Lesson 5: Arranging Meetings via Email

When done properly, arranging meetings via email is an excellent way to keep all of the participants up to date, organized, and prepared to attend, whether online or in person.

Some of the benefits of arranging meetings via email include the following:

• It is easy for all participants to access key information such as the date, time, location, and purpose of the meeting.
• The confusion or miscommunication that sometimes arises from phone calls can be avoided.
• Any changes that need to be made to a scheduled meeting can be handled all at once, for all participants.
• Participants are easily able to confirm their attendance or inability to join.
• All participants can easily view who else is invited to the meeting.

Here is the basic structure of a well-written meeting arrangement via email:

Step 1: Subject Line

Keep your subject line short and direct. Be sure to include the word “meeting” or “schedule“, and, if you share an acquaintance or partner whose name is likely to prompt attendance, include that information as well. For example, a subject line could read “Meeting with Tom Erickson” or “Urgent Request for Meeting“.

Step 2: Salutation

If your meeting arrangement is going out to multiple participants, it is unlikely that you have a totally equal level of familiarity with all of them. So, rather than starting out with an informal “Hi Guys,”, you should definitely start with a more formal salutation like “Dear Sales Managers,” or “Dear Department Heads,“.

Step 3: Introduction

If you find yourself arranging a meeting with someone who has never met you before, it is wise to include a brief introduction, which can be as simple as “My name is Markus Ripley, and I am the Compliance Officer for Sherwin Financial…”

Step 4: Purpose

Simply put, explain to the invitees why you want to meet with them. Be as specific as possible so that the participants can prepare appropriately for the meeting. You might state something like the following: “I would like to meet to discuss the possibility of hiring an additional assistant for our sales team….”

Step 5: Schedule Options

In order to find a time that is likely to suit the most participants, offer a few options for your invitees to choose from. “I have openings in my schedule on Wednesday, the 10th from 10:00-12:00 or on Friday, the 12th from 12:00-14:00. If anyone prefers a specific time in those ranges, please let me know….“

Step 6: Ask for Confirmation

Ask your recipients to confirm by a specified date so that you can make any necessary preparations such as creating an online meeting link or reserving an appropriate meeting room. The text might read “Please RSVP by January 15th…” or “I would appreciate if you could confirm your attendance by January 15th…“.

Now that we have looked at the basic structure for arranging a meeting via email, let’s move on to the quizzes to practice the vocabulary and phrases associated with this kind of email.