How to reschedule a meeting in english

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Canceling and Rescheduling Meetings Lesson – #40003

This is a lesson plan for practicing canceling and rescheduling meetings. First, read the key phrases and tips. Practice saying them aloud.

Then, read the two dialogs and decide which one is better.

Next, practice on your own with the situations listed.

Finally, discuss your answers to the questions with a friend, teacher, or with the MyOvient community by writing a comment.

STEP ONE: APOLOGIZE AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU ARE MISSING THE MEETING

I am very sorry, but I am running late. I hope to be there in about 30 minutes.

I’m afraid I will not make it to our meeting due to a problem that just came up at work.

Unfortunately, an issue just came up at work, and I cannot make it to our meeting this afternoon.

I apologize for the inconvenience, but I am not going to be able to make it to the meeting tomorrow.

Due to (problem), I will not be able to make it to the meeting.

I need to reschedule our meeting because (problem).

I will need to postpone our meeting. (Explain problem.)

STEP TWO: GIVE AN ALTERNATIVE DATE/TIME:

Could we meet tomorrow at the same time?

Are you available on Friday at 2 PM?

Next week is completely open for me. Please let me know the best time for you.

If you are going to be late to a meeting, you should send an email, text, or call to let the others know when you’ll arrive. If you have to leave a message, you should, but it’s a good idea to try to talk to someone who can pass along your message. (This could be an administrative assistant or someone else attending the meeting.)

You do not have to tell the other person why you are going to be late, but it will help if you say that it is out of your control. If it is your fault, apologize and tell them you will be there soon. If you need to reschedule the meeting, tell the other person why you need to reschedule and offer another date and time.

If your reason for canceling is personal, you don’t have to explain the details. For example, you can say, «I have a family conflict, and I need to reschedule the meeting.»

Which dialog is better? Why?

Dialog 1

Ashley: Sue! It’s Ashley. I’m stuck in traffic. I was on the highway and there’s a huge wreck. I tried to exit at Wolfe, but the exit is blocked. I’m going to try another route. It is raining very hard and I don’t know what to do.

Sue: Okay, Ashley, calm down. Just drive slowly and be careful.

Ashley: Okay, I will. I don’t think I’m going to make it to the meeting on time.

Sue: That’s okay. What would you like to do?

Ashley: I guess you can hold it without me and talk about the things I was going to discuss.

Sue: Well, I don’t know if I’m very comfortable covering your topics because I don’t know them very well.

Ashley: What else can I do?

Sue: Did you talk to Eric?

Ashley: I couldn’t get hold of him.

Sue: Did you ask to speak to his admin?

Ashley: No, I’ll try that. I’ll call you back.

Dialog 2

Ashley: Hello, Sue. This is Ashley. Unfortunately, there has been a wreck on the interstate due to the weather, and I am stuck in traffic.

Sue: OK. Thanks for calling. We were just about to head into the conference room for the meeting.

Ashley: I’m glad I caught you then. I’m afraid it looks like I won’t be able to make it to the meeting. Do you think we can postpone it for about an hour?

Sue: I don’t have a problem with that but did you speak to Eric? I know he really wants to present his work today.

Ashley: I left a message on his voicemail. Sue, would you mind letting Eric know the situation? If he would like to hold the meeting without me, I completely understand. Otherwise, I should make it to the office in about 30 minutes and would be happy to meet then.

Sue: Sure. Let me talk to him and I will call you right back.

Ashley: Thank you, Sue. I really appreciate your help, and I apologize for the inconvenience.

If you have a teacher or study partner, practice these activities and ask for feedback.

SITUATION A: Pretend that there is bad weather and the roads from your house are flooded. You will not make it on time to a meeting and you to need to call and reschedule the meeting. What would you say. Practice saying it.

SITUATION B: Your are scheduled to attend a meeting at 9:00 am with Eric and Sue. It is 8:45 and because of a bad accident on the highway, you are running very late and will not make it on time. You attempt to call Eric’s cell phone to let him know you will be late, but he doesn’t answer. What would you say on his voicemail. Practice saying it.

SITUATION C: You double-booked appointments for 8:00 am with your attorney and your accountant. Your accountant charges a fee for cancellations, so you needs to contact your attorney to reschedule. Write an email that you would send to your attorney, asking to reschedule.

SITUATION D: You have a lunch meeting at 12:00 pm with a customer, but you have a very bad toothache and are going to see a dentist at 11:30 am. You need to call your customer and ask him to move the meeting to a different time. What would you say? Practice saying it.

MyOvient Members: Write your opinions of these two dialogs in the comments below.

If you have a tutor or study partner, discuss your opinions to these questions.

MyOvient members: write your answers to these questions in the comments section below. (To become a member, click here.)

How to Reschedule a Meeting: Tips and Email Examples

Learn to effectively communicate with your team the next time you’re unable to attend a scheduled meeting.

Picture this: you wake up on a Monday morning ready to conquer the week. As you make your morning coffee, your dog starts whimpering and you realize they’re unwell. Or maybe you aren’t so chipper on this particular Monday. Perhaps you’ve woken up feeling under the weather or have looked outside to discover that mother nature didn’t know you had planned on making a long commute to the office when she brought several inches of snow to your city.

No matter how well you’ve planned your work calendar, you’re bound to need to reschedule a meeting every now and then. As a team player, you’ll want to notify those whom you know planned on attending of any last minute changes. Don’t fret– life happens and rescheduling a meeting doesn’t need to be stressful. Let’s discuss when and how you should reschedule a work meeting, and how to best communicate a change in plans with your colleagues.

Reasons to reschedule a meeting

There are many reasons you may need to reschedule an important meeting. Some common examples include: unexpected or urgent issues at home, feeling ill or having an ill family member, bad traffic or weather that prevents you from traveling to work, a change of plans that makes the original meeting irrelevant, or accidentally having double-booked yourself.

While you may not always be as prepared as you’d like, you should never reschedule a meeting at the last minute due to a lack of preparation. Make sure your reason for rescheduling is urgent and compelling. You don’t want to be an employee or manager who constantly reschedules because of your own issues with time management.

Delightful meetings only

When you do have meetings, make sure they are a productive use of time! Have a collaborative meeting agenda that everyone has access to and can contribute to. Try using Fellow!

Tips for rescheduling a meeting

1 Notify the attendees ASAP

Start by drafting a note on the instant messaging app you use at work or more formally in an email to the attendees. Ensure you clearly state why the meeting must be rescheduled. Make your message brief and to the point, but still sincere. You don’t need to give specific details if the cause of your rescheduling is a personal matter, but you shouldn’t be vague with the details if it’s a work-related conflict. Take your time drafting the note so it communicates your message and apology appropriately. Aim to give the attendees 24-hour notice if possible.

2 Write the email yourself

Even if you have an assistant who usually coordinates your calendar, this will be an email you’ll want to draft yourself. In doing so, you’ll let the attendees know that you care about having to reschedule and are considerate of their time. You can also add a personal touch or ask for their input in rescheduling a time to meet. Employees and managers should be courteous of their colleague’s schedules, and writing the email yourself will demonstrate that you have this quality.

3 Be as descriptive as possible in the email subject line

State in the subject line of your email that the meeting is canceled. Effective subject lines will also include the meeting date before the phrase “meeting cancellation” or “meeting rescheduling.” If it’s a meeting with someone outside of your company, be sure to include your name as well as the name of your organization.

4 Suggest another form of communication

Maybe you need to care for a sick family member at home and aren’t able to make that lunch meeting in person, but still have the time to set up a phone or video call. If the meeting can take place in a format that better accommodates your needs at the moment, ask the attendees to move the meeting to a video or phone call. If there isn’t a way to make the meeting work but there are urgent action items to delegate, send an email outlining what you had planned to discuss and note that you intend to follow up soon with further details.

5 Propose an alternative meeting date and time

When rescheduling a meeting, use a scheduling assistant to make sure the time and date you suggest fits in everyone’s calendar. Mention in your email to the attendees that you considered everyone’s availability, but are also open to suggestions in the event that their calendars weren’t up to date. If you leave it up to the attendees to select an alternate time, ensure that your calendar has enough free space to accommodate their suggestions.

6 Apologize sincerely

A sincere apology can go a long way when you’re rescheduling a meeting. Acknowledge in your email that you made a mistake (when appropriate) or state your reasoning for having to reschedule to smooth out any frustration caused by canceling. Express your regrets and request forgiveness in your attempt to correct the mishap. Acknowledging that you’re imperfect but care about your relationship with the attendees will help build a better rapport. If the rescheduled meeting was high stakes, you can follow up with a phone call the next day as well.

7 Show appreciation

Express gratitude to your team, manager, clients, or stakeholders that were supposed to be in attendance. After you apologize for any inconvenience your cancellation may have caused, thank them for reading your email and considering your request to accommodate the rescheduled date and time.

When is it ‘too late’ to reschedule?

If something has come up at work or home but your meeting is planned for 10 minutes from now, you’ll have to make a split-second decision. When making a last-minute call about whether to cancel or not, ask yourself if you can shorten the meeting, offer it in a different format that will accommodate your current needs, or cancel the meeting if the issue is too urgent to move forward. Quickly weigh the pros and cons, and assess the urgency. In short, if you or a loved one is suddenly ill or in danger, it’s never too late to reschedule. If you’re unprepared or have a scheduling conflict, you should be giving the attendees adequate notice before rescheduling.

Email examples for rescheduling a meeting

1 Canceling at the last minute

Try sending an email like this the next time you have to cancel within a few hours of your meeting:

Hi team,

Might it be possible to reschedule today’s meeting to a time and date later this week? I hate to cancel at the last minute, but I’ll be unable to make it at the time we had originally planned, as [reason] has come up.

I apologize for any inconvenience this cancellation may cause. Given the urgency of [project name], I am happy to discuss over the phone or via Zoom this afternoon, and will follow up with a list of deliverables via email.

Thanks very much and talk soon,

[Your name]

2 Canceling because you’re unexpectedly out of office

You can’t change the weather or avoid sickness, even when it gets in the way of important work commitments. When you have to cancel unexpectedly because you’re away from the office, try sending an email like:

Hello [attendee name],

Due to unforeseen circumstances [or specific reason], I’m emailing to let you know that our meeting scheduled for [time] on [date] must be rescheduled. I apologize for any inconvenience and hope we can schedule for another date and time.

I am available to meet again at [time] on [date] if this works for you. If not, please let me know your availability or a time and date that best fits your schedule.

Thank you very much! I look forward to connecting with you soon about [reason for meeting].

Sincerely,

[Your name]

3 Canceling because of a scheduling conflict

We’ve all accidentally scheduled two meetings at once. No matter how organized you are, scheduling conflicts are bound to happen every now and then. Here’s an example of what to email your colleagues when this situation arises:

Good afternoon,

I’m writing to let you know that I will no longer be able to attend our meeting due to unanticipated conflicts in my schedule.

Meeting about [project name or reason for meeting] is important to me and I am available to reschedule to [time] on [date] if this works for you. If not, please specify another time and date this week that best fits your schedule.

Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience.

Thank you and have a great day,

[Your name]

Reschedule and move forward

We get it. You don’t want to feel like you’re letting anyone down at work. Nobody wants to be a flaky employee, teammate, or manager. For this reason, it can feel awkward to reschedule an important meeting. Remember that life happens and unforeseen circumstances, schedule conflicts, and unexpected days away from the office are bound to take place. How you handle the situation is what matters the most. By learning to effectively communicate the next time you need to reschedule, you’ll be able to leave the guilt behind and move forward with resolving the issue at hand.

Rescheduling meetings in English

As an InCorporate Trainer, I provide business English training and support to an engineering multinational within their offices. Most of my participants attend meetings with clients, partners and colleagues, and sometimes it’s necessary to reschedule a meeting via email. My participants are concerned about the tone of the email, letting others down, and losing trust and credibility. Based on my work with them, here are a few examples, tips and phrases that you can use when you need to reschedule a meeting in English.

Reschedule with as much notice as possible

This gives others the chance to use their time as efficiently as possible and reduces the impact and inconvenience. Waiting until the last minute to reschedule the meeting, means no one else will have a chance to schedule another activity during this time. If it happens frequently it damages your emotional bank account. As you can see from the example mail below, the reason for the change has been given. Transparency is valued and builds trust. If you have a reasonable reason for rescheduling the meeting and you share this, others will find the change easier to accept. If you are informing them a few days in advance a polite email to is usually fine. This email has 3 steps:

I’m very sorry, but I need to reschedule our status update meeting set for Thursday. I need to stand in for my colleague who is unexpectedly unable to lead a client workshop. I am aware that our meeting needs to happen before we can move on the next quality gate, so I’d like to suggest that we meet on Monday 6 th instead. I believe everyone is able to attend, right? If not, please let me know and I’ll look for another alternative. Sorry again for the inconvenience and I hope that we are able to find a suitable solution.

Thanks in advance,

Reschedule at the last minute

How you handle rescheduling your meeting at the last minute depends very much on whom you’re meeting, why you are meeting and how big a problem it is to reschedule the day before. Sickness and family disasters aside, rescheduling on the day of the meeting really does deserve a personal phone call. Using the phone is personal, shows you care and also speeds up the process of finding a new date that fits both sides. On those very rare occasions when you need to cancel a meeting an hour before then get ready to eat humble pie. Again, do it by phone, apologize, explain why and show you want to find a new date – even if you can’t do this right then and there. Then consider showing you appreciate their patience by following up later with a thank you email. For example …

I just wanted to write and say thank you once again for your flexibility. I really do appreciate it. Talking though our options regarding the NCC presentation is very important to me and I’d like to reschedule quickly and find a time that suits you. I can move things around and find time to meet on Monday (10:00 – 14:15) or Thursday (9:00 – 13.00). If neither of these work for you then please make some suggestions and I’ll do my very best to find a solution. Once again, I’m very sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your understanding.

Phrases

Explaining the reason

Showing appreciation

Phrases for apologizing

Suggesting an alternative meeting time

Fore more information

If you would like to learn more about how our InCorporate Trainers provide on-the-job support and coaching for clients then take a look at

11 Request to Reschedule Meeting Email Samples

Sample templates for sending an email request for rescheduling a meeting

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11 Request to Reschedule Meeting Email Samples

There’s always a chance that something will come up and get in the way of a scheduled meeting. When that happens, it’s essential to craft an appropriate request to reschedule a meeting via email.

Different scenarios might call for vastly different types of tone or language. Of course, it’s up to you to decide how professional or casual to be, but here are some general rules you can follow that will leave a good impression each time.

How to Request to Reschedule a Meeting?

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Request to Reschedule Email Sample

I sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and would be grateful to find an alternative date.

Best regards, Warren B. Thornhill

Postpone Meeting Email Sample

Unfortunately, has come up, and I can no longer make it to our meeting on .

Kindly confirm if you’re available for any of the following alternative times: , or ?

Please accept my apologies and write back to me at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely, Warren B. Thornhill

I’m sorry to inform you that due to a conflict in my schedule, I must request that we reschedule our meeting initially planned for .

Allow me to suggest as a suitable alternative. I’ll be available that entire afternoon, so please feel free to let me know what time works best for your schedule.

I apologize for any inconvenience this will cause. Nevertheless, I look forward to meeting you, so please get back to me as soon as possible.

Thank you, Ollie G. Barron

Request to Reschedule Team Meeting Email

I’m writing you concerning the scheduled team meeting on . Unfortunately, due to , the meeting cannot go ahead as originally planned.

I appreciate the time that has gone into preparation for this meeting and apologize for any inconvenience this will cause you. Thank you for understanding.

Sincerely, Ollie G. Barron

Request to Reschedule Meeting to a Different Time

I’m wondering if it’s possible to reschedule our meeting set for tomorrow at . I must attend to and have no choice but to request that we postpone.

Would you be available instead on ? If not, please let me know what works best for you, and I’ll fit it into my schedule.

I’m very sorry for any trouble this has caused you. I hope we can find a new time that works for both of us. Thanks for understanding.

All the best, Ollie G. Barron

Request to Reschedule Meeting Due to Unforeseen Circumstances

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I must request that our meeting at on be rescheduled. I apologize for the inconvenience and hope that we can find a suitable alternative.

I suggest that we reschedule for . If that does not work for you, please let me know if a day between and fits your schedule.

Once again, please accept my apologies. I look forward to speaking with you soon.

Sincerely, Ollie G. Barron

Reschedule Meeting Email with Alternative Dates

I’m afraid that we will have to reschedule our meeting at , on due to . I’m terribly sorry for the late notice, but the situation is beyond my control.

Are any of these , or okay with you? If not, I am open to your suggestions.

Thank you very much for understanding.

Sincerely, Ollie G. Barron

Request to Reschedule Meeting by Two Hours

Can we please push back tomorrow’s meeting by two hours? I hate to ask this at the last minute, but came up, and I just can’t make it at the scheduled time.

If not, let me know if it’s more convenient for you to talk over the phone or computer. I’m open to anything you suggest.

Thanks! Ollie G. Barron

I apologize for any inconvenience this has caused you. Please let me know if the suggested time does not work for you.

Sincerely, Ollie G. Barron

Reschedule Meeting Due to Unanticipated Schedule Conflict

I am writing to inform you that I will no longer be able to attend our meeting on , due to an unanticipated conflict in scheduling.

Please accept my apologies for the inconvenience caused. It would be much appreciated if it’s possible to reschedule to , or any other day that week.

Sincerely, Ollie G. Barron

Request to Reschedule Annual Meeting Email

Due to unavoidable circumstances, our annual project review meeting will be rescheduled from , to , in meeting room 2.

Can you please confirm if you can make it to the annual project review meeting at on ?

Thank you very much for your understanding. We look forward to your presentation on our key projects.

Sincerely, Warren B. Thornhill Executive Director, Special Projects

Conclusion

Sometimes things come up or change, and that’s why it is important to remain flexible. Changing the times of scheduled meetings is just something that you’ll have to deal with. There are many ways to craft your meeting reschedule email. Here, we provided some templates to help you get started. We truly believe that Text Blaze can help you out.

Don’t just take it from us. Here’s a video of a case study that shows how Text Blaze helps Good Life Property Management with many aspects of their work.

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