Microsoft Teams Meeting Guide: Standard, General Meeting or Webinar?

In today’s fast-paced business world, clear communication is crucial. Microsoft Teams offers a variety of meeting types to ensure that every call, presentation, and large-scale event can run seamlessly. This article will guide you through the different meeting types and give you examples to help you decide which one is best suited for your needs.

Standard meetings - by far the most common

Standard Teams meetings are the obvious choice for everyday communication. They are ideal for small to medium-sized groups (up to 250 participants) where interaction and collaboration are important. Use this for:

• Weekly meetings or status updates within the team
• Brainstorming sessions
• Individual conversations or small group discussions
• Sales Presentations or Customer Meetings

Examples: A weekly meeting with the marketing team where we discuss the progress of the campaign and coordinate tasks.

General meeting - event for large audience

The General Meeting type is designed for larger audiences, with up to 10,000 participants. This format is perfect for one-to-many communication where the host controls the presentation and audience interaction is limited.

This is a relatively new meeting type from Microsoft that replaces Live Event. When you create a General Meeting, you can add co-organizers to help you organize the event, and you can also invite external presenters.

Select General Meeting for:

• Enterprise-wide announcements or large meetings
• Product launches or major updates
• Events with guest speakers or webinars
• Training sessions or pedagogical seminars

Examples: Host a quarterly meeting where the CEO updates the entire company on organizational performance and upcoming goals.

Participants in a General Meeting connect to the meeting with their cameras and microphones turned off. They can participate in Questions & Answers (unless disabled by an administrator or organizer) and they will also be able to access published recordings after the end of the event.

Webinar - interactive event with registration

Webinars in Teams are structured meetings that allow a more interactive experience compared to live events, suitable for up to 1,000 participants. With features like sign-up pages, attendee reporting, and moderated questions and answers, webinars are perfect for:

• Lead Generation Event
• Trainings with active participation
• Panel discussions with questions from the audience

Examples: Conducting a webinar on the latest trends in digital marketing, where participants can register in advance and participate in a live Q&A session with industry experts.

What do you need to consider to choose the right type of Teams meeting?

The size of your audience, the desired level of interaction, and the purpose of your event matter when deciding which type of Teams meeting to use. For intimate, collaborative environments, stick to standard meetings. When addressing a larger audience with limited interaction, select a General Meeting. For interactive sessions that still need structure, Webinars are the best option.

Some features may require an upgrade to Teams Premium or other more comprehensive Microsoft 365 subscriptions, for example:

• Advanced Meeting Recordings: The ability to record meetings with automatic transcribing and the ability to search the recording
• Greater capacity for live events, 10,000 attendees can be expanded up to 20,000
• Longer meeting time for webinars and general meetings

By aligning your meeting type with the goals of the event, you will ensure effective communication and a successful outcome, whether it’s a team meeting or an industry-wide conference.