Chats in Microsoft Teams can be a powerful tool when used right. Like most programs there are a lot of features available to you. It is important to understand the features and where they can help you the most.
Is there a better way of doing this?
Have you ever jumped into a program so fast that you ended up only using a fraction of the features available to you? Did you have the time to learn the features so that you knew the best way to work with the program?
The answer to this becomes apparent to me when I hear someone ask: “How do we delete Chats in Teams?”
This question is more than a GIANT RED FLAG for me… it blares louder than a siren!
If everyone is using the Chat screen to communicate, that may mean a system has not been created for the Channels within Teams. Using the Post area in a Team’s Channel is meant to keep the chat within a Team clean and easy to follow!
Let me clarify all of this for you.
Chat vs Posts
You see there are really two places in Microsoft Teams that you can ‘chat’. See table below comparing the Chat screen to the Channels area:
| Chat screen | Channels area |
| Chat screen is not connected to a Team | Channels are a part of a Team |
| Chat area is referred to as Chat | Chat area is referred to as Posts |
So, if you are using the Chat screen too much, you could accumulate a lot of different chats with different groups of people. Over time this could be very hard to manage.
I compare having a full Chat window to having a full inbox in Outlook. In my opinion… that’s a whole heap of YUCK!
We all know it’s nearly impossible to categorize and prioritize emails in a regular inbox. Why do this to yourself and your team again within a program that’s made to simplify your work life?
Let’s start by understanding the differences between the Chat and Post area of Microsoft Teams. This will help you decide how to use each feature.
Listed below is a quick comparison of features within Chat vs Posts.
Now you know a little more about where to chat and where to post! Try it out in your Teams environment.