Level 1 · simple request
Reschedule a meeting: an annotated email example
Move the meeting without annoying Anthony.
The situation
Anthony RossPartner — Design agency
You were meeting Anthony tomorrow at 10am. An unexpected leadership meeting means you can't make it. You're free Thursday at 11am or Friday at 3pm.
Easy-going, as long as you don't leave him guessing.
Goal
Move the meeting without annoying Anthony.
The winning structure
A good email for this situation includes these elements, in this order:
- A greeting with the recipient's first name.
- The cancelled meeting (tomorrow 10am)
- The reason (unplanned meeting)
- Two new slots
- A clear ask at the end: a question or an action with a deadline.
- A short sign-off, then your name.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the cancelled meeting (tomorrow 10am) : « Which meeting? »
- Leaving out the reason (unplanned meeting) : « Cancelling… with no reason? »
- Leaving out two new slots : « So when do we meet? »
- Opening with padding ("I hope this email finds you well") instead of getting to the point.
- A vague subject line like "Question" or "Request".
Write your own version: the recipient reacts and you get a score out of 100.
The annotated example
Try it yourself first: you'll remember more. Click to show the example.
Subject : Tomorrow's meeting: new time
Hi Anthony,
- Greeting by first name: the reader knows it's for them.
An unexpected leadership meeting means I can't make our meeting tomorrow at 10am. Sorry for the change.
- Includes: the cancelled meeting (tomorrow 10am).
- Includes: the reason (unplanned meeting).
Would Thursday at 11am or Friday at 3pm work for you?
- Includes: two new slots.
- Clear ask: the reader knows what to do.
Best regards,
Alex
- Short sign-off, then the name.
Why it works : 33 words against a target of 75, 6 words per sentence on average, no filler phrases.