Do you need to postpone an upcoming meeting?

Are you looking for some practical time management tips to help you set things up the right way?

Postponing and rescheduling meetings is part of time management.

Things don’t always go as planned.

That’s why it’s important to know how to make changes to a schedule when needed.

Yes, it can be annoying to reschedule appointments.

However, sometimes it just needs to be done.

In this post, you’ll find a few tips to help you smoothly make the transition, without wasting too much time. 

Communicate immediately.

Try your best to contact meeting attendees before they arrive to the meeting via phone, text or email.

If not, let them know as soon as they arrive at the meeting location.

Either put up a sign stating the meeting has been cancelled, or have someone at the door or near the meeting area to update people as to the change.

This way, people can adjust their schedules sooner rather than later and get on with their day.

Reschedule the meeting as soon as possible.

Reschedule the gathering as soon as possible. Preferably, this will be as soon as the meeting has been cancelled, or shortly thereafter, give or take a couple of hours.

You were probably holding the meeting in the first place because of some timely item. You most likely don’t want to lose any of this momentum and anticipation.

Check attendees’ calendars and schedules for openings and be sure to reiterate the importance the meeting.

Send out new invitations and don’t forget to mention this is a rescheduled meeting.

You want to lessen any potential confusions or errors in advance, if at all possible.

Store meeting materials for the upcoming meeting.

Save some time for yourself in future by properly editing and/or storing the materials you prepared for your anticipated meeting.

Remove any time sensitive documents, such as agendas and the like from a physical meeting location.

Gather meeting materials and place them in an easy to access location such as on a shelf, in a cabinet drawer or on a countertop.

If you’re using digital files, be sure to file your materials in properly labeled folder with a clear digital file name.

You’ll be ready for the next meeting without spending your time preparing materials once again.

How about you? Which of these tips are you going to follow to reschedule a meeting? Join the conversation and leave a comment below!