Reschedule meeting email with new times that actually work
Something came up and you need to move a meeting without looking unreliable. The best reschedule emails say sorry once, give a short reason and offer two or three real alternative times. This prompt has your todo.is agent check your Google Calendar for free slots and write that email, so the other person can just pick one.
The prompt
- Write an email to [WHO THE MEETING IS WITH] to reschedule our meeting about [MEETING TOPIC], currently set for [CURRENT DATE AND TIME]. Short reason: [REASON]. If my Google Calendar is connected, find 3 free slots of [MEETING LENGTH] in [WHEN YOU WANT TO MEET INSTEAD] during working hours in [TIME ZONE], and offer them as a list. Apologize once, keep it under 100 words, and make it easy to reply with one choice. Subject line should start with "New time:". Save it as a Gmail draft. Do not send it or change my calendar until I confirm a time.
What to change
- [WHO THE MEETING IS WITH]: E.g. "Karim from Alto Bank" or "my team".
- [MEETING TOPIC]: E.g. "the Q1 budget review".
- [CURRENT DATE AND TIME]: E.g. "Thursday 13 November at 10:00".
- [REASON]: E.g. "a client deadline moved" or "I am unwell". Keep it short; "a conflict came up" is fine.
- [MEETING LENGTH]: E.g. "30 minutes".
- [WHEN YOU WANT TO MEET INSTEAD]: E.g. "next week" or "Monday to Wednesday".
- [TIME ZONE]: E.g. "CET" or "New York time". Add theirs if different.
Example result
- Sample 1: to an external contact
- Subject: New time: Q1 budget review
- Hi Karim,
- I am sorry, but I need to move our Q1 budget review on Thursday 13 November at 10:00, as a client deadline has moved to that morning.
- Would one of these work for you instead? (all CET, 30 minutes)
- • Monday 17 Nov, 14:00
- • Tuesday 18 Nov, 10:30
- • Wednesday 19 Nov, 16:00
- Just reply with the one that suits you and I will send an updated invite. If none work, send me a couple of times that do.
- Thanks for your flexibility,
- Sophie
- Sample 2: to your team (internal)
- Subject: New time: weekly sync moved to Friday
- Hi all, I need to move this week's sync from Wednesday to Friday at 11:00, same link. Sorry for the shuffle. If Friday does not work for you, let me know today.
- Sample 3: last-minute (less than 2 hours before)
- Send a short message on the channel they actually read (call, Slack or text), then follow with the email:
- Hi Karim, I am so sorry for the late notice. Something urgent has come up and I cannot make our 10:00 today. Could we move to Monday at 14:00 or Tuesday at 10:30? I will send a new invite as soon as you confirm.
- Reschedule etiquette
- • Give as much notice as you can, ideally 24 hours or more
- • Offer specific times; "when are you free?" starts a long back-and-forth
- • If you reschedule the same person twice, offer to fit their calendar fully next time
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and fill in who, what, when and a short reason.
- Connect Google in todo.is so your agent can see your free time, then paste the prompt.
- You get a short email with 3 real free slots.
- Send it. When they pick a time, tell your agent "move the meeting to Tuesday 10:30" and it updates the calendar after your OK.
Tips for a better result
- Offer slots in their time zone too if they are abroad. It removes one reason for confusion.
- Keep the reason short. Long excuses sound less credible than "a conflict came up".
- Avoid offering slots at the very start or end of their day unless you know they prefer them.
- For a group meeting, use one email to everyone with the new time instead of asking each person separately.
reschedule meeting email: FAQ
- How do you politely reschedule a meeting by email? Apologize briefly, give a short reason, and offer two or three specific new times. Thank them for being flexible.
- How much notice should I give to reschedule? At least 24 hours when you can. If it is the same day, call or message first, then send the email.
- Do I need to give a reason for rescheduling? A short one helps, such as "a conflict came up". You do not need to share personal details.
- Can todo.is move the calendar event for me? With Google connected, your agent can add or update the event once you confirm the new time. It asks before changing anything.
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