Here’s something that every executive assistant or heavy scheduler can relate to: endless calendar invitations. 

Whether it’s setting an appointment for your boss or coordinating your own busy schedule, putting clear titles on calendar events is crucial. When the invite flies in, leaving no question unanswered in the title is a great precedent to set for a productive meeting. Moreover, on the day of the meeting, you and your meeting attendees will be grateful that they know where they need to be, when and why - all from the title.

To create clarity for everyone, we’ve listed five different styles for calendar event titles that have been tested and approved by the heaviest of schedulers, executive assistants. 
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1. Zoom: Michael Scott and Pam Beesley

For the person who gets confused by different tech platforms

It’s no secret that the new era is digital, so virtual meetings are here to stay. As convenient as this may be, it also brings with it confusion on where the virtual meeting is happening. Often, Google Calendar likes to sneak in a Google Meet link even when you’ve put the Zoom instructions in the body. Thanks a lot Google. 

To make sure that your recipient understands exactly what meeting needs to happen and when, put the web conference platform as the very first word in the title. Bold, but it will pay-off. 
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2. Michael Scott <> Pam Beesley - Zoom, 11am ET

For the calendar scanner 

When quickly glancing over your calendar for the day, it is extremely convenient to see who you are meeting listed as the first word. Sometimes, that’s all one reads. If that is you or your boss, just leave the details for the end. In this example, the time and time-zone is reiterated as well. It may seem redundant, but we’ve all been there when a time-zone error capsizes an entire meeting. 

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3. All-Hands Meeting - Zoom, Every Wednesday at 11am ET

For the large group meetings 

You might be noticing a trend here. We like details. If you have a group meeting, it is fine to give the group meeting a name, like “All-Hands” or “Engineering Pow-Wow”. When there are multiple people, however, definitely be sure to include the time and time-zone again to prevent confusion. This is when time-zone errors typically occur. 
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4. Michael <> Pam

For the casual call

The greatest thing about casual calls are the calendar invites. They are short and sweet. Just like the meetings themselves, they’re usually less formal. Don’t be afraid to break from habit and keep it simple, so long as everyone is very familiar with who they are meeting and how. For example, if your CEO and lawyer chat casually by phone almost every week, the CEO will know that this is probably the same format. But we will say this: if there is any deviation from their normal way of doing things, it is imperative that you call that out. For example if the meeting is typically a phone call but this time it is in person, write “IN PERSON: Michael <> Pam”.

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5. RDU <> LGA, DL 4556, 11:02am at 12:30pm

For the business traveler

We could probably devote an entire article to just this topic. Travel calendar events are a beast because there is no shortage of details that you could potentially provide the traveler. In this case, we opted for locations, flight number and travel times. What didn’t make the list, was the confirmation number. But let not your heart be troubled:  the confirmation number goes in the Location section. Always. 

So, whether you’re managing your own calendar, or someone else’s, systemized calendar event titles will create more clarity in your life. You can’t go wrong with these titles, or some variations on them. Just remember, details matter!