Turning The Corner On Virtual Communication

Microsoft announces a long list of advances for Teams meetings, like Together Mode

In Reimagining virtual collaboration for the future of work and learning, Jared Spartaro details a large set of updates for Microsoft Teams for video conferencing. In particular, Together Mode moves away from the Brady Bunch matrix of windows to a more naturalistic approach, that superimposes people’s head-and-shoulders onto a shared background, like an auditorium or cafe.

Together mode — At a time when people are conducting more virtual meetings than ever, our research has shown that many of us feel less connected since moving to remote work, and experience more fatigue during video meetings than during in-person collaboration. Together mode is a new meeting experience in Teams that uses AI segmentation technology to digitally place participants in a shared background, making it feel like you’re sitting in the same room with everyone else in the meeting or class. Together mode makes meetings more engaging by helping you focus on other people’s faces and body language and making it easier to pick up on the non-verbal cues that are so important to human interaction. It’s great for meetings in which multiple people will speak, such as brainstorms or roundtable discussions, because it makes it easier for participants to understand who is talking. Together mode with auditorium view is rolling out now and will be generally available in August. And we’ll bring more views to…