Learning how to transcribe Teams meetings is a crucial skill that can come in handy, boosting the effectiveness of your meetings. 

With over 280 million users, Microsoft Teams has become one of the most sought-after meeting platforms, thanks to its advanced features and integration with other useful business and meeting tools. 

However, regardless of how good the meeting platform is, it is easy to forget important discussions and decisions made during a meeting. This is where transcription comes in. 

This article comprehensively explores how to transcribe Teams meetings by highlighting: 

  • Reasons for transcribing a Teams meeting;
  • How to Transcribe Teams meetings on the platform;
  • Alternative and better ways to transcribe your meetings.

Why Should You Transcribe a Teams Meeting?

Regardless of the kind of meeting you are attending, whether it is a virtual, in-person, or hybrid virtual meeting, it is easy to miss important details or forget crucial information. 

However, when you transcribe the meeting, you can unlock a plethora of benefits that can be useful for enhanced communication, collaboration, and productivity. Take a look at some of the main reasons why transcribing a Teams meeting should be a consideration for your next meeting: 

Increased accountability and enhanced follow-ups

Transcribing a Teams meeting provides a word-by-word record of what was discussed during a meeting. This makes it easier for participants and other relevant stakeholders to refer back to the transcript to get any details discussed and agreed upon, enhancing accountability and easier follow-ups.

Improved focus

It is easy for meeting participants to lose focus or digress from the topic, eventually making their meetings unnecessarily lengthy and unproductive. 

Although this can usually be alleviated using an effective meeting agenda, you can also improve the participants’ focus by transcribing the meeting. 

Transcriptions can be used for various purposes, and important stakeholders might go through them. This fact makes the participants increase their focus during the meeting with active listening and contribution to the discussions. 

Enhanced accessibility and inclusion 

Towards the end of the last decade, many organizations have been emphasizing inclusivity in the workplace, including during meetings. 

Transcribing a Teams meeting enables individuals with hearing impairments, language barriers, or conditions like ADHD to fully grasp the discussions from meetings. Doing so promotes diversity and inclusion, fostering a culture of belonging. 

There are many other reasons to transcribe a Teams meeting, such as for quality control, legal purposes, and more. Regardless of the nature of your meeting, you can significantly reap from having a written verbatim recording of whatever is mentioned. 

So, how do you transcribe a Teams meeting?

How to Transcribe a Teams Meeting

There are different ways to get a Teams meeting transcription, including using the native transcription capability on Microsoft Teams and a third-party service provider like Krisp. 

Let’s break down these methods and help you learn how to transcribe a meeting in Teams and determine the best format for you to use: 

Transcribing a Teams Meeting on Microsoft Teams

If you are using the Microsoft 365 subscription, you can easily transcribe your Teams meetings. Fortunately, just like using other the best meeting apps, using Microsoft Teams transcription service is pretty straightforward. 

Here are the key steps involved: 

Enable the transcription feature

Ensure the transcription feature is enabled in your Teams settings, which you can turn on in your organization’s Teams Admin panel.

Join or start the Teams meeting

Join or start your Teams meeting as you normally would.

Start the transcription

Once the meeting begins, click the “More Options” button in the meeting toolbar (usually represented by three dots). Clicking on it reveals a dropdown menu, where you will have to click on “Start Transcription.” This action initiates the transcription feature, which also enables real-time captioning.

You can also customize your transcription settings in the meeting toolbar, where you can configure preferences like language, display options, or speaker identification. 

View live transcriptions

As a way to be more inclusive during meetings, Microsoft Teams displays real-time captioning of the meeting, where participants can easily view the transcriptions as the meeting progresses. 

Save the transcription

Once the meeting ends, hover over to the “More Options” button on the settings toolbar and select “End Transcription.” Doing this automatically stops the transcription, and no further changes can be made. 

You can access it on the meeting chat to review it for accuracy and make any needed edits before sharing it with other participants or relevant stakeholders. 

While it is pretty straightforward to transcribe meetings on Teams, it is important to actively listen and take meeting notes, especially on important discussions, decisions, and action items. Doing so supplements the transcription, allowing you to add context to the final text.

Transcribing Teams Meetings with Krisp

Another popular (and more effective) method of transcribing a Teams meeting is to use a third-party transcription service provider like Krisp. 

Krisp uses advanced AI technology to fully grasp and comprehend everything mentioned in the meeting and jot it down word by word. 

Getting started with Teams meeting transcription with Krisp’s AI meeting assistant is also quite simple. Here’s how to transcribe a Microsoft Teams meeting using Krisp: 

Sign up with Krisp

The first step is to sign up for free on Krisp. You can easily create an account by connecting to your Google or Microsoft account. Thereafter you will have to download the Krisp app to your desktop or Mac. 

Set up your Teams meeting

Join or start your Ms. Teams meeting as you usually would. However, you will have to configure and select the Krisp Microphone and Krisp Speaker.

Enjoy unlimited automatic meeting transcriptions

Once you start the meeting, Krisp automatically begins the transcription. This makes it easier for you to focus on the key discussions and let the powerful AI system record everything mentioned in the meeting. 

Once the meeting is done, you can easily access your transcriptions in your Krisp account.

Which is the Right Method for You?

While using Teams’ native transcription can be ideal for casual meetings, Krisp’s AI meeting transcription provides far better results. Some of the reasons for this include: 

Accuracy

Krisp ensures clarity and accuracy when transcribing your online meetings. This is made possible by the AI noise cancellation feature, which eliminates background noise in your meetings and ensures the clarity of your words. 

Generally, you don’t need to do any extensive edits on your transcriptions when using Krisp, as you would with Teams.

Pricing

You can transcribe an unlimited number of meetings for free using Krisp. However, you will need a Microsoft 365 subscription to access this feature.

Additional features

Krisp has additional helpful features that can make your transcription experience much better. For instance, you can easily get an automated summary of your transcription with the AI note-taker. This allows you to access crucial decisions, discussions, and action items without reading the entire meeting transcription.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to transcribe a Teams meeting is essential for the success and effectiveness of your meetings. Moreover, doing so positively impacts your meetings, with benefits such as enhanced accessibility and inclusion. 

However, while it is quite simple to transcribe a Teams meeting using the platform’s native features, it is also an inconvenient consideration. This is mainly because the feature is limited to premium subscription holders and doesn’t provide a fully reliable transcription. 

On the other hand, using Krisp to transcribe your Teams meetings can be a game-changer. With unlimited free Teams meeting transcriptions, enhanced clarity thanks to the AI noise cancellation feature, and reliable transcriptions, you can easily elevate your meetings by leveraging the power of advanced AI. 

Try Krisp for free today!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I transcribe a Microsoft Teams meeting?

Yes, you can transcribe a Microsoft Teams meeting using the native transcription feature available to Microsoft 365 account holders or for free using third-party tools like Krisp.

Can I transcribe a Teams meeting without recording?

Yes, transcribing a Teams meeting does not require you to record it, as you can easily activate real-time captioning. Moreover, using a tool like Krisp for meeting transcriptions does not require you to record them.

Can I transcribe Teams meetings within the Teams application itself?

Yes, the Teams application allows for real-time captioning and transcription of the meeting. However, you must have a Microsoft 365 subscription to access this feature. 

Can I edit the transcriptions of Teams meetings?

Yes, you can edit the transcription of Teams meetings. Head over to the chat section and click the edit button to alter the transcription. You can also make these adjustments using a third-party tool like Krisp.