How to Cancel a Meeting With a Friend

If you are considerate of your friend's time, you can usually cancel a meeting without conflict.

Even if you have set up a very important meeting with a friend, sometimes life events come up that prevent you from keeping your appointment. Take the appropriate steps to let your friend know that she is important to you while still canceling the meeting. If you handle the situation in a polite, responsible manner, she will still consider you a reliable friend.

Instructions

1. Give your friend as much advance notice as possible when you need to cancel. For example, if you find out three days before, let him know right away so that he does not put off other plans or change his schedule too much. Your friend will appreciate the advanced notice and it will make him less reluctant to reschedule with you.

2. Call your friend or visit her in person to ask to reschedule rather than using text messaging or email. If you talk to her face to face, you'll be able to explain your situation better and express sincere remorse for any inconvenience you may have caused her. You can also judge her reaction and make an effort to make it up to her by scheduling a lunch meeting and picking up the bill if she is upset.

3. Do not try to reschedule meetings that include multiple people. If only you and your friend are involved in the meeting, it's okay to suggest a new time if you have a legitimate and unavoidable excuse. However if the meeting consists of multiple people, suggest that the group carry on without you and assign you tasks in your absence, rather than disrupting the schedules of an entire group.

4. Avoid canceling a meeting with a friend when less than a day remains unless you are sick, have encountered travel problems or have an emergency. Giving your friend such a small amount of advanced notice will make you seem inconsiderate and irresponsible without a serious, honest excuse. If you do have to cancel close to the time of the meeting without a significant reason, do your best to make it up to your friend by taking him out to dinner or doing him a favor, but do not be surprised if he relies on you less in the future.

References

• Business Insider; How to Cancel a Meeting Without Pissing Anyone Off; Mark Suster; May 2010
• Bella Online; Cancelling an Appointment; Lisa Plancich; 2011
• Englishtown: How to Cancel Your Plans in English

Resources

• "A Good Friend: How to Make One, How to Be One"; Ron Herron et al.; 1998