If you have been using Microsoft Teams, you would know fast and easy scheduling a meeting can be. Gone are the days when you would need to put up sticky note, whether it be physical or on your computer, to remind yourself about it. Just head on to the calendar, choose an empty slot, add a title, and @mention a recipient/s.
However, did you know that you can wait before entering the meeting? Here is where a lobby comes into play, where all the invited participants would be able to prepare and do last-minute sound/video tests before entering the meeting. The best part is you can even modify the settings before and during the meeting.
So, how do we create one? What happens if you already the started the meeting? Can you still modify the settings to enable a lobby for other expecting participants to join? Keep on reading to find out!
What is a lobby?
Whether it be virtually or in real life, we have all come across a lobby at some point in our lives. But what exactly is a lobby? It is a room or place connected to another room or several rooms. A lobby is usually where people wait before entering a venue. This also gives guests time to prepare themselves before an event or function is about to take place. In short, lobbies exist all around. Microsoft Teams is no exception.
How to enable a lobby in Microsoft Teams?
Congratulations on booking a meeting using Microsoft Teams! Now that you have scheduled it, you can go back in and change settings. Select the meeting on the calendar and choose Meeting options.
From there, you have the option to set up a lobby by choosing People at my organization for the Who can bypass the lobby? option. In our case, we want to enable a lobby. Pick Yes for Always let callers bypass the lobby. You can also toggle Announce when callers join or leave, as well as Who can present?
Click Save, and your lobby is now set! The settings will be updated accordingly for the meeting.
Can we still enable a lobby during a meeting?
Yes! Although, make sure you are the Creator.
Just because you have already started the meeting, doesn’t mean you can still enable a lobby for expecting guests or participants. We can be forgetful sometimes, and that’s okay! If that’s the case, you can always enable a lobby after the meeting has already begun. The process is pretty easy.
Click on the Show participants list and choose the ellipsis and Manage Permissions. This will take you back to the same page, where you can create a lobby and modify the settings as you wish.
Click Save. Easy, right?
In Conclusion
Microsoft Teams has plenty of features. One of these is a lobby, and it’s never too late to enable. Just follow the steps mentioned earlier, and you will be scheduling meetings like a pro.
