- Meeting virtually at McGill – Choosing the right type of Teams meetings

OVERVIEW

Target audience: McGill staff, faculty and students

There are currently five ways to meet in Microsoft Teams that are available to the McGill community. This article can help you select the most appropriate solution for your needs.

In this article:

Comparison chart of meeting types and features
Frequently asked questions
Training & documentation
Best practices for large meetings
Additional references

Comparison chart of meeting types and features

For town halls and webinars, organizers have enhanced control over the conversation and participant experience. Both formats use designated presenters, but attendee interaction varies based on the event type.

	*Teams Meeting*	*Class*	*Lecture*	*Webinars*	*Townhall*
*Who can use it*	McGill staff, faculty and students who have access to the Office 365 portal	McGill staff, faculty and students who have access to the Office 365 portal	McGill staff, faculty and students who have access to the Office 365 portal	McGill staff, faculty and students who have access to the Office 365 portal	McGill staff, faculty and students who have access to the Office 365 portal
*Primary purpose*	General calls where all participants can equally speak, share their screen, and record the meeting.	Meetings: where an educator is presenting a topic to a group of students, with Meeting Chat enabled only during the meeting to facilitate active discussions. The feature can be disabled before and after the meeting.	Meetings where an educator is presenting a topic to a group of students, with Meeting Chat always* enabled*	Large scale event where attendees can interact with designated presenters and a registration form can be configured.	Town halls are meant for one-to-many communications where the presenters, organizers, and co-organizers are leading the interactions. The audience participation is primarily to view and react to the content being shared.
*Use Cases*	Adhoc calls. Scheduled meetings. Reoccurring Meetings.	Teacher organizes a virtual class to present a topic to students who need to participate in-class	Teacher organizes a virtual lecture to present a topic that is not only open to in-class discussion, but also allows for preparation and reflection for the discussion in chat.	Large departmental events.	Townhall
*Max # of participants?*	Up to 1000 for full interactive features. Up to 10 000* for view-only features.	Same as regular Teams meeting	Same as regular Teams meeting	Up to 1000 for full interactive features.	Up to 10 000
*Registration Supported* *(organizer can request a participant to complete a registration form)*	Yes	No	No	Yes	No
*Q&A enabled*	Can be added	Same as regular Teams meeting	Same as regular Teams meeting	Enabled by default	Enabled by default
*Other meeting options*	Change your background Change your layout Audio settings Reduce background noise Meeting controls Use breakout rooms Live transcription Presenter modes Using the lobby Change participant settings	Same as regular Teams meeting	Same as regular Teams meeting	Customize a webinar Publicize a webinar Manage webinar registration Manage what attendees see Change webinar details Manage webinar emails Cancel a webinar Manage webinar recordings Webinar attendance report	Attend a town hall Schedule a town hall Customize a town hall Host a town hall Town hall insights Manage town hall recordings Cancel a town hall
*Organizer(s)*	Create and schedule meetings. Configure the attendee role. Prepare the registration form for prospective attendees. Gather information on attendees prior to the event. Create Breakout rooms and manage Q&A Manage recording and generate attendance report.	Create and schedule meetings. Configure the attendee role. Create Breakout rooms and manage Q&A. Manage recording and generate attendance report.	Create and schedule meetings. Configure the attendee role. Create Breakout rooms and manage Q&A Manage recording and generate attendance report.	Create and configure meeting options. Prepare the registration form for prospective attendees. Gather information on attendees prior to the event. Create Breakout rooms and manage Q&A. Manage recording and generate attendance report.	Add co-organizer Create and configure meeting options. Manage Q&As. Manage on-demand recording and generate attendance report.
*Presenters / Producer*	Everyone has the option to present and share their screen.	Only the organizer can present, bypass the lobby and record the meeting.	Only the organizer can present, bypass the lobby and record the meeting.	Can present, share the screen and/or moderate written Q&A.	Can present, share the screen and/or moderate written Q&A.
*Attendees*	They have the same privileges as the organizer (unless they are external to McGill).	Join the meeting (lobby mandatory) Speak Chat during the meeting only Share their screen (if enabled). Enter questions in the Q&A chat (if enabled).	Join the meeting (lobby mandatory) Speak Chat (before, during, and after the meeting) Share their screen (if enabled). Enter questions in the Q&A chat (if enabled).	Register for the event and click the link in the email confirmation to join the webinar with their cameras and mics off. Speak and share their screen. Enter questions in the Q&A chat (if enabled). Participate via chat, reactions, and Q&A.	Livestream the presentation or watch “on-demand’ using their video player controls. Enter questions in the Q&A chat (if enabled).

Frequently asked questions

Can I use Teams features that are only available with Teams Premium license?

By default, features that require Teams Premium license are not available to McGill users.
I have heard that Teams live events will be retired on June 30, 2026. What alternatives should I use instead?

You may use the Teams town hall.

Training & documentation

For more help on general Teams meetings, please visit the resources provided by Microsoft:

Meetings

Class and lecture teams meetings

Use education templates for Teams meetings

Webinars and Town halls

For further support with Microsoft Teams meetings, webinars and town halls, you can book a Q&A session with Collaboration Solutions.

Best practices for large meetings

To ensure the most successful event possible, follow the best practices below:

In large meetings, webinars, and town halls, use the latest version of the Teams desktop client or Teams mobile clients.
Ensure users are on the latest Teams app on a desktop or mobile device.
Event organizers can set pre-defined presenters. After a meeting has started, presenters also can promote other attendees to the presenter role.
Pre-configure video and microphone settings to control attendees’ experiences.

- Disable attendees’ microphones to avoid disturbances. If someone needs to interact during the meeting, allow them to un-mute when they raise their hand.
- Disable attendees’ video to avoid visual distractions. During appropriate times in the meeting, video can be permitted for all attendees or specific individuals.

Use lobby controls to control meeting entry or lobby holds.
If presenting from home, verify other devices are not consuming high bandwidth (Streaming services, online gaming, large downloads).
Present from an endpoint with a wired connection for more reliable audio, video, and screen sharing.
When using a laptop, check for high network connectivity and sufficient power.
Schedule a dry run prior to the event to identify device, lighting, or network issues, and ensure organizers/presenters are familiar with features they’ll be using.
Use polls and Q&A during the meeting.
Use features such as spotlight, PowerPoint Live, meeting recording, captions, and transcriptions to promote engagement and effectiveness.
Participants should turn off chat notifications during large meetings to avoid distractions.
Plan to have at least 3 people in the presenter role during webinars: One person should be dedicated to managing who can speak, another - who can present. And one more person should be responsible to manage Q&A. This will ensure that, in case one of the presenters has technical problems, someone else will be able to maintain control of the meeting.

For more tips on hosting large meetings, see Best practices for a large Teams meeting.