Craft compelling meeting invites with ease. Dive into our guide to discover effective writing tips and get 4 ready-to-use email templates.
By Alexandria Hewko • October 20, 2023 • 7 min read In this article 7 min read In this article 7 min readIn a surprising study, Harvard researchers found that 92% of employees consider meetings costly and unproductive. There are many factors that can lead a meeting to be unproductive, such as weak planning, miscommunication about the meeting’s value, or a lack of interest from the attendees, among others. One fairly easy way to get everyone aligned on a meeting’s value from the start is to draw up a strong and purposeful meeting invite email that explains why attendees should come to the call and what they can expect when they get there. So, if you’re looking for some tips on how to create an effective invitation for a meeting, you’ve come to the right spot!
Meeting etiquette is displaying respectful practices when it comes to planning, running, and following up after a meeting, regardless of whether it’s virtual or in person. Writing effective meeting invitation emails is an important part of good meeting etiquette as it gives the attendees all the information they need to be available and prepare for the meeting. Fellow’s Meeting Guidelines for High-Performing Organizations ebook also recommends sending an email with a positive tone about why the attendee’s time is valued and needed for the call, which shows respect for their schedule and energy.
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According to research by McKinsey, teams only feel like it’s worthwhile to gather for a meeting for one of three reasons: to make decisions, to identify creative solutions (for example, by brainstorming), or to share one-way information (for example, in town halls). When you send your meeting invite, tell your attendees about the purpose of the call, why they should attend it, and include how they can come prepared. Try to frame your meeting’s purpose statement as one of those three high-priority reasons to increase the likelihood that individuals will see value in attending your meeting!
In your invitation for a meeting, you should clearly mention how each attendee is expected to contribute to the conversation. This allows your participants to plan in advance if necessary. Then, when the meeting time comes, your attendees will be ready to engage and share what they’ve been expected to bring or discuss. Not only does this increase meeting engagement, but it also helps you stay on time and follow your meeting agenda closely.
Meeting invitations should have punchy subject lines that communicate the meeting’s purpose in just a few words. They can be more or less formal, depending on the meeting type. MailChimp recommends using between 9 – 60 characters in the subject line. Also, personalizing the email makes it 26% more likely that you’ll get a response. Here are a few ideas to try:
A meeting purpose statement outlines in a sentence what is expected to happen in the meeting and why it’s worth the attendee’s valuable time. It should be explained using a positive tone to encourage your recipients to feel inclined to attend the call. Make sure to tailor the message to the recipients where possible so they can see specifically how it’s relevant to their ongoing work. For example, instead of saying “decision making for budgets,” you could say, “getting the CFO’s approval on the Q2 marketing events plan.”
A crucial part of your meeting invitation should be the date and time. You’ll need to be mindful of any differing time zones for your attendees so that you avoid booking a meeting during a very early or late time. Meeting invite emails should also always include the location. If you’re meeting remotely, add the video conferencing link to the email. If you’re meeting in person, include the physical address and any instructions for entering the building.
Meeting agendas are helpful for establishing the talking points that will be discussed during the call. You can leverage meeting agenda software that will make collaborating on this document easy, which allows other participants to contribute their ideas for discussion points. Just make sure to send this at least one business day in advance so team members can review and contribute to it. As a bonus, you can use your agenda during your actual call to guide the meeting’s flow and even write action items on it as you go through your meeting!
If you’re using an online calendar tool like Google Calendar or Microsoft Teams, your meeting invitations will automatically include options for guests to quickly RSVP. In most cases, you can also set the participant’s attendance as optional or required so they know how to respond. Attendees can also decline the meeting invite with a reason (for example, if it’s not relevant to their role) or they can propose a new time. This type of communication is helpful feedback that you can use for planning your meeting to ensure it’s appropriate for as many participants as possible.
Kicking off a new meeting and not sure where to start? Fellow’s Project kickoff meeting and Client kickoff meeting templates come pre-loaded with structured sections to guide you every step of the way. Get started with Fellow to edit your fully customizable template today!
