A question popped up in the Microsoft Teams user group recently around how to run an internal Microsoft Teams Workshop and also what to cover. Here’s a longer version of what I answered.

Prepping

For all workshop setups,

• I create a dedicated Training Team and add all participants beforehand.
• I also send around the link to the Teams app and ask the participants to install the desktop app beforehand.
• Next to that I hint that they can also install the smartphone app if they want too.
• The manager gets the topics list of what will be covered (see the topics list below).

How to run the Workshop

So far I have run the workshops in 3 different setups:

1. One on One remote training via a Teams private meeting with video call and screen sharing from my side
2. Remote group training via Teams group meeting with video call and screen sharing from my side – this works well for a small group up to 5 people
3. Remote group training via Webex conferencing meeting and screensharing with 1 pc beaming the session on a big screen at the receiving side, audio call in with Polycom table conferencing module and everyone individually with their own laptop/pc with the Teams app open. This is the better option for a group of 5 – 10 people with a training/meeting room available.

For option 1 and 2 the training meeting is setup in Teams, for option 3 the invitation is created via Webex (this could be any other conferencing tool that suits the needs of the participants situation / conferencing room).

Workshop Style

The Basic workshop scenario is that I go in a relaxed playing style with the users through the list of topics listed in the next section.

During the complete workshop I ask for help to do actions going randomly through the participants but trying to involve everyone equally and sometimes invite all to repeat the action I just showed.

For me it is crucial that you include enough time to allow the users during the workshop to interact and try the features for themselves and see what’s happening. This high level of interaction is (in my experience) the way the users have much more fun in the training and remember much more, which has the added benefit of boosting the adoption.

When users start playing around with emoji and gyphy or post other funny comments, integrate this ad-hoc into your story. Use it and manouver the story back on track.

Also use compliments when someone takes initiative out of the context and get everyone back on track. Encourage people to explore the options and click wherever they find the 3 dots “…”, that’s where more options and features are to be found.

Here’s what topics to cover during the Workshop

• Position Teams within Office 365 => combined functionality into a digital war room with persistent chat and a lot of extra’s
• Group chat layers: a Team > a Channel > a Conversation > a Reply
• Team and Channel creation – show where
• Group Chat example – demo + let everyone try
• Focus New Conversation vs Reply – demo + let everyone try
• @ mention option – demo + let everyone try
• Activity usage – demo + let everyone try
  • Filter option – demo + let everyone try
  • set as unread option – demo + let everyone try
  • notifications functionality – show and explain
    • by closing program and have the users do actions and then reopen
    • by going to another team and have the users do actions in the demo team/channel
• Like button – demo + let everyone try
  • use like instead of all the small replies like “ok” or “nice” etc.. > keep it clean / idea of some house rules for best practice – explain
• To be the point and leave all the formalities/drama away (no: Hi Martin Hamers, may I ask you something …) > keep it clean – explain
• Bookmark items – demo + let everyone try
• Advanced edit screen – demo + let everyone try
  • Subject
  • Important
  • layouting
• mention other options
  • when users start fooling around with giphy, emoji and stickers I include this/remark to this in a funny way and (try to) move on with the workshop
• Send email to Teams demo – demo + let everyone try
• Copy / Paste / Attachments – demo + let everyone try
• Files in channel – demo + let everyone try
  • show also auto created email subfolder
• Open in SharePoint, folder per channel setup – demo
• Copy / move files around – demo + let everyone try
• Save attachment file from Outlook to Team group and move to channel folder – demo
• Tabs – demo + let everyone try
• Get links to team, channel, tabs – demo + let everyone try
• Search – demo + let everyone try
• Meetings – demo
  • Invite individuals – no channel – demo
  • Meeting with channel selection (everyone gets an invite) – demo
• Show Files option left menu – demo
• Show Planner integration in TAB – demo
• Explain where news, tips and tricks can be found, as well within the own organisation as well on the web.

That is it very roughly.

Depending on the articipants and timing there can be room for bots and connectors and setup for owners.

Aftermath

After the training:

• the training TEAM stays so the participants can look back there and continue testing
• the training is reviewed with the manager
• I propose the manager to start using Teams with a pilot real life use case based on what is seen and learned that workshop. This is often a review with the complete participants team and they suggest themselves a proper use case.
• first review of the pilot use case after a month.
• based on the outcome of the pilot a demo / announcement on the success story to the larger organisation or a new use case.

Note: My article was first posted as a blog post on the Collab365 community portal earlier today