We have all heard the word hybrid used in one way or the other, but what does the term hybrid mean in the modern workplace? Very simply it is flexibility in the how, when and where you work. To enhance this flexibility Microsoft has announced some exciting new features that it will be rolling out to its popular Teams and Outlook applications in the next few months.
AI-powered active speaker tracking in Teams Meetings:
This feature allows for example taking a view of a conference room and splitting that view into individual video segments so that you can see person by person to get a more live experience participation in the meeting. Beyond displaying multiple in-person participants in their own video panes, the feature will automatically track who is talking, using audio and facial movements to provide a better view for remote attendees. A people recognition feature will also show the name of in-person participants below their respective images, so you don’t have to guess who anyone in the meeting is.
A new PowerPoint presentation feature called Cameo that integrates with Teams camera feed:
This feature will allow you to present PowerPoint presentations remotely while overlaying your video stream from your Teams app. The reasoning is that everyone who sees your PowerPoint remotely will also be able to see you give your presentation, making it feel a lot more personal than having to just watch slides advance without any other human interaction.
An Outlook RSVP feature that will let people share whether they are attending in-person or online:
This feature offers meeting invitees to share whether they will attend a meeting in person or online ̶ allowing the meeting organizer to make better decisions in planning a successful meeting and ensuring everyone’s participation.
These are just a few of the ways how Microsoft continues to help look for innovative ways to navigate in the hybrid workplace!
