Microsoft Teams update is finally adding this vital meeting tool
Laser pointers are back, and coming to Microsoft Teams
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Giving presentations onMicrosoft Teamsis set to get a lot more interactive thanks to a new update to thevideo conferencingservice.
Microsofthas revealed that a virtual laser pointer annotation tool will be coming to PowerPoint Live in Teams, allowing users to get even more interactive with theirpresentation.
The feature will allow the presenter to highlight or annotate specific parts of a slide by pointing their cursor at whatever content they choose, with a range of colours and pen thicknesses available to make their information really stand out.
PowerPoint translation
Set to start rolling out to Microsoft Teams users on desktop, web and Mac within the next few weeks, the virtual laser pointer tool will only be available to the lead presenter on the Teams call. Any edits or highlights made will remain present for the duration of the presentation, meaning anyone joining late will be able to see the additions.
However these edits won’t be included in the PowerPoint file, and it’s not clear yet if they will be included in the post-meeting summary sent to all attendees after the call has finished. Microsoft says that mobile users won’t yet be able to see the feature, but this could well be amended soon.
The virtual laser pointer tool is the latest in a series of additions to PowerPoint Live as Microsoft Teams looks to cement itself as the go-to platform for online presentations.
Recently, the company revealed PowerPoint Live is getting support forlive slide translation, meaning slides can be instantly translated during a meeting. Both presenters and attendees can translate presentation content privately by right-clicking on the presentation, which will bring up a “Translate Slides” option.
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PowerPoint Livelooks to take a lot of the headaches out of setting up a presentation using Microsoft’s video conferencing platform, with the various software products now working together much more seamlessly.
The service allows presenters to start presentationsdirectly in a Microsoft Teams meetingwithout needing to share your screen with the audience.
Users can start presenting just by clicking on the new “Present in Teams” button in PowerPoint, allowing the presenter to navigate around their device between different apps and windows without the audience seeing anything.
ViaMSPowerUser
Mike Moore is Deputy Editor at TechRadar Pro. He has worked as a B2B and B2C tech journalist for nearly a decade, including at one of the UK’s leading national newspapers and fellow Future title ITProPortal, and when he’s not keeping track of all the latest enterprise and workplace trends, can most likely be found watching, following or taking part in some kind of sport.
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