Telling Your Story with Microsoft Teams Storyline

Microsoft Teams has long been at the heart of collaboration for organizations worldwide. With chats, channels, meetings, and calls, it keeps everyone connected and aligned. But as Teams has grown, so has the need for asynchronous communication—a space where individuals can share ideas, updates, and thought leadership beyond the daily flow of chat messages. Enter Storyline.

What is Storyline in Microsoft Teams?

Storyline is a relatively new feature in Microsoft Teams that adds a social-media-like feed to your Teams experience. Think of it as your personal blog or LinkedIn-style update stream, embedded within Microsoft Teams.

It allows you to publish posts to your own Storyline or view updates from others, creating a richer, more connected employee experience. It’s part of Viva Engage, Microsoft’s evolution of Yammer into a more modern, community-driven platform inside Teams.

Key Features:

• Personal feed of posts (text, images, videos, links)
• Ability to tag colleagues, communities, or topics
• Reactions and threaded comments
• Visibility to followers or the entire organization
• Supports storytelling, recognition, announcements, and thought leadership

Why Use Storyline?

While Teams chat and channels are great for immediate, task-driven conversations, Storyline excels in narrative and visibility:

• Share career highlights, project milestones, or lessons learned
• Build your personal brand within the company
• Recognize team contributions and celebrate wins
• Encourage open communication and transparency
• Promote cross-departmental collaboration

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How to Access and Use Storyline

If Storyline is enabled in your tenant (via Microsoft Viva Engage), here’s how to start using it:

1. Open Viva Engage in Microsoft Teams

• Click the ellipsis (…) in the Teams sidebar
• Search for Viva Engage
• Right-click it and choose Pin to keep it handy

2. Navigate to ‘Storyline’

• In Viva Engage, you’ll see the ‘Storyline’ tab
• This displays your feed and other users’ storylines

3. Create Your First Post

• Click “Create a post”
• Add your content: text, images, GIFs, or video
• You can @mention people, tag topics, or even use polls
• Choose your audience: everyone in the org or followers only

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✍️ Posting to Storyline from Microsoft Teams Chat

You can also create a Storyline post directly from a Teams chat message, turning spontaneous thoughts into wider updates.

Here’s how:

1. Hover over any message in a Teams chat.
2. Click on the ellipsis (More options) > “Share to Storyline.”
3. A new Storyline post window will open with the message included.
4. You can edit the message, add context, tag people, and then post it.

This is perfect for turning valuable conversations or key decisions into visible updates for the broader organization.

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👥 How to Follow Someone’s Storyline

To stay in the loop with someone’s updates, follow their Storyline:

From Viva Engage:

1. Go to the Viva Engage app in Teams.
2. Use the search bar to find a colleague.
3. On their profile page, click the “Follow” button.

From a Storyline Post:

• If you see a post by someone you’d like to follow, just click on their name and hit Follow from their profile.

You’ll now see their updates in your Storyline feed, ensuring you never miss insights from peers, leaders, or colleagues you admire.

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Tips for Better Storyline Posts

• Keep it authentic and concise
• Use visuals where possible
• Add value—share insights, lessons, or interesting articles
• Be consistent but not spammy

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Real-World Scenarios

• Managers can highlight team wins or quarterly goals
• Employees can share learning journeys or certifications
• HR or Leadership can drive culture, values, and recognition
• Communities can rally around specific interests or causes

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How Storyline Fits into Viva and Microsoft 365

Storyline is part of the broader Viva Engage platform and contributes to the employee experience in Microsoft 365. It integrates with Viva Topics, Viva Connections, and other M365 tools to foster open dialogue and cultural cohesion.