The Ultimate Outlook Meeting Guide: Set, Invite, Follow-Up!

Introduction to Outlook Meetings

Open Personal Calendar in Outlook

Look to the navigation pane on the left of Outlook and click on the “Calendar” icon. The personal calendar will open, and you’ll see all your meetings and appointments laid out.

Imagine this space as mission control for your daily, weekly, and monthly agenda, ready to help you navigate the busy seas of professional commitments.

By keeping your calendar open, you’ll be able to move through the steps of setting up a meeting with grace and ease.

New Event Versus Appointment

• An Appointment is your time block. It is meant for you to remember personal reminders or solo tasks. It is like a note to yourself on your Outlook calendar and visible only to you by default.
• A New Event, or what we often call a Meeting, is when you’re bringing other people into the mix. It is like reserving shared resources, like a conference room. Once they accept your invitation, it pops up on their calendars, too.

Appointments are solo missions; meetings are team efforts. Keep this in mind, and you’ll choose the right option every time without a hitch.

Remember, every time you schedule a meeting instead of an appointment, you’re opening a channel of communication. That’s what makes Outlook such a powerhouse for collaboration.

Craft Your Meeting Invitation

New Meeting Request

• Click on the “New Email”
• Select “Meeting” from the dropdown menu

Or, you can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Q.

It’s like drafting a new email, but specifically designed for gatherings. This is your starting canvas to craft an invitation that gets everyone in the right place, at the right time, prepared for the agenda.

Adding Details

STEP 1:  Add a descriptive title to your meeting. It’s the first thing your invitees will see. If you skip this, Outlook will kindly nudge you with a reminder.

STEP 2: List the must-be-there attendees in the Required field. They’re the engine of your meeting.

STEP 3:  Got some maybes? Tuck them into the Optional field. It’s a courteous way to extend an invite without the pressure.

STEP 4: Pin down the timeframe with a start and end time. Precision here helps everyone plan their day.

STEP 5: Whether it’s a conference room or a virtual hangout, put the where clearly in the Location field. And if you’re using a room booking system, you can pick from available rooms right there. Don’t let Outlook’s default Microsoft Teams Meeting location throw you off; customize it if you need to.

STEP 6: Press “Send”, and your meeting flies off into the digital realm, signaling attendees to mark their calendars.

Customize Outlook Meeting

Recurring Meetings

STEP 1: In your new meeting request, find the “Recurrence” button in the ribbon to pop open the recurrence pattern options.

STEP 2: Decide on the tempo of your meeting: Is it a daily, weekly, monthly, or annual gathering? Choose your frequency.

STEP 3: Customize further by selecting the days of the week and times if needed, perfect for that every-second-Tuesday team sync.

STEP 4: Set the range: when does this recurring meeting kick off, and when should it conclude?

STEP 5: Once you’re done, your recurring meetings will march along in your calendar.

Scheduling Assistance

STEP 1: Open your meeting request and switch to the “Scheduling Assistant” tab.

STEP 2: Begin adding attendees’ names or emails. Outlook gets smart here, suggesting contacts as you type. Neat, right?

STEP 3: Once added, you’ll see a grid showing their availability. Look for the white space that indicates everyone is free.

STEP 4: If your attendees keep their calendars up to date, you’ll dodge the time-consuming back-and-forth typically involved in finding a suitable slot.

STEP 5: Fine-tune by setting your meeting date and time. Use the dropdowns or just drag and drop within the grid.

STEP 6: If the stars still don’t align, hit “AutoPick” and let Outlook find the next best slot.

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Advanced Tips

Adding Conference Calls or Video Links

• In your meeting invite, look for the “Teams Meeting” button on the ribbon. One click, and Outlook will automatically craft and insert your Microsoft Teams meeting link. It’s easy-peasy and oh-so-smooth.
• If you’re more of a Skype for Business aficionado, the process is just as simple. Find the “Skype Meeting” button, give it a tap, and behold as the URL for your Skype meeting materializes in the invite.

Whichever option you carry forward, it adds a lifeline for virtual attendees to join with just one click.

Checking RSVPs

STEP 1: After you send out the meeting invitation, you can keep an eye on who’s coming straight from your Inbox.

STEP 2: Look for the meeting in question, and under the “Meeting” tab, there’s the “Tracking” button. A simple click reveals who’s accepted, declined, or hasn’t responded yet.

You will find that keeping track of responses in Outlook is an effortless affair. It helps you fine-tune your meeting preparations accordingly.

FAQs

How to schedule a meeting for multiple dates and times?

In Outlook, you can schedule a meeting across multiple dates and times.

• Create a meeting request
• Click on the “Recurrence” option
• Select the frequency and range of dates you want the meeting to recur.
  

How to cancel a meeting in Outlook?

To cancel a meeting in Outlook,

• Open the meeting from your calendar
• Click the “Cancel Meeting” button
• Send the cancellation notice.

This removes it from your calendar and notifies all attendees.

How to reschedule a meeting in Outlook?

To reschedule a meeting,

• Open the meeting
• Click Reschedule
• Change the date, time, or other details
• Send the update.

Attendees will be alerted to the new details.

How to invite people to my Outlook meeting?

STEP 1: While creating your meeting, just type names or email addresses into the “To…” field.

STEP 2: For a broader invite list, tap the “To…” button to select contacts from your address book.

STEP 3: Assign them as Required or Optional, then click “OK.”

How to view my entire meeting schedule in a calendar format?

Outlook’s calendar format lets you visualize your entire meeting schedule with ease:

• Click on the “Calendar” button on the navigation pane in Outlook.
• You’ll see your meetings and appointments displayed as colorful blocks. Different icons or colors often denote meetings versus appointments.

With your calendar view, you can effortlessly spot where your time is going and tailor your schedule like a pro.

John Michaloudis

Founder & Chief Inspirational Officer

at

MyExcelOnline.com

John Michaloudis is a former accountant and finance analyst at General Electric, a Microsoft MVP since 2020, an Amazon #1 bestselling author of 4 Microsoft Excel books and teacher of Microsoft Excel & Office over at his flagship MyExcelOnline Academy Online Course.