Leadership communication in the flow of work
Leadership today is less about occasional broadcasts and more about consistent, credible presence. Employees expect leaders to: Provide clarity amid constant change Show follow-through, not just direction Communicate in ways that feel human and accessible Why this matters This playbook scales based on a leader’s scope and audience size – from company-wide executives to function and team leaders. Research from Engage UX Researcher Paula Wellings, shared during our Masterclass series, outlines what employees expect from leader communications. This research (and our internal experience) consistently show that visible, two-way leadership communication is a key driver of trust, engagement, and successful change. When leaders participate directly, downstream employee engagement increases. Ongoing dialogue—through posts, responses, and visible follow-through—is the foundation of leadership presence on Engage. Structured moments such as ask-me-anything (AMA) sessions and organization-wide events can reinforce that dialogue and deepen trust at scale. At the same time, leaders face real constraints: limited time, channel overload, and high scrutiny. Engage is designed to help leaders communicate once, in the right place, and stay visible in the flow of work without adding meetings or increasing email. Where Engage fits in the flow of work Leaders communicate across many channels today, including email, meetings, and the intranet. Each has a role, but not all support visibility, persistence, or two-way engagement at scale. Engage is designed for leadership communication that benefits from reach, context, and dialogue—where updates need to travel beyond immediate teams and employees can respond, not just receive. Read about Microsoft executive Ravi Vedula’s Viva Engage adoption journey, and chart your own course. Choosing the right surface based on intent Engage gives leaders two complementary avenues for communication. Each serves a different leadership intent. The choice between storyline and communities depends on the leader’s scope, audience size, and communication intent. Storyline Storyline enables leaders to reach both their intended audience and people across teams and hierarchies, making it well suited for visibility, alignment, and leadership presence. Share perspectives, priorities, or decisions Recognize people or progress publicly Cascade or amplify important updates Close the loop in a visible way Communities Communities bring together people organized around a shared variable (org, role, region, topic). They typically feature multiple voices, curated content, and ongoing discussion aligned to the purpose of the community. Use communities when you want to: Engage a specific group or function Invite discussion, Q&A, or feedback Go deeper on a topic over time Build shared understanding within a domain Communities are ideal when the goal is conversation rather than broadcast. How leaders typically use both Leaders do not choose between storyline and communities based on title or level. They choose based on audience scope and communication intent. Storyline is typically used when the goal is broader visibility: Sharing perspective or context that benefits cross-team awareness Reinforcing leadership presence beyond a single org Public recognition or commentary that should travel widely Communities are typically used when the goal is focused dialogue: Communicating with a defined audience (org, region, function, topic) Hosting discussion aligned to the purpose of that group Sustaining ongoing conversations within a curated space In practice, leaders often use both surfaces together — for example, sharing a visible update on storyline and continuing deeper discussion within a community. Leadership presence isn’t just posting Leaders often pair posting with lightweight engagement—replying to comments, acknowledging questions, or reacting—to reinforce trust and dialogue. Building blocks for effective leadership communication To ensure clarity and reach, two things need to be in place: Leader identification Leaders must be identified as such in the system. This enables: Appropriate visibility across Engage Access to leader-level insights and analytics A consistent experience for audiences This ensures that leadership communication is surfaced and measured correctly. Delegates enabled Leaders can designate delegates to support their communication on Engage. Delegation is about support, not outsourcing leadership voice. Delegates can: Draft posts on behalf of the leader Publish updates with the leader’s voice and attribution Help manage cadence, timing, and follow-up Help leaders stay engaged by surfacing conversations, questions, and moments worth responding to This allows leaders to maintain an authentic presence while scaling communication – especially during busy periods or major moments. Audiences built in (no set up required) Engage provides built-in audiences based on organizational data, such as the reporting hierarchy, so leaders can reach the right people by default from their Storylines. Leaders and delegates can define audiences when they publish, with no setup required. Audiences provide: A built-in followership Confidence that messages are seen Less reliance on follow-up email Clear expectations for who an update is for Core leadership use cases Engage helps leaders put leadership behaviors into practice in a way that’s visible, consistent, and part of the flow of work. Narrate what’s happening Share priorities, decisions, and context at the appropriate scope so teams stay aligned. Keep updates concise and focused on what changed, why it matters, and what’s next. Acknowledge people and progress Recognize wins, milestones, and contributions publicly to reinforce morale and culture. Specific recognition lands better than generic praise. Call out teams, behaviors, or moments. Close the loop Reflect back what you heard, what changed, and what’s next. This is a key driver of trust. Follow-up posts that reflect what you heard build trust and increase engagement. Even brief responses signal listening and build credibility, especially during change or uncertainty. Host interactive leadership moments In addition to ongoing posts and dialogue, leaders strengthen trust through live and structured interaction. Ask-me-anything (AMA) sessions and broadcast events are powerful ways to: Provide clarity in moments of change Address questions transparently and at scale Demonstrate accountability Reinforce alignment across teams A common pattern is to use Engage end-to-end: Solicit questions in advance on storyline or in communities Host the live broadcast event Follow up with key takeaways or clarifications Interactive moments often become anchor points in a leader’s communication strategy, complementing regular posts and dialog. For setup guidance and event mechanics, refer to Ask me anything events in Engage. Measuring leadership impact Engage provides leadership analytics to help leaders understand how their communications land. Leaders and delegates can view: Reach: how many people saw a post Engagement: reaction, replies, and sentiment to understand the tone and quality of responses, not just volume. Conversation signal: whether people are responding, not just reacting Trends over time: consistency and momentum in leadership communication These insights are not about scoring or ranking leaders. They are designed to help leaders: Understand what resonates Know when follow-up is needed Communicate with more intention over time Leaders who consistently respond and engage tend to see stronger momentum over time, not just higher reach. Getting started (10 minutes) Choose the right surface: Storyline for broad context and visibility Communities for focused dialogue Confirm your audience and delegates Writing guidance: Quality over quantity: Consistency matters more than volume. One thoughtful post a month is better than frequent updates if there isn’t something meaningful to say. Sound human: write conversationally. Share perspectives – not corporate language. Be timely and relevant: Address what’s top of mind for your audience right now. Invite engagement: Ask a question or prompt reflection when appropriate. Use visuals when possible: Images or short videos help posts stand out and travel further. Choose the right tone: Use announcements, polls, or praise intentionally based on your goal. Plan time to engage after posting: even a few replies can meaningfully increase trust and participation. Example posts that leaders can model Employees value leaders who show up, respond, and follow through — not just those who post. Team recognition: “Proud of the team for delivering this milestone. The collaboration across groups really showed up in the final result. Thank you for the focus and persistence.” Leadership reflection: “This month I’ve been reflecting on how we balance speed with quality. Both matter, and I’m encouraged by the conversations I’m seeing across the org.” Amplifying an announcement: “Today’s company announcement is an important step forward. I appreciate the work behind it and encourage everyone to take a look at the full update.” Culture and values: “One thing I consistently see here is people showing up for each other. Those moments define our culture more than any slide ever could.” Change and transparency: “As we move through this transition, I want to acknowledge the adaptability I’m seeing across teams. I’m committed to keeping communication open as we go.” The bigger picture When leaders use Engage intentionally: Important context travels faster Teams feel more informed and connected Reliance on broadcast email goes down Leadership presence becomes more continuous and human Note: Storyline announcements, targeting, the ability to identify leaders, some advanced analytics, and related capabilities described in this blog post are available with a Premium Viva Engage license (for example, Viva Employee Communications & Communities or Viva Suite). Resources Case study: Authentic leadership at scale Identify and manage leaders View analytics for posts and engagement Leadership corner Engage adoption resourcesPlanning for Communities in Teams: What Admins and Communicators Should Do Next
Imagine if employees could spend less time sorting through messages and more time engaging with what actually matters, whether it’s a leadership update, a company announcement, or an important change…all in one place where they can understand, react, and respond. Communities are becoming a more visible part of Teams, making now the right time for admins and communicators to align on readiness, governance, and content. This 3-step post helps you plan your rollout: How to get ready How to reset All Company How to address concerns about noise as adoption grows You’ll also learn the key decisions admins and corporate communications teams should make to ensure Communities add clarity, not noise as adoption increases. And in case you missed it, the Teams blog covers what’s new and why it matters. (If you haven’t read the announcement yet, start here: Introducing communities in Teams: Unifying company communication and connection) What’s changing... and what’s not What’s new: Communities are easier to discover and access in Teams Visibility of posts and announcements increases What’s not changing: Governance is still in your control Communities still follow your existing structure and purpose The opportunity isn’t to rebuild everything, it’s to refine what already works. Start from where you are We recognize that not every customer is starting from the same place. For organizations already using Viva Engage, Communities in Teams is less about reinventing your strategy and more about extending it into the flow of everyday work. Communities are now easier to find and engage with inside Teams, raising the stakes for clarity, governance, and content design. As access becomes simpler and participation grows, it’s important to have your policies, onboarding, and launch plan in place. "Bringing our Viva Engage communities into Teams was an instant win for our organization. By standardizing on a single pane of glass, inside of Teams, we've made it easier and more enjoyable for staff to communicate with other, using a trusted tool that requires no additional enablement overhead. Cognizant has over 350,000 employees - and managing communities at scale requires us to leverage Viva Engage - by now having those live inside of Teams, we get the best of both worlds: the ability to participate in communities with 30k+ employees while still maintaining the notification and organization we've come to depend upon inside of ad-hoc Teams groups and more traditional Teams channels. This further reinforced the idea that Viva Engage Communities are where work gets done - they aren't an optional location for employees - and staying on top of groups and communities together helps make us better at supporting our clients! Best of all - we like to say we "drink our own champagne" here at Cognizant - we can now go to those clients and use our story to show them how an integrated Teams/Viva environment can drive positive business outcomes and enhanced employee experiences." Reed Wiedower, Cognizant, Innovation and Enablement Leader If you are new to Viva Engage, or have not used it strategically in some time, start by defining a few high-value communities, setting clear governance, and giving employees simple guidance on where to go, what to expect, and how to engage. Start by understanding where your organization is today: What governance looks like the next 30 days: Revisit All Company and determine if its purpose or usage should change. Define “official communities” strategy. Start with a small set (e.g., employee news, leadership updates, IT help, communities of practice), seed them with content, and actively promote them. Establish a naming convention to support discovery as Communities become visible in Teams. Define governance and moderation: who creates communities, who can post announcements, and how moderation works. Communicate these changes to community admins and encourage them to activate or refresh key communities. Not using Viva Engage yet? Start here. If you’re unsure where to start, start small: define the purpose, set expectations, and publish a simple guide for employees on how to follow, post, and manage notifications. With a few well-run communities in place, you’ll have the proof, and the playbook, to expand with confidence. Join our upcoming webinar Tuesday, June 2, 8:00 AM PST to start strong with Communities in Teams. Once you’ve defined your starting point and aligned on governance, the next critical step is resetting how your most visible community, All Company, should be used. Reset All Company for the Teams experience As Communities become more visible in Teams, All Company becomes even more important. This is the moment to reset its purpose: one place for company-wide updates that matter to everyone. For Admins (IT / Network Admins): Set the guardrails Your role isn’t just to enable Communities, it’s to prevent noise before it starts. Start here: Limit who can post (e.g., Corp Comms + delegated leadership voices) Document what qualifies as a post vs. what belongs elsewhere Define when announcements should be used (not every post needs one) For Corporate Comms: Reset how you use All Company Think of All Company as your broadcast + engagement layer inside Teams. Use it for: Leadership narratives and context (not just links) Major moments that need visibility and dialogue Posts that invite reaction, questions, and discussion Decide: What qualifies as a new post vs. a reply Who moderates, and when to step in Expected cadence (not every update = an announcement) Write for Teams behavior: Lead with “what this means” (not just “what’s new”) Keep posts scannable (short, clear, structured) Use announcements sparingly—overuse reduces trust Once All Company is clearly defined, look for follow-on communities (like Copilot Adoption Community) where more targeted conversations can happen. Address concerns about noise early As Communities expand in Teams, one concern comes up quickly: Will this create more noise? Done right, the answer is no. Start with this mindset: more posts ≠ more value. Engagement doesn’t mean more content. It means more relevant content, in the right place. If everything is posted everywhere, or if everything is an announcement employees will tune out. Admins: Control where content shows up Next Steps: Ensure communities are purpose-driven (not duplicates of the same topic) Guide teams to use the right community for the right audience Review the Governance of the network and Watch session: Mastering admin and governance in Viva Engage for community management, moderation capabilities and more. Review moderation and theme moderation in Viva Engage Corporate Comms: Be intentional with reach More visibility is powerful, but only when used carefully. Clarity reduces noise more than volume control ever will. Reminders: Use announcements for high-signal moments only Reserve broad reach for content that applies to most employees Let smaller or targeted communities carry more specific conversations The goal is trust, not volume As Communities become easier to access in Teams, the priority is making them feel useful, intentional, and worth employees’ attention. Done well, Communities don’t add noise, they make important communication easier to find, easier to understand, and easier to trust. Continue the journey Join Us live via Start Strong Webinar Deep Dive with the Engage Masterclass Series Modern Employee and Corp Comms Resources Click Through Demo Join our customer community! PS. Want access now? Communities in Teams is available now for Engage customers who opt into public preview, with no migration required. All existing community content, permissions, and governance settings carry over automatically. Review the network and tenant requirements to ensure your network meets the criteria. Make sure the engage experiences in Teams toggle is on for your tenant. Opt-in to the public preview through Teams. Learn more about the full experience for communities in Teams.Effective, engaging events in communities and storylines
Whether you’re running a company-wide broadcast, a training session, a Reddit-style “ask me anything” (AMA) or an in-person gathering, Viva Engage and Microsoft Teams help you host and manage more effective and engaging events. Events have always been central to employee communications. Viva Engage and events play a critical role in building trust, encouraging authenticity, and listening at scale. From highly produced hybrid all-hands to asynchronous AMAs, the new Viva Engage features are helping our leaders connect with employees, address what matters most, and build trust—all in one platform. - John Cirone, Senior Director of Global Employee and Executive Communications We are upgrading existing community live events and storyline AMA features with a simple model: three event types—broadcast, meeting, async—from any community or storyline, super-powered with a long list of event features you have asked for. The result: improved experiences for organizers, presenters and attendees both before, during and after the event. This blog post will detail what this means for you! These new events features start rolling out April 27 th . And guess what? All of these new features will be available to all Microsoft 365 commercial customers with access to Engage and Teams—no “premium” license will be required for events up to 10,000 attendees. New features: the highlights The new capabilities of Engage events—particularly the moderated feed with support for anonymous questions and upvotes—has transformed the way we empower our leaders to listen and respond to questions from employees. - Alexander Bradley, Senior Director of Executive Communications With that in mind, let’s start by exploring the new features for every event in every community and storyline: Events listing: Each community and storyline has a calendar of upcoming and past events—a destination for people to register for future events and catch up with events they missed. Event page: The home for your event is a branded landing page with a custom cover photo (coming soon), the event details and description. This is the “micro site” for your event to which you drive attendees. They can learn about the event, engage with it, join the live session, and catch up with the event if they missed it. Event feed: A new event feed enables you to share updates, solicit questions, ideas and feedback, and support engagement between attendees and presenters. The new event feed introduces support for optional anonymous posting and moderation which allows organizers to approve posts before they are made visible to attendees. The feed allows you to tune the event experience for the engagement you want to encourage and support; you can enable or disable questions, comments, reactions, and upvoting; and you can change the settings at any time. The event feed is available before, during and after the event, showing up on the event landing page in Engage and in the “Q&A” panel of Teams. Event recording: After the event, the recording is available on the event page, so attendees can review both the recording and the feed. You can now update the recording link, allowing you to make edits to the video. Calendaring options: Events in Engage support two models to support your efforts to drive demand and attendance. First, you can invite attendees directly from Outlook, putting an invitation directly in their calendar. This model supports scenarios where their attendance is expected. Or, you can drive attendees to the event page where they can add to calendar, supporting an “opt-in” model that gives attendees control of what is on their calendar. Or you can mix and match, inviting those attendees who really need to have it on their calendar and letting others opt in. Event analytics: You’ll have access to analytics throughout the lifecycle of your event. You’ll be able to see how many people attended, how they engaged in the event feed, and how people consumed the recording after the event. For broadcasts, you can also access Teams insights. Mobile app choice: Attendees can join events from either the Teams or Engage mobile apps, across both iOS and Android. Integration with enterprise search and Copilot: Content from public events serves as grounding for Microsoft 365 Copilot and enterprise search, amplifying the reach and impact of the knowledge and information you share in your event. Event types Now, let’s explore the three event types and what is different. BROADCAST is best for company-wide or large-scale events, launches, keynotes and organizational “town hall” or “all hands” events. Key characteristics: Deliver a high‑quality live stream that scales to large audiences Organizers control what appears on screen Attendees watch the event and participate using Q&A and reactions This experience is an upgrade to the legacy “live event” broadcast, with an advanced feed and a rich suite of production features. MEETING is best for collaborative sessions, presentations, training workshops, expert panels, and all of the regular “rhythm of business” events your team or department conducts. Key characteristics: Share camera, microphone, and screen in real time Organizers can control who can present and share Up to 1,000 people can participate in the live event A collaborative event can feel exactly like a Teams meeting, where anyone can share. Or it can be like a presentation or webinar, where only presenters can share. Or anything in between. ASYNC is best for soliciting questions, collecting feedback, and crowdsourcing ideas from employees. Conduct an offline, asynchronous event with no live presentation or video stream Host an "ask-me-anything" (AMA) during which leaders or experts answer questions Enhance an in-person event by engaging your audience before and after This experience features an event page and event feed, but no real-time video experience powered by Teams. You can gather questions, ideas and feedback before an in-person event, or host a text-only (asynchronous) event like a Reddit-style AMA that can connect people with experts even over longer periods of time. Why host events in a community instead of creating them from your calendar? Until now, you’ve had one way to create events: From your Teams or Outlook calendar, you can create a Teams meeting, a Teams webinar, or a Teams Town Hall. Why would you want to change where you create and host events? An event isn’t just a calendar entry; its impact continues outside of the event confines. New event features help employees who missed the live event catch up quickly, help moderators engage attendees, and help leaders close the loop by responding to remaining questions. The result is a richer, more durable record of the event, so your organization benefits from the information and knowledge long after the event ends. Here’s the short list of what you can do better when you create your event from a community: Provide a calendar of upcoming and past events. Communicate effectively to drive awareness and attendance. Engage your audience before, during and after the event. Leverage event analytics to measure and improve effectiveness. Amplify information and knowledge shared at the event, after the event. Integration with community objectives and experiences. If you have experience with Microsoft 365 and events, think of it this way: By creating an event in a community, you’re taking a Teams event and wrapping it with the superpowers of Engage to reach and engage your audience at scale, before, during and after your event. And remember communities are not just for Engage anymore! Communities (powered by Engage) will be available in Teams Chat, alongside your chats, channels, and meetings; so, your events and their content will be seamlessly integrated into the flow of work in Teams. Preview customers have used these new event capabilities at scale, for company-wide “all hands” events, departmental rhythm-of-business meetings, and an extraordinary number of internal AI learning events. We look forward to celebrating your successful events as you apply these features to share news and information, train people, and engage employees. Resources Organize an Engage event - Microsoft Support Attend an Engage event - Microsoft Support Monday Masterclass Season 2 – Week 4 Designing Events Employees Remember | Microsoft Community Hub
Sensitivity Labels Are Coming to Viva Engage Communities Here's What You Need to Know
If you've seen MC1250283 in your Message Center and have questions, you're not alone. In the past few weeks we've heard from customers across industries — financial services, manufacturing, healthcare, government — all asking variations of the same questions. This post is our attempt to answer them all in one place. You can find out more via this article Sensitivity labels in Viva Engage. | Microsoft Learn What's changing Starting March 31, 2026 sensitivity labels will be available in Viva Engage community creation. When someone creates a new community, they'll see a sensitivity label picker, the same kind of label selector that already exists in Microsoft Teams and SharePoint. This is Engage joining the rest of Microsoft 365. Sensitivity labels for groups and sites have been supported in Teams, SharePoint, and M365 Groups for years. Engage communities, which are built on top of M365 Groups and SharePoint sites, are now part of that ecosystem. How it works Labels come from Purview, not Engage. There is no new admin setting in the Viva Engage admin center to turn this on or off. Your sensitivity labels are configured and published in Microsoft Purview, and those settings now apply to Engage communities the same way they apply to Teams and SharePoint. Labels are synced across all three surfaces. An Engage community's sensitivity label is shared with its linked M365 Group and SharePoint site. When a label is applied to one, it synchronizes across all three. This means your label governance is consistent — not fragmented. Existing communities are not automatically labeled. Communities created before this rollout will remain in an unlabeled state. They won't have a label auto-assigned. Admins can apply labels to existing communities in bulk using existing PowerShell scripts against the linked M365 Groups or SharePoint sites, no new tooling is needed. Applying a label via those surfaces will trigger the sync to Engage. Labeling can be mandatory or optional. Whether users must pick a label when creating a community is controlled by your Purview label policy. In the label policy publishing flow, under "Groups and sites > Settings," there's a checkbox to make site labeling mandatory. If you check it, users will be required to select a label when creating a community. If you don't, the label picker appears but community creation is still allowed without a selection. Default labels are set in Purview. If mandatory labeling is enabled and a user hasn't picked a label, the creation flow pre-populates a default. That default is determined by your label policy settings in Purview — Purview suggests the lowest-priority label with the right scope, but you can configure a different one. On Day 1, before an Engage-specific default is configured, the existing site default label (if set) will pre-populate. Community admins and owners can change labels after creation. This isn't locked to tenant admins. Community admins and owners will be able to update the label via community settings in Viva Engage or through the M365 admin center group listings. ttings. Programmatic community creation still works. If you create communities via the Graph API's /community endpoint, the label won't be set through that call — there's no Graph API support for setting labels directly on communities in this release. However, after creation, you can apply the label via PowerShell targeting the linked M365 Group or SharePoint site, which will sync to Engage. Your existing automation flows won't break; they just need a label-setting step added if you need one. The governance tension we've heard The most substantive concern we've received, and it's a legitimate one, comes from organizations that have configured their Purview label policies to enforce private-only labels for groups and sites. These organizations allowed public Engage communities precisely because Engage wasn't subject to sensitivity label governance. When Engage joins that ecosystem, their Purview policy will apply — and if their policy only permits private-supporting labels, new Engage communities will only be creatable as private communities. We want to be direct about this: Purview sensitivity label policies are tenant-wide and can't be scoped to individual workloads. There is no way to say "apply this policy to Teams and SharePoint but not Engage." Engage communities are built on M365 Groups and SharePoint sites, and they share the same label scope in order to stay in sync. If your organization has strict private-only governance and you need to continue creating public Engage communities, the practical path is: Create a public-supporting sensitivity label (e.g., "General - Internal Communications") Publish it to admins only — not your entire user base — so it doesn't accidentally appear in Teams or SharePoint creation flows for end users Apply this label to Engage communities via the admin center or PowerShell scripts Optionally, publish the label to your entire user base and use automated scripts to monitor Groups and Sites for misuse of that public label and correct them This is a workaround, not an ideal solution. We've heard the feedback clearly: Engage's use case — broad internal communication and knowledge sharing, is fundamentally different from SharePoint or Teams collaboration, and a one-size-fits-all label scope creates real tension. We're tracking this as a design consideration and have raised it with the Purview team. If you want to formally register this feedback, submit a Design Change Request (DCR) with your Microsoft Account team asking for per-workload label scoping support. What sensitivity labels do NOT change Community discoverability. All Engage communities remain discoverable to all users regardless of sensitivity label. Labels don't create "hidden" communities. A private community is visible in search — users just can't read the content without being a member. What users can see in search. Search results are governed by access control lists (ACLs), not sensitivity labels. Users will only see content they have permission to access. Your custom label taxonomy. Labels like "Confidential" or "Highly Confidential" are defined by your organization in Purview. There's no universal label structure — your configuration is yours. Frequently asked questions Can I test this in a staging tenant before it hits production? This rolls out to production tenants starting March 31. There isn't a separate staging path for this feature. We recommend using this window before rollout to review your Purview label policies, identify any communities where label assignment may create issues, and prepare admin and end user documentation. What happens if we have no sensitivity labels configured in Purview at all? If you don't use sensitivity labels for groups and sites, this change will have no impact. Community creation will support the privacy picker as it always has. Will this affect Copilot? Yes, and this is worth thinking through. Verified answers and content in private communities are scoped to members of that community. If your governance pushes more communities to private, that content becomes less accessible to Copilot for org-wide knowledge retrieval. If broad knowledge sharing is a goal, this is a factor to weigh in your label policy decisions. Will there be any visual change for end users? Users creating communities will see a sensitivity label dropdown in the creation flow. If your organization has labels published to users, they'll be able to select from those labels. If mandatory labeling is not enabled, they can leave it blank. If a community has a label, it will be visible in the community header. What to do before March 31 Review your Purview label policies. Specifically check whether you have mandatory labeling enabled for groups and sites, and what default label is configured. This will determine what your users see in community creation. Check for existing communities with label mismatches. If your linked Groups or SharePoint sites already have labels applied, confirm that those labels are ones that make sense for public community use. Prepare your community admins. Let them know the label picker is coming and what they should (or shouldn't) select. Prepare end user guidance if needed. For most organizations this will be low-friction. But if you have a complex label taxonomy or strict governance, proactive communication helps.Viva Engage masterclass season 2—Session 3: Campaigns and storytelling
When communication is intentional, it doesn’t just inform. It creates clarity and connection. In Session 3 of the Viva Engage Masterclass (season 2), we covered practical ways to build that impact with Storylines, Campaigns, and series-based storytelling. Below is a recap of the key takeaways you can apply right away. Why storytelling matters right now Work is full of constant signals: email, chat, posts, meetings, and in-person interruptions. Microsoft Work Trend Index research describes this as the “infinite workday,” where employee attention is limited and company communications are easy to miss. What helps is narrative coherence over time: messages that connect into a story employees can recognize, follow, and act on. The goal is to build understanding and momentum. Use Storylines to build leadership presence If leaders want to build trust and ongoing connection, their Storyline is an important place for them to show up in Viva Engage. A simple way to think about it: Email is delivery Meetings are moments Storyline is presence In Viva Engage, Storyline gives leaders a consistent way to share updates, add context, and invite conversation in one place. What Storylines provide: Intelligence and targeting: reach defined audiences with the right message. Multi-way dialogue: make communication two-way, so people can respond, ask questions, and build on the message. Measurable impact: understand what landed through engagement and analytics. To set a leader up for success with Storyline, start by making sure they’re identified as a leader in the product, assigning delegates who can help draft and publish posts, and defining the audience they want to reach. Then confirm they have the right profile details and a short “about” that matches their role. Agree on a simple cadence (for example, one post a week), draft the first few posts together, and keep a short list of topics they can pull from. Strong posts are clear about what they’re trying to do. The session shared a simple way to pressure-test drafts before posting following the 3C model: Context: What’s happening? Clarity: Why does it matter? Connection: What do I want people to do? One more reminder that came through clearly: engagement doesn’t happen by accident—ask for it. End with a question or prompt that makes it easy to respond. Used well, Storyline becomes a reliable place for employees to hear directly from leaders and respond in the moment. It helps leaders show up consistently, keep updates connected over time, and build trust through two-way conversation. Identify leaders and manage audiences in Viva Engage | Microsoft Learn Storylines in Viva Engage - Microsoft Support The Engage Chronicles: Leadership Lessons for the Digital Age Run social campaigns that invite participation Campaigns help the organization rally around a shared theme through repetition and participation. In the session, we discussed how campaigns can support different goals, such as: Driving business initiatives Crowdsourcing ideas and experiences Creating belonging through employee stories We also covered the difference between: Official (global) campaigns that roll up content across Storylines and communities Community campaigns that stay within a specific community (lighter-weight, designed for local participation) A key takeaway: campaigns work best when they’re designed so employees can join the story—not just read it. Here are a few campaign examples we shared in the session that translate well to Viva Engage: Win. Win. Win. Invite people to share weekly wins, shout-outs, or lessons learned—and encourage others to add their own. Product launch or roll out. Announce a new tool or change, then keep everything in one place: tips, FAQs, help resources, and Q&A. 30 days of ____. Pick a theme and post a prompt each day (or each week) to keep the story moving and make it easy to join in. Leadership series. Have leaders take turns sharing what they’re learning, reading, or trying, then ask employees to share their own. Recognition and gratitude. Spotlight individuals and teams who are making an impact and invite peers to add praise. A simple recipe for success: be clear on the goal, make it easy to participate, and keep a steady posting rhythm. Even though it’s quick to create a campaign, the work is in the planning. The session shared a straightforward timeline: Two+ weeks before: define the theme, align stakeholders One week before: define success (KPIs), finalize messaging Days before: prep content and resources, remind contributors Kickoff: publish the Campaign and start the rhythm Bring it together with a simple plan: set a clear goal, give people an easy way to participate, and keep the Campaign active with a steady rhythm. Track what’s landing as you go, and close the loop by sharing progress and outcomes. Campaigns in Viva Engage - Microsoft Support Set up official campaigns in Viva Engage | Microsoft Learn Think series, not a post One of the clearest themes from the session: if you want adoption or behavior change, one message won’t do it. We talked about the “rule of 7” concept. People often need repeated exposure before they act. The practical takeaway is to build a series with: A consistent theme A recognizable visual style A predictable rhythm When employees “watch for the next drop,” your #campaign has started to stick. The session also introduced “trend-jacking”: using safe, current memes and social trends to make internal communications feel more creative and fun. Why this works: relevance, clarity, and connection We closed with research on how communications cut through the noise—especially for younger employees who have learned to filter fast. The three elements of communication that cut through the noise are: Relevant: tailored to an employee’s context (not just “for everyone”). Start with what the update means for people’s day-to-day work. Make the “why it matters to me” clear up front. Clear: easy to scan and understand quickly, with optional depth. If you need to include detail, put the most important point first and add the rest below, so people can read more when they have time. Clarity also means being specific, not vague, about dates, owners, and decisions. Connected: designed for dialogue, not “do not reply” broadcasting. End posts with a question that’s easy to answer, or a prompt that invites examples. Respond to early comments so people see that engagement is welcome and valued. Over time, this builds trust and helps employees feel like they’re part of the story, not just receiving updates. One important point: it’s not that people can’t focus—it’s that they’ve built faster filters. If content doesn’t signal value quickly, it won’t land. What’s next The Masterclass continues with Session 4: Designing events employees remember. You’ve got live events coming up soon at your company, this next session will help you plan moments that drive real participation—and follow-through. You can register for upcoming sessions and explore the full schedule at: 👉 https://aka.ms/VivaEngage/Masterclass
Monday Masterclass Season 2 – Week 2: AI Powered Engagement in Viva Engage
AI has officially moved from an interesting add‑on to a core part of how modern organizations communicate and connect. In Week 2 of the Viva Engage Masterclass – AI‑Powered Engagement, we explored what that shift really means for employees, leaders, and communicators—and how Viva Engage is becoming the place where human connection and AI scale together.Introducing Viva Engage Masterclass: Your Guide to the Viva Engage Essentials (Season 2)
Last year, we launched the Viva Engage Masterclass: Your Guide to the Viva Engage Essentials to help communicators, community managers, and IT leaders build confidence with Viva Engage, and we were blown away by the engagement from customers around the world.and we were blown away by the engagement from customers around the world. So we’re excited to bring the series back for Season 2 in 2026. This year’s masterclass includes four live sessions designed to go beyond the basics, helping you explore new capabilities, apply AI thoughtfully, and design experiences that truly resonate with employees. Whether you’re just getting started or looking to elevate how you use Viva Engage today, these sessions are built to help you take the next step, practically and confidently. What is the Viva Engage Masterclass? The Viva Engage Masterclass is a customer focused learning series that covers the essentials of Viva Engage. From foundational concepts to real world strategies you can apply immediately. Each session is: Comprehensive Overview: Get an in-depth look at the core capabilities for all roles who will be using Viva Engage, including admin and governance, moderations to how to create and manage communities, start and participate in conversations, and organize virtual events. Expert Guidance: Learn from Microsoft experts who will share best practices and tips for maximizing the use of Viva Engage in your organization. Interactive Q&A: Have your questions answered in real-time by our product group experts, ensuring you leave the session with a clear understanding of how to leverage Viva Engage in your organization. Hands-On Experience: Participate in live demonstrations and interactive activities that will help you get comfortable with the platform's functionalities. Register for the Masterclasses You can join one session or attend all four. Each masterclass stands on its own while also building toward a stronger, more connected Viva Engage strategy over time. Add Season 2: 2026 Masterclass sessions to your calendar! Week 1: Beyond the Basics Move from setup to scale with practical guidance on community structure, assigning roles, governance, and moderation, plus how Copilot and AI can streamline management. We'll also touch on the feed and notifications. 📼 Monday Masterclass Season 2 – Week 1: Beyond the Basics in Viva Engage Week 2: AI-Powered Engagement Discover how Microsoft Copilot and AI can amplify engagement, simplify moderation, and help leaders and communicators create content faster and smarter. Monday, February 9, 2026 | 8:00 am PT https://aka.ms/VivaEngage/AIEngagement Monday, February 9, 2026 | 3:00 pm PT https://aka.ms/VivaEngage/AIEngagement/2 Week 3: Campaigns and Storytelling Learn how to run campaigns that spark participation, amplify leader voices, and craft compelling narratives that turn announcements into conversations. Monday, February 23, 2026 | 8:00 am PT https://aka.ms/VivaEngage/Campaigns Monday, February 23, 2026 | 3:00 pm PT https://aka.ms/VivaEngage/Campaigns/2 Week 4: Designing Events Employees Remember Plan and promote events that feel intentional and engaging, with tips for discussions, Q&A, moderation, and post-event follow-up that keeps the momentum going. Monday, March 9, 2026 | 8:00 am PT https://aka.ms/VivaEngage/Events Monday, March 9, 2026 | 3:00 pm PT https://aka.ms/VivaEngage/Events/2 View the full schedule and register here: https://adoption.microsoft.com/en-us/customer-hub/monday-masterclass-your-guide-to-the-viva-engage-essentials/ Who should attend? The Viva Engage Masterclass is designed for: Corporate communicators Community managers Employee experience leaders IT admins and adoption leads Anyone responsible for building connection, culture, and conversation at scale No matter your role or experience level, each session offers practical guidance you can apply right away. Join us live (and earn recognition!) and in case you miss it, they’ll be recorded All sessions are held live, giving you the opportunity to learn from experts, ask questions, and connect with other Viva Engage customers. Each session has a blog post with dedicated resources and information including the recording. New for 2026: attendees will have the opportunity to earn certificates and badges, recognizing their learning and participation throughout the series. See you in the masterclass!Viva Engage Email Sender Domain Update
As part of the final phase of the Yammer to Viva Engage rebranding, we are updating the email sender domains used for all Viva Engage communications. This change ensures a consistent and secure brand experience across all surfaces and completes the transition from the Yammer brand to Viva Engage. Please see Message ID MC1117814 for earlier communications on this release. The new email domains continue to leverage industry-standard email authentication (such as SPF) to help prevent tenant spoofing and improve deliverability. When will this happen? The rollout of the new email sender domains will occur in phases over several months starting in early September 2025: We plan to complete the transition by the first quarter of 2026 but may adjust the timeline based on feedback. Any updates will be sent via the Message Center. During this transition you should expect to receive emails from both the old and new domains. This is very important if your tenant has custom email rules or is processing emails sent by Engage in a special manner. Please ensure that you are prepared to receive emails using the old and new sender domains until communication has been sent notifying you of the completion of these changes. How this affects emails across mailbox and organizations All emails from Viva Engage will now come from a new domain instead of yammer.com or eu.yammer.com The exact sender domain depends on the data residency for your Viva Engage network: US geo: from @yammer.com to @engage.mail.microsoft EU geo: from EU.yammer.com to @eu.euengage.mail.microsoft In addition to the domain change, Viva Engage email addresses will now include a tenant-specific prefix to help differentiate your organization’s environment such as test and production tenants. This prefix will use your organization’s tenant name in Microsoft Entra ID and will appear in the sender address. For example, fabrikam.onmicrosoft.com will result in a “fabrikam” prefix. Continuing with this example, sender addresses may include: noreply_fabrikam@engage.mail.microsoft – for digest emails, leader identification, community expert identification, delegate notifications and others. notifications_fabrikam@engage.mail.microsoft – for community posts, storyline updates, and other user activity notifications. announcements_fabrikam@engage.mail.microsoft – for leadership announcements and other broad communications. For networks in the EU geo, you should change the sender domain in the examples above to noreply_fabrikam@eu.engage.mail.microsoft, etc. Including this identifier makes it easier for admins, users, and mail systems to distinguish between tenants, reducing confusion and improving traceability. It also adds an additional layer of protection by making it easier to identify and authenticate emails originating from your tenant. Scope of impact: This change applies to all Viva Engage customers and all email notification types, regardless of your Viva license tier (Viva Engage Core, Viva Suite, etc.). It affects all Viva Engage emails, including user notifications, community announcements, storyline digests, and any other Viva Engage–generated emails. Most end users will only notice that the “From” address looks different Custom email transport rules: If you rely on specific email address formats in rules configured within your tenant, please ensure that the configuration is updated to cover both the old and new email address formats accounting for the data residency of your network. Third-party integrations: If your organization uses any third-party services (such as email journaling/archiving systems, security gateways, or custom email workflows) that filter or classify emails based on the sender domain, those will need adjustment to include the new email sender domain. Any tool explicitly looking for only @yammer.com or EU.yammer.com in email addresses will fail to recognize the new addresses. You should review such configurations and update them to accept or recognize the new @engage.mail.microsoft and @eu.engage.mail.microsoft domains. This will ensure continuity in archiving, compliance journaling, or application of custom routing rules that were targeting the old domain. Finally, note that this is not an optional change, it’s an automated part of the service rebranding. After the coexistence period, emails from the old Yammer domains will stop. We will communicate via the Message Center at the completion of this transition so that you know when the old email address has been discontinued. What you need to do to prepare Admins should review and update the following configurations before and during the rollout: Email Transport Rules / Mail Flow Rules: Update any Exchange transport rules, mail flow policies, or email gateway allowlists that reference @yammer.com (or EU.yammer.com) to also include the new domain(s) @engage.mail.microsoft and EU.engage.mail.microsoft. This ensures that automated rules (for encryption, forward, etc.) continue to work with the new sender addresses. For example, if you have a rule that flags or redirects Yammer emails, edit its conditions to accept the new domain as well. Security Filters: Check your anti-spam or email security filtering configurations. The new domains are Microsoft-managed and authenticated, so in general they should be treated as trustworthy senders. If your organization had any custom filter allowing all @yammer.com mail, you should add the new domains to those allowlists. Likewise, if you blocked @yammer.com anywhere (some organizations temporarily block Yammer emails prior to launch), you’ll need to update those blocks to use the new domain. Outlook Inbox Rules (User Mailbox Rules): Inform users that any personal Outlook rules they created that filter or sort emails by the sender domain will need to be updated. For instance, a user might have an Outlook rule moving all Yammer emails to a folder. After the change, that rule (looking for @yammer.com) would no longer catch the notifications. Users should update such rules to the new domain or adjust their logic. (If a user does nothing, the worst case is that Viva Engage emails will start landing in their inbox instead of the expected folder.) Safe Senders and Allow Lists: To proactively prevent any Viva Engage notifications from being misclassified as junk email and treated as external, consider adding the new domain to your organization’s safe sender lists. In Exchange Online, this might mean adding engage.mail.microsoft (and the EU variant if applicable) to tenant allow lists. See more here- https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/exchange/mail-flow-best-practices/manage-accepted-domains/manage-accepted-domains Users can add the new addresses to their personal Outlook Safe Senders list. Email addresses and domains on the Safe Senders list are never treated as junk mail. For instructions, see Add recipients to safe sender list in Outlook. This step can help ensure smooth delivery during the transition. No action needed if no custom configurations: If your organization has no custom mail rules or integrations related to Yammer, then in most cases no administrative action is required for basic email delivery. The domain change will happen automatically. For admins, communicating these changes in advance to users in your organization is highly recommended. Compliance considerations No new compliance or privacy impact has been identified with this change. The content of the emails remains the same; only the sender domain is changing. Data residency and compliance for Viva Engage continue to follow the existing policies and region of your network as the domain rebranding won’t affect that. As always, you should review this change against your organization’s policies. For example, if your organization had any internal compliance rule specifically referencing the old domains, update those references. Otherwise, standard email compliance (retention, eDiscovery, auditing) for Viva Engage messages is unaffected by the domain change. By updating your configurations and informing users, you can ensure a seamless transition as Viva Engage completes its rebranding. After the transition is complete, all your Viva Engage emails will arrive under the new domain names, offering a more coherent experience. Learn more For more background on the Viva Engage rebranding journey, see the blog post “Yammer is evolving to Microsoft Viva Engage” on the Microsoft Tech Community. Official documentation is updated to reflect these new domains. Please refer to the Message ID (MC1117814) for the Viva Engage email rebranding updates.Teams, SharePoint, Viva Engage - which to use for dept comms?
I lead a 300‑person department, and I’m looking for guidance on the best Microsoft tool(s) to improve employee engagement and awareness across our organization. Right now, most of our communication happens in Microsoft Teams (channel posts, group chats), but we have dozens of channels and each group has its own space, which makes it hard to share department‑wide news, cascade annual strategic initiatives, report monthly progress, and celebrate wins or employee recognition. We don’t currently have any SharePoint sites built out, and we’re not using Viva Engage or communities. For those who’ve tackled similar challenges: Which Microsoft tools or combinations have worked best for broad communication, engagement, and consistent messaging across a large department? I’d love to hear what’s been effective for you. Thanks in advance for any insights!
