Sample Emails To Reschedule Business Meeting

You will probably need to reschedule a business meeting on many occasions for personal or professional reasons. The best way to do it is to find the fastest and most professional way of rescheduling the meeting. You will need to write an email to reschedule the meeting and provide a different meeting time. 

This will show proper etiquette and respect for the people who might have been affected by your decision to reschedule the meeting. The email should have a formal tone and use the appropriate language since you will be referring to an official meeting. To reschedule the meeting, send an email to the parties involved. You should include an apology for the inconvenience. This article will help you write an email by providing guidelines and sample emails.

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What is It?

An email to reschedule the meeting is written to inform the recipient(s) of changes to a specific scheduled one. Writing this email is a professional, official, and respectful way of rescheduling a meeting for a different time. With this email, you can notify the attendees and apologise to them for any trouble caused by the rescheduling.

When rescheduling a meeting, you will need to notify the attendees of the reasons for the change, any changes made to the meeting agenda, and the new date (and even place) for the rescheduled meeting. This allows attendees to adjust their schedules to accommodate the revised date and time for the meeting.

When Should It be Sent?

There can be valid reasons why you will have to reschedule an appointment, and you will have to send an email to communicate the change in such a case. However, ensure that you do not use this email too close to the meeting time and rather choose another way of informing the attendees about the rescheduled meeting.

Some of the compelling reasons to reschedule a business meeting include: you are ill or sick, you will arrive late to the meeting due to issues like transportation (traffic congestion) or bad weather; you have an urgent work issue to deal with; you need extra time to get ready for the meeting; you have double-booked meetings for the same day and time; you need to take care of a personal or family situation; you have wrongly scheduled the meeting, like choosing the wrong location; or you have an urgent task that you need to complete at the same time as the meeting, etc. 

How to Write an Email for Reschedule?

If you have a valid reason like the ones mentioned above for rescheduling a meeting, you will be required to send an email to announce its rescheduling. Since this email is a formal means of expressing regret and rescheduling the meeting, you should write it well. 

Here is a step-by-step guide on how to write an email when a meeting has to be rescheduled:

Subject line

When writing the email to reschedule the meeting, begin with the subject line. Next, you should include your name, the company’s name, and the date of the meeting you want to reschedule. After that, the phrase “meeting rescheduling” should be written beside the contact information you provided in the subject line. This will allow the recipients to quickly identify the reason for the email.

Greetings

After the subject heading, you should include greetings to your recipient(s) in the email. You can choose to address the email recipient by name.

Apologise for inconvenience

The greetings should be followed by an apology for rescheduling the meeting. Express your regret for having to reschedule and for causing inconvenience. Be polite and sincere with your apology.

Explain the reason for rescheduling

After apologizing, you should provide a valid reason for rescheduling. Your reason should be credible and compelling. If your reasons are too personal or beyond your control, you should mention this fact. Then, ensure you apologize once more after explaining the reason for rescheduling. The reasons should be explained briefly but accurately. 

Request to reschedule

You should then request that the recipient allow you to select a different time and date for the meeting. This is a way of offering a solution for the inconvenience that was caused. Ensure your recipient is aware that you still want to meet them later. You should also ask them if the new schedule will be convenient.

Provide a new date and time 

After requesting to reschedule, you need to mention a new date and time in the email for the meeting. You can also choose to provide a list of possible days and times. This is meant to allow the recipients to choose a suitable time. It is courteous to provide your recipients with options.

Conclude an email with thanks and appreciation

Finally, thank the attendees for their understanding and willingness to attend the rescheduled meeting. You can also include another apology and your regrets for the change in the schedule of the meeting. You should appreciate them for reading the email and considering your request.

Frequently Used Phrases and Words

You can reschedule the meeting using some standard business language when writing the email.

Here are some of the phrases and words that you can use:

• Postpone: Postpone means that the meeting will now be held on a different day or date due to unavoidable circumstances.
• The delay: It means that the meeting or appointment will not happen at the scheduled time. For this case, a later time is usually suggested for the meeting.
• Move forward: The appointment has been moved sooner than the intended date or time for this case.
• Move back: It means that the meeting has been moved to a later date or time than what had been decided.
• Unable to keep our appointment: This phrase means that you cannot keep the booked appointment mainly due to changed plans.
• Something unexpected has come up: You can use this phrase to mean that you have unavoidable circumstances that you must deal with and cannot attend the meeting.
• Be away on business: In this case, you wanted to attend the meeting but had another issue like a business trip to attend that cannot be avoided.
• Be available on (date or time): This phrase is used to mean that you will not be available for the meeting or appointment at the scheduled time or date, but you will be available on another date or time.
• Suitable time for you: In this case, you suggest that the recipient chooses a suitable time to avoid inconveniencing them further.
• Would (day of the week) suit you?: This is an informal phrase that you can use if you want to reschedule the meeting by writing an informal email. 

Email to Reschedule Meeting Samples

You can use the three examples below as a clear guide for how to write an email when you need to reschedule a meeting:

Professional Tips for Writing

There are considerations that you will have to keep in mind whenever you wish to send an email about rescheduling a meeting. By following these tips, you can have a well-written email:

Write a personalized email

Always write a personalised email, even as you maintain the official aspect of the email. You can do this by mentioning the person’s name to whom you are writing. If it is a group of people, you can address them as “everybody.”

Give advance notice

It is courteous to give advance notice if you must reschedule a meeting or appointment. However, the best time is usually a 24-hour notice period. The participant(s) will then reschedule their day and time accordingly.

Send it promptly

The attendees should be informed of any schedule change at the earliest possible time. Therefore, you should not wait to send the email once you are aware of the change in plans. This will be disrespectful, and the recipient might view you as unprofessional.

Make a phone call to confirm

Sending an email might not be enough to notify the attendees in time if the meeting had to be rescheduled just before the scheduled time. It is best to make a phone call and confirm to avoid any inconvenience.  

Key Points to Remember

• If you have a  personal or professional emergency and cannot attend a meeting, it is best to send an email requesting to reschedule the meeting.
• This email is meant to inform the attendees of the change of plans, including the the new details of the rescheduled meeting.
• You should always mention the reason for the change, apologize for the inconvenience, and suggest a new date and time for the new meeting.
• When writing the email to reschedule the meeting, ensure it is professional yet personalized.  

Frequently Asked Questions

About This Article

Authored by:

Ryan Powell

Professional Business Management, Quality Assurance, Human Resources, Supplier Management

With over 15 years in professional business management and an additional 4 years in e-commerce, Ryan Powell has distinguished himself as a strategic leader, steering sites to generate revenues exceeding $100 million. His approach emphasizes proactive problem-solving and profit optimization. Personal attributes such as strong organization, time management, and team collaboration bolster his professional portfolio. Ryan's experience spans leadership roles from Supervisor to General Manager, with notable contributions in Tier 1 Aerospace sectors, partnering with industry leaders like Boeing and Raytheon. He's adept at quality assurance, aligning with AS/ISO 9001 standards, lean methodology, financial management, including P&L oversight, and human resource strategies that prioritize employee retention. Ryan's comprehensive skill set positions him as an invaluable asset to growth-focused organizations.