June 22, 2017
In any given week, I will pull up my electronic calendar and find myself double or even triple booked. It’s become laughable. How can this be? Isn’t technology supposed to prevent this?
I spend the first part of my day trying to figure out how I will be in two places at once – or really which meetings I will be late to, which ones I will leave early from and which ones I will not attend at all. It’s frustrating and from my conversations with others, I know I’m not alone. Ninety-six percent of people admit to having missed meetings entirely and 95 percent have missed part of meetings, according to a report form Brandeis University’s Graduate of Professional Studies.
It’s time for us to take back our calendars and, as I shared last time, have more productive meetings. (See 7 ways to improve your next meeting.)
Technology has made my calendar available to many more people. People I work with can place a meeting on my schedule and even those I don’t know can send invites that “hold” spots.
We all mean well. So, what’s the best etiquette? Here are 7 tips to better scheduling etiquette.
- Check availability before you send.
Like I mentioned in my last blog, start by only inviting the people needed to conduct the meeting. Then, take the time to check each person’s availability. Sending a potential time and waiting for people to accept or not is not a proper use of the tool. (That’s what Doodle or Meeting Wizard are for). In many cases, calendaring technology allows individuals within an organization to identify participants and automatically share the first day and time that the selected individuals are available. Take the time to find a date that works for everyone – that may require picking up the phone to ask first. - Build in travel time.
We cannot teleport – not yet anyway. When it will take more than five minutes to get to a meeting, account for travel time when scheduling. Avoid stacking meetings too close. When appropriate, consider adding an appointment or blocking off additional time for driving to and from the meeting. This can avoid late arrivals and give participants more adequate margin between meetings.
- Mind the lunch hour.
We need food to stay energized. Yet, there are many days that I look at my calendar and I am booked through lunch. If you’re scheduling a meeting over the lunch hour, it’s best to order food for your attendees. If food cannot be provided, ask if they’d be willing to meet over the lunch hour and bring their own lunch. Assume their lunch hour is not available unless they give you the OK.
- Set a proper length.
How long will the meeting take to achieve its goals? Not every meeting should be an hour. Some can be achieved in 30-40 minutes while others, like a roundtable style or strategic planning meeting, will need more than an hour. Determine an appropriate time length, then stick to it. - Clearly state the purpose.
Meetings can now get scheduled without participants being a part of the process or understanding the purpose. When scheduling, create a title that helps share the purpose of the meeting and go a step farther to explain it in the description or an email before the invite is sent.
- Limit recurring meetings.
Recurring meetings may feel like the easiest way to hold spots for meetings that are months in advance. But meetings should be hosted for specific action. Be mindful when setting a recurring meeting and promptly remove an instance when it is no longer needed. This can help limit overbooking weeks with meetings and scheduling meetings without a clear set of goals.
- Block out work time.
Now that more people have access to our calendars and we are scheduling more meetings – virtually and in person – it’s become more important to block out time on your calendar to complete a project, prepare for a meeting, follow up after a meeting or work on your to do list for the week. Get in the habit of blocking out time each week for these purposes and you’ll feel better about your days.
There still will be times when you may not make a meeting. In those cases, send someone in your place to take notes and communicate what cannot be shared in written meeting recaps. Don’t leave it on the facilitator or wait for an update.
Meetings – whether they are held virtually, on the phone or in person – are a key tool to collaborate and achieve key actions together. Let’s commit to getting them started on the right foot by extending some meeting manners to our fellow team members.
