Optimized Template for Meeting Invitation with External Contacts

Optimized Template for Meeting Invitation with External Contacts

 

One of the greatest services that an administrative professional such as an Executive Assistant or Coordinator can offer their team members is to ensure that things are well prepared and to make them as simple as possible.  By having a meeting invitation that is clear, concise, and contains all of the pertinent information in a simple-to-navigate format, all parties can dive right into adding value with their time spent.  Otherwise a lot of time may be wasted on all sides just trying to understand why the meeting is occurring, who should be leading, and other basic logistics.

Here are the key parts to a very effective Meeting Invitation:

1.     Subject – The goal of the subject line is for the recipient to be quickly aware of all critical information without having to open the invitation. 

Include the following:

·       External company or vendor name

·       Your company name

·       Type and/or topic of meeting

·       Note: If a meeting is required to be conducted in person that typically does not happen in person, you want to make that very clear

      Example:   Gregory Capital + VMBC – Proposal Review – In-Person Meeting

 

2.     Location – Input the address, telephone number, and any other details such as a meeting room.  If the meeting is happening remotely, include the call in phone number and required codes.

              Example:   BBH Executive Office: 1 Columbia Ste. 250 Aliso Viejo, CA  92656 - 949.215.7942 - Large Conference Room

               Example:   Conference Line #1:  877-555-1212 / Attendee: 123456# / Moderator: 987654#

 

3.     Body – The large blank area of the content is very helpful for all other details that are great to reference during the meeting.  If there are any documents to be reviewed, include those as well.  Many people will be rushing and possibly even join late.  Having everything they need there, handy and well-prepared, will bring a lot of harmony to the time spent together.

Include the following:

·       A summary of why there is a change being sent out if anything has changed

·       Contact information if any changes are needed

·       Arrival information for new visitors

·       Agenda

·       Attendees, reference information about them including links to their website, and roles (if applicable)

               Example:  

Please contact Dani directly if any changes are needed to this appointment: email@address.com or 949.555.1212.

Arrival information:

Pull around to the back of the building and enter the large door on the left side when facing the building.  We are located upstairs – straight ahead when you reach the top. 

 

Agenda:

1.      Review Proposal

2.      Discuss Next Steps

 

Attendees:

Jesse Crowe, CEO – Beyond Blue Holdings, Inc. and VMBC

John Smith, Vice President – Gregory Capital

Danielle West, Executive Associate – Beyond Blue Holdings, Inc. and VMBC

 

I hope that you find this template easy-to-use when creating meeting invitations via Outlook or other calendar programs.  Simply copy, paste, edit, and you're done!

Have any additional suggestions?  We'd love to hear them!

 

How to Filter a Best Practice

As you read a best practice, ask these questions:

1.       Is it genuine?

2.       Do you believe it?

3.       Does it serve everyone we care about:

a.       Our people?

b.      Our client?

c.       The planet?

d.      Our vendors?

e.      Our client’s customers?

f.        Our platform?

g.       Our investors?

h.      Our profit?

4.       Is it in the right order?

5.       Are we serving rather than selling?

6.       Is it concise, clear, and focused?

 

Modify to align with these guiding filters. J

Top Qualities of a Good Template

What is a template?  A template is a pattern or model on which something else is based.  It’s focused on structure and is designed to provide a specific layout.

A form or document is an instance of a template that has been applied to a situation with content added.

 

How to make a good template:

1.       It gathers all of the information needed at once and speeds the process.  A good template makes the work that is required during a process move more quickly by capturing all of the information needed to complete the entire process at once.  Everyone ‘downstream’ from the information collector has everything they need to complete their portions of the task as well. 

 

2.       It guides the user to make the collection of information simple.  People want to use a good template because it makes their work easier.  A good template asks questions that guide the person completing the form to come up with the highest quality of information.  It asks the right questions.  There are also time saving tricks such as taking the information that was input and automatically populating a second page that is formatted exactly as needed for the next step in the process.  

 

3.       It is intuitive.  It is welcoming because it’s formatted in a presentable manner and is easy to figure out.  The location of items is logical and it’s simple to know where information is needed to be input to complete the template.  It doesn’t hurt your brain to look at the document and figure out how to use it.  You can look at it without any training and understand what you need to do.  It includes a description of who should use it, when they should use it, and who it goes to once it’s completed. 

 

4.       It’s not overly long.  If a template can be done on one page, that is ideal.  It is important that the template simplifies work and does not become a 20 page document that takes 15 hours and 5 individuals to complete.  As well, if one paper can be used for two functions of the same information, do it.  For example, the top of the form is the information collected and the bottom of the form is for approval rather than requiring a different approval form and manual copying of the same information.

 

5.       It is easy to find and people know about it.  Once the template is created, store it in a location that is easy to find.   Tell people about the template and offer to help show them how to use it.  If it could help a particular individual or team, introduce it in a brief training session where you convey which instances it is useful for, how to use it (complete it for an example task), and what to do with it when you’re done.  Create a storage of the instances in which the template is applied as well so that people can refer to the examples and build upon them easily.