendee’s name.
- Option Be a presenter.
That person will now be able to share content in the meeting.
Presentation vs Control
It’s important to understand the difference between presenting in a Teams meeting and controlling shared content.
Apps like GoToMeeting and Zoom have ways for meeting attendees to control other attendees’ computers. This often happens during remote support sessions. So far, Microsoft Teams has not provided that functionality. However, Groups allows a presenter to give limited control to another attendee, and attendees can request control from the presenter.
Obviously, you should only give control in Teams to someone you trust.
How to give control in groups
In Microsoft Teams, if you want someone in your meeting to edit the file you’re sharing or take over your presentation, you can give that person control. It’s like adding a second, simultaneous presenter. Both of you will be able to control what is being shared. You can take back control any time you want.
You can only give control to others in your Teams meeting while you’re presenting. Hover over the content you are sharing to activate the sharing toolbar and select Give control.
From there, choose who you want to give control to. The person you want to give control to will receive a notification letting them know that you want to share control of the presentation with them. When you share control with others, they’ll be able to make edits and other changes to the shared screen.
If you want to take back control from them, just choose Remove control button.
How to request control in a group
Requesting control when someone presents in a Group works the same way. Simply choose Requires control button. The presenter can then choose to Allow or Deny your control request.
When you don’t want control anymore, you can choose Release control button.
Get comfortable with Microsoft Teams
Love it or hate it, it looks like Microsoft Teams will soon be gone. If your employer uses Teams, you should learn a few Team tips and tricks to be more comfortable with all its features.
You can read about some ways to poll in Teams meetings, or learn how to hide your mess by changing your background in Teams.
