I really shouldn’t need to post this. I really shouldn’t. But apparently not everyone gets it, so…
Last week, I got stood up for a meeting. Yes, the weather had been bad, and I figured there was a good chance the other person would need to cancel. Which is why I called him almost three hours before the meeting to confirm. No call back. The location was on my way home, so I assumed the meeting was still on and went.
Not surprisingly, he was a no-show. I called again. No answer. Left another voice mail. No call back even several hours later.
I’d like to say this is the first time I’ve ever been stood up, but I’d be lying. So can we agree standing people up is a bad thing?
I thought we could. With that out of the way, what are good and not so good ways to cancel a meeting?
1. Phone calls at least an hour ahead of time are the best. Phone calls are also the best way to warn someone you’re going to be late. This is why exchanging cell numbers before a meeting is an excellent idea.
2. Email is not so good, unless you send it 24 hours ahead of time. Not everyone has email access on the go. Not everyone checks their email obsessively throughout the day. And an email less than half an hour before the meeting (this happened to me) is really bad. By the time I got the email, I was already waiting at the cafe.
3. What about Twitter? I’ve had someone reschedule a meeting via Twitter and someone else tell me he’d be late via Twitter. This is mixed. It worked for me because I do get a text on a direct message. So for me, it was just like he’d texted me. If someone has notifications turned off, it’s dicey. Not everyone checks Twitter on the go or often enough to make this a good method. My advice is know the person, and their Twitter habits.
4. Texting can be excellent, almost as good as a phone call. But as with the phone, do it well enough in advance that the person isn’t already waiting when they get the canceling text.
Have I missed one? Anyone have a “stood-up” horror story to share in the comments?
Tags: communication, reputation