Making Sense of Microsoft Teams Meeting Types

Ask yourself these four questions: 

• Is everyone a peer and able to talk? Meeting 

• Are you presenting to a big—up to 1,000—audience with participant interaction? Webinar 

• Is the event a large-scale broadcast and a duration of four hours or less? Live Event 

• Is the event a large-scale broadcast and a duration of four-plus hours? Town Hall 

Teams Meeting 

When you need everyone to contribute equally, a Teams Meeting is your go-to. Whether it’s brainstorming sessions or daily stand-ups, this format enables interactive discussions.   When to Use Teams Meetings 

• Team check-ins and stand-ups 

• Collaborative project planning 

• Remote work discussions

Enhance the Experience 

• Use breakout rooms for even smaller, focused conversations within larger meetings. 

• Encourage screen sharing for smoother collaboration. 

• Record meetings for transparency and future reference. 

Teams Webinar 

A Teams Webinar is best when you need to present to a larger group while maintaining some level of interaction. It is a more structured Teams Meeting with added controls.    When to Use a Teams Webinar   

• External presentations to prospects or clients 

• Training sessions for employees or partners 

• Customer onboarding

Enhance the Experience 

• Use customizable registration forms to gather information about your audience. 

• Incorporate live polls and Q&As to boost engagement. 

• Send follow-up resources or recordings to attendees for lasting value.

Scenario: You’re onboarding a new client’s entire team. A Teams Webinar provides the perfect platform for walking through your product/service while also answering audience questions. 

Teams Live Event 

Teams Live Events are built for “few-to-many” communication. This format is designed for large audiences, where most attendees are passive viewers. It’s less about interaction and more about delivering a polished broadcast.  When to Use a Live Event

• Company all-hands calls 

• Public announcements or external webinars 

• Conferences with thousands of attendees   

Enhance the Experience 

• Use professional production tools for better transitions between speakers. 

• Share moderated Q&A sessions to address common questions without interrupting the flow. 

• Include clear calls to action in your presentation to keep the audience on the same page. 

Scenario: Your leadership team is rolling out a major initiative. Hosting a Live Event helps ensure the message is delivered clearly to the entire organization. 

Teams Town Halls 

Town Halls are the next evolution of Microsoft Teams Live Events, offering a more engaging and simplified experience for large-scale gatherings. Designed for audiences up to 20,000 (Teams Premium), Town Halls provide a polished environment for presenters to connect with viewers across an organization. When to Use a Teams Town Hall

• Leadership updates and strategic announcements 

• Company-wide meetings or quarterly reviews 

• Celebrating milestones or sharing organizational vision

Key Features 

• Customizable Event Details: Easily add branding elements and customize event settings to match your organization’s tone. 

• Improved Accessibility: Auto-generated captions and translations for the inclusivity of global teams. 

• Better Communication: Attendees receive automatic invites when an organizer creates a Town Hall and emails with a link to the recording if it’s published. 

• Bigger, Longer, and More: Host up to 20,000 participants, run 50 concurrent events—both with Teams Premium—and meet for up to 30 hours with Town Halls.

Scenario: Your CEO shares a strategic vision for the upcoming year. A Town Hall helps every employee feel connected, informed and inspired.

How You Can Drive Adoption 

1. 1. 1. Educate your team: Offer quick guides —or share this blog —to help explain the different meeting types and their use cases.
      2. Promote success stories: Highlight examples of how others in your organization have used different Teams meeting options successfully. 
      3. Standardize best practices: Create templates or guidelines for common meeting scenarios to simplify decision-making.

Use this chart to help your team match their needs with the best Microsoft Teams Meeting option: