When Sandra and I hold meetings in Skype for Business, there’s almost always a discussion about who’s on mute, if someone can see the see the screen yet, etc. Actually, all that information can be found by looking at the four icons next to someone’s name.
The four icons stand for Instant Messaging, Microphone, Video, and Screen Sharing, and the color of the icon tells you a lot about what’s going on.
If an icon is dark blue, it means they are connected to that function. For instance, a dark blue monitor means that they can see the screen sharing.
A light blue icon means they are actively using that feature. In the example above, Sandra’s light blue monitor icon means she’s the person doing the screen sharing, and the light blue microphone icon means she’s the person doing the speaking.
A grey icon means that feature is not in use or they haven’t fully connected to the call yet. If the monitor is grey, it means they are not yet seeing the screen sharing. If the microphone is grey, it means they have not yet dialed into the call.
One side note on the microphone… if it has a slash through it, it means that the person is on mute. If you ask them a question and don’t get a reply, check to see if they have muted themselves and don’t realize it.
One of the most useful ways to use the icons is to check the monitor color when you first share your screen in a meeting. Instead of asking repeatedly “can everyone see my screen?”, just look at the list of attendees and the color of their monitor icon. If there are grey monitors next to their name, they can’t see your monitor yet. Once you see them all turn to dark blue, then you know everyone can see your screen. If you see a grey plus symbol instead of a monitor, it means that Skype is connecting you to the screen sharing session. Once you’re connected, it will turn into a dark blue monitor icon.
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