Best Practices for Invitations
1. If you use a distribution list for your invitation, click the little plus sign to open it. There are a couple of good reasons for this:
- Invitees want to know who else is attending
- When people respond, they will show up twice once they start responding individually. If you send out an update, they will get two. If you fix it by removing the extra name, they will receive both a cancellation and an update. It’s messy.
- If you use a dynamic distribution list and a member changes jobs so as to longer meet the parameters of the distribution list, s/he will disappear from the invitation. It’s possible that you will still want that person to attend. Opening the list disables the “list” function and turns the members into individuals for calendaring purposes.
2. Try to include some information about the content of the meeting. Someone is sure to ask.
3. It’s helpful to paste the dial-in number in the location box, as that’s easier for executives to see from their Blackberries and they can see it on their printed out calendars.
4. Don’t forward an invitation without the host’s permission. It’s bad form. Maybe the real purpose of the meeting was plot the demise of your guest. Maybe the room is too small. Maybe the host ordered a surprise lunch (hope springs eternal). It’s like taking your hamster on a first date. Even if you have permission, forwarding is an iffy proposition. Older versions of Outlook don’t update invitations that have been forwarded, so if the date changes, your guest is liable to show up to an empty room. If the guest is your boss, your bonus is gasping for air. Forwarded invitations are also in that category of items that seems to cause Outlook to have memory lapses and panic attacks. Outlook 2007 will even fink on you. Better to ask the host to add your buddy to the guest list.
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