Here's the Perfect Business Meeting Invitation Template

Since its inception and patenting in 1979, the electronic calendar was introduced as a means to help you keep track of your time and, ultimately, make your life easier. Fast forward to today: meetings are a time-suck. Scheduling them is doubly so; just when you think you’ve successfully scheduled one, a change in circumstances or, god forbid, an error in the invitation forces you to cancel and reschedule.

If this sounds familiar, have no fear.

While I suggest you explore ways to optimize your scheduling processes overall, I’m going to focus on one aspect here: the calendar invite. Though seemingly innocuous, any errors within the invitation are disruptive for all parties involved. Clearly, it’s essential to develop a concise communication method to limit the confusion caused by misunderstandings.

Best Practices for an Effective Meeting Invite

In the following four best practices, we will address three different types of meetings: one-on-one calls, conference calls, and in-person meetings.

1. Have a Clear Subject Line

It is crucial to clearly and concisely state the key details of the meeting: who is attending and the meeting type. These two aspects are the main focus of the subject and are important for multiple reasons.

First, the recipient can quickly see who the invitation is coming from and the reason for the invite, and more quickly “accept” it.

Second, you yourself know who you will be meeting with, instead of having to rely on memory. Finally, specifying the meeting type (whether a call, conference call, coffee, lunch, etc.) helps all parties clearly know what to expect and allows them to prepare.

Example subject line templates:

• Phone Calls: “Call – Your Name (Your Company) – Other Person’s Name (Their Company)”
• Conference Calls: “Conference Call – Your Company – Their Company”
• In-Person Meeting: “Meeting – Your Name (Your Company) – Other Person’s Name (Their Company)”

2. Leverage the Location Field

Fact: Most people only check the description field of a calendar invitation just before a call. That's why you should include detailed information in the location field, so the recipient doesn't need to open the invitation.

In addition to giving the meeting location, use this field to clearly specify who will call whom and include all conference call details in a format ready for dialing.

Example location field templates:

• Phone Calls: PERSON X to call PERSON Y at PHONE NUMBER
• In-Person Meeting: The address of the location

Important Notes on Conference Call Dial-Ins:

• Passcodes/PINs – When entering the passcode/PIN, use the primary Host Code for all parties to avoid confusion.
• Auto-dial – US smartphones recognize commas as a pause. Knowing this, input the conference number, 3 commas, and the PIN/passcode in the location field. When this is selected, phones will dial the conference number, pause for 3 seconds, and then automatically dial the passcode/PIN, bringing the caller into the call.

Example location for conference calls:

• Conference Calls: Conference Dial-In,,,Passcode/PIN

3. Specifying Time Zones

Today, e-calendars automatically update the time and time zone to match attendees' locations. However, errors in time zone scheduling remain widespread, especially among companies with international teams. I won’t delve deeply into time zone scheduling here, but a key best practice is to send the meeting invitation in the recipient's time zone. This helps prevent confusion and reduces the need for rescheduling caused by errors.

4) Description Field

As mentioned earlier, the description field is typically reviewed just before the meeting. However, you shouldn’t overlook it—adding the right details can save time and prevent frustration.

• Restate the Call Details – Explicitly restate the date, time, and time zone of the call, followed by the details in the “Location” field. While this may seem duplicative, it effectively confirms the call details in a clear and concise list form, again to limit confusion or misunderstanding.
• Provide the Sender’s Contact Information – Although people do their best to keep their appointments, extenuating circumstances can force plans to change, and meetings to be pushed back slightly, canceled, and rescheduled. Providing your contact information enables the recipient to reach you directly and allows both parties to manage expectations on the meeting or even coordinate rescheduling if needed.
• Include a detailed agenda – When possible, provide any pre-reads, call details, and expectations upfront so everyone arrives prepared.

Though simple, these four best practices will save you and those you meet with untold amounts of time and frustration – because when it comes to productivity, it’s often the smallest improvements that have the most significant impact.

Below are examples of templates that you can customize for your needs:

For a Phone Call

Hello (first name), 

Your call has been scheduled as follows: 

Date: (Day, Month, date) 
Time: (Time AM/PM) (Time Zone)
For this call: (Sender) to call (Recipient’s Name) at (Contact Number)

(Sender’s) contact number is (XXX-XXX-XXX)

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards, 

(Name and Signature)

For a Conference Call

Hello (first name),

Your conference call has been scheduled as follows: 

Date: (Day, Month, date) 
Time: (Time AM/PM) (Time Zone)
For this call: Dial into the conference call as follows

Conference Call Dial-In number

Conference Call Host Passcode/PIN

(Sender’s) contact number is (XXX-XXX-XXX)

(Recipient's) contact number is (XXX-XXX-XXX)

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Regards, 

(Name and Signature)

For a Meeting

Hello (first name).

Your meeting has been scheduled as follows:

Date: (Day, Month, Date)
Time: (Time AM/PM) (Time Zone)
Location: (Location Name, City). The address is: (provide full address)

(Sender’s) contact number is (XXX-XXX-XXX)

(Recipient’s) contact number is (XXX-XXX-XXX)

Please let me know if you have any questions

Regards,

(Name and Signature)