Microsoft Teams has become a go-to video-conferencing service for remote workers during the pandemic, and Redmond has rolled out improvements throughout the year, such as meeting recaps, to keep up with demand.
The latest upgrade is called Live Reactions. As OnMSFT reports, it’s a new way for meeting attendees to share feelings with non-verbal reactions.
Troy Batterberry, VP of Microsoft Teams Meetings and Calling Program Management, took to LinkedIn to announce Live Reactions for desktop and mobile. “As much as 70%-90% of human communications are non-verbal,” he wrote, so Live Reactions offer a way for people to “express their emotions in meetings of all sizes.”
Live Reactions come in several flavors: hearts, smiling and laughing faces, clapping hands, and more. They’ll pop up beside a user’s face and float to the top of their video screen. The option appears in each meeting window’s control bar, functioning similarly to Facebook’s reactions for written and video posts.
It can sometimes be difficult to express yourself in group settings. When attending larger meetings, where speaking up isn’t always feasible, Live Reactions offer a way for participants to make their thoughts known.
You can try Live Reactions now on the desktop and mobile versions of Teams. It will roll out on the web “in the coming months,” OnMSFT says.
