Are you wondering how to go about scheduling meetings in your calendar?

Do you want to save time and energy when it comes to organizing meetings?

Meetings are an important part of the business world.

But if you’re constantly rescheduling or cancelling meetings, then you need to investigate the cause of your troubles.

In this post, you’ll find several tips to help you schedule a meeting the right way.

Follow these tips and you’ll be well on your way to having satisfactorily scheduled meetings on a regular basis.

Scheduling Meetings: A Common Mistake

A meeting is a moment in time when two or more people agree to meet at a certain place and time.

They plan to discuss certain information and reach a specific outcome.

That sounds all too simple, right?

Unfortunately, problems can soon arise when very basic meeting requirements are ignored.   

Consider for a moment this familiar exchange:

Person #1: “Can we meet this morning for a couple of minutes?”

Person #2: “Sure.”

Let’s now fast forward to that ill-fated moment when the meeting is supposed to take place.

Person #1: “Oh, hello. I’m here for our meeting, let’s chat.”

Person #2: “Oh, I’m sorry, I can’t meet with you now. I’ve got this deadline I’m working on, plus I have another meeting I completely forgot about coming up in a few minutes.”

Hmm, looks like that meeting isn’t going to happen any time soon…

So, what’s the mistake here? Well, it’s all has to do with lack of communication.

Both parties weren’t clear about subject of the meeting, when it would meet, and for how long.

The next time you’re scheduling a meeting, be sure to communicate the following information.

Determine a specific meeting date and time.

Be sure to specify a specific date and time for your upcoming meeting.

Avoid scheduling meetings as “Sometime later today,” or “Sometime next week.” Chances are you probably won’t hold your meeting.

Refer to specific dates and times to propose for your meeting as in next Tuesday at 10 AM or Wednesday at 2 PM

Set a specific duration of time in which to meet.

Did you recently schedule your weekly meeting with Joe from accounting at 3 P.M. on Tuesdays? Great.

Now, it’s time to take things one step further by specifying exactly how much time you’ll need for your meeting.

Will you need 15 minutes for your meeting? How about 30 minutes? What about an hour?

Requesting a duration of time not only sets the tone for the meeting (everyone knows what to expect), but it allows potential meeting attendees to find sufficient time within their own schedules to book a meeting.

Consult your schedule before scheduling meetings.

This is a fairly simple reminder, but you’d be amazed at how many times a schedule is ignored!

The best course of action to take when scheduling a meeting is to avoid assumptions and simply consult your schedule before proposing an upcoming meeting.

Consult your schedule and confirm whether or not you are available during the proposed meeting date and time.

What if you don’t have your calendar handy? Tell your contact you’ll check your schedule as soon as you are able and that you will contact them with your availability.

Set a goal for the meeting.

A meeting without a specific goal is sure to go awry.

Why are you holding your meeting? What decision(s) do you want to reach? What goals do you want to achieve?

Make sure you can accurately describe your reasons for holding the meeting.

If you cannot do so, you may want to reconsider holding your meeting in the first place.

How about you? Which of these tips are you going to follow when it comes to scheduling your meetings? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!