How to email a meeting request
When it comes to schedule or organize a meeting, it is a bit
more complicated than to just send virtual invite with date and time. Meeting
invites are first impressions that gives attendees to prepare himself or
herself for the meeting. Informal meeting invites keep attendees in dilemma
about meeting and outcome ends up in less productive and time consuming.
It is important to understand workplace etiquettes before
engaging with co-workers for following reasons:
- Improved Communications
- Increased Productivity
- Improved Workplace Relationship
If one can start practicing common rules of proper meeting
etiquettes, the change in outcome can be surprising.
- Be Prepared for agenda: Gather most possible basic information on the agenda of meeting. Additionally, make a list of discussion topics. Focusing majorly on topics can avoid follow-up discussion. Writing some meeting-related information in the body of the invitation is considered as a good practice. It will enable recipients to contribute knowledge and reasonable arguments. This reduces on the spot brainstorming and reduce miscommunication.
- Create list of recipients: Create proper list of compulsory and optional recipients. It assists recipients to give attendance at important appointments and plan their work. Bringing in only relevant invitees to the meeting will make the discussion problem solving and decision making.
- Ask your recipient to send an RSVP: Ensure to confirm with recipients that they are coming. It will help selecting size of meeting room, meeting links. Do not forget to provide deadline to RSVP. So, follow up can be done during the time left.
- Use a subject line that is precise and simple: This attracts recipient’s attention, which results in maximum attendance. Try using key words in meeting such as “Urgent”, “Reply is required”, “Discussion”, “Request” and so on. Reading these in subject line, response will come in timely manner.
- Keep everyone updated: If there is a change in time, location, agenda, discussion point, keep everyone informed. Drop a simple message to the recipient about ‘cancellation’ or ‘change’ with concise explanation. There are chances that the recipient is already cancelling other appointments for that meeting.
- Set Meeting Goal: Set an exact goal of the meeting, so direction to reach out to conclusion will be easier. Be prepared to bring discussion on track. If convincing on virtual meeting is being hard, ask for face-to-face or one-on-one meeting instead of stretching discussion.
