{"id":28257,"date":"2023-11-10T09:40:00","date_gmt":"2023-11-10T14:40:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/?p=28257"},"modified":"2023-11-10T14:23:59","modified_gmt":"2023-11-10T19:23:59","slug":"microsoft-teams-how-to-decide-the-best-way-to-communicate-using-chat-part-1","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/blog\/microsoft-teams-how-to-decide-the-best-way-to-communicate-using-chat-part-1\/","title":{"rendered":"Microsoft Teams: How to Decide the Best Way to Communicate Using Chat"},"content":{"rendered":"
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We\u2019re going to take a comprehensive look at the Chat function in Microsoft Teams to help you determine its best uses, including the powerful tools it provides for group communication.<\/h2>\n
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Have you ever wondered which Chat option to use to communicate most effectively with a colleague on Microsoft Teams<\/a>? Should you send your message through a Teams Channel or via Private Chat? If you choose a Channel, should you call out the entire Team or only those following that Channel? Perhaps you shouldn\u2019t call out anyone and hope people are paying attention.<\/p>\n

In this blog post, we\u2019ll walk through some etiquette for the most effective ways to communicate when using Microsoft Teams\u2019 Chat functionality.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For starters, I\u2019ll help you determine who your audience is, identify your communication\u2019s level of urgency, and then choose your communication option \u2014 email, a specific Team audience, a specific Channel audience within a Team, group chat, or private message to an individual.<\/p>\n

After that, I\u2019ll explore and help you understand additional tools \u2013 including the Chat @mention<\/strong> feature, announcements, and important notifications \u2013 to help you capture your intended audience\u2019s attention without causing unneeded alarm or notifying more people than necessary.<\/p>\n

Channels vs. Chats: What\u2019s the Difference<\/h2>\n

First, let\u2019s clarify how Teams Channels<\/a> and Chats differ. The most obvious contrast where Microsoft Teams group Chats vs. Channels<\/a> are concerned is the naming convention. Channels have a specific name that typically becomes a sub-topic apart from a Team name. While a Chat shows the names of members added to that Chat, this is the default experience when you first create a group Chat. You can, instead, give the Chat a title, which, actually, is preferable.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Although Channel messages allow Planner tabs, and group Chat doesn\u2019t, both Chat and Channel messages essentially have the same functionality and collaborative capability. Teams stores shared files for Channel messages within a central location, while files shared within group Chats usually are stored in participants\u2019 OneDrive accounts.<\/p>\n

Why so much busyness within Channels? Because of what Teams Channels are: gathering places where Team members focus on a specific area<\/a> within the larger Team \u2013 e.g., design, marketing or a budget \u2013 and engage in the aforementioned activities to achieve particular objectives. Channels are either standard, where all Team members can visit it, or private, where only invited people can view and access.<\/p>\n

For people wondering about whether or not you can convert a Channel into a Chat or how to create a group Chat within the Teams Channel<\/a>, there is no such feature within Teams at present.<\/p>\n

Who is your audience, and when is it appropriate to message them?<\/h3>\n

Before we dive into the different communication options in Teams, let\u2019s determine who your audience is and then discuss how to recognize when it\u2019s appropriate to reach out to one person based on their status.<\/p>\n

Here are a couple of questions to ask yourself when thinking about your audience:<\/p>\n