How can I schedule an event using online tools?

When you are planning a meeting, conference call, training session, etc, one of the first things you might need to ask is: “What is the most suitable time and date to schedule this event?”

Organizing an event with colleagues located in the same time zone is usually quite straightforward because you can check their availability and schedule the event by using the tools at your disposal, such as Microsoft Outlook.

Things get a bit more complicated when you need to schedule an event with people located in different time zones. You might not know if they are available, unless you write to them and start what can turn into a long and inefficient email discussion. This can be due to several reasons, including the use of different and/or out-of-date calendar systems.

This tutorial recommends a few free online tools to help you schedule events with a specific time and day, as well as multi-day events, and focuses on participants located in different time zones.

1. To schedule an event with a specific time and day:

If the event you are trying to schedule is time-bound, meaning it will have a start and an end time (such as a conference call), the following steps and tips can help get you started:

Step 1. Prepare a list of the countries in which the participants are located. For example, let’s assume the participants are located in Italy, India, Ethiopia and Colombia.

Fig 1. Possible time slots for: Italy, India, Ethiopia and Colombia. Note: if you click on the above (or any other) figure in this tutorial, an enlarged version will open in a new window.

Step 2. Go to the World Clock Meeting planner website and select the tentative day and cities (only the capital cities will appear in the list, so select the capitals of the countries from the list you prepared) to obtain the different time slots that may be suitable. Click on Show timetable.

Step 3. The possible timetable will appear showing different colors:

• green indicates normal working hours.
• yellow indicates non-working hours when people are usually awake.
• red indicates night time/sleeping hours.

In this example, some of the participants will have to agree to participate during non-working hours, if the meeting is to take place. (Fig. 1)

Step 4. Now that you have identified the possible time slots for the conference call, the next step is to schedule the event using a simple and efficient online scheduling service.We recommend one that has been used by the ICT-KM Program and is both simple and efficient: Doodle.

a. Get started. Open the Doodle page and click on Schedule Event >>

b. General Information. Give your event a title, a short description (optional) and include your name and email address (optional). Including your email address will enable the system to send you the link you need to track your event and inform you when people respond.
Click Next

c. Select Dates. A calendar will be displayed with the current month. Move the ‘blue’ arrows to find the dates you wish to offer, and then click on them (highlight as many date options as you wish) and then click on Next. (See Fig 2.)

d. Select Times. Click on the ‘click to enable time-zone support‘ link to ensure that the participants will see their local time on the screen when selecting their preferred time (s) for the conference call. Refer to the different time slots shown in Fig. 1. Make sure to add the start time, based on your own location. For example, possible start times in Rome would be 13:00, 14:00, 15:00 or 16:0. See Fig 2.

Fig 2. Select Date and Time

Click on Options if you wish to customize the event, or click on Finish to access the invitation link that will be sent to the meeting participants.

e. Prepare to send invitation. It is recommended that you select the ‘You send the invitation’ option. This will allow you to  send a personalized email to each participant. It is also suggested that you ask each participant to select all achievable dates and times. This will simplify the process for identifying a day and time that is suitable for all participants.

Tip: It is suggested that you give people a deadline to respond to your invitation. This should reduce the requirement to send follow-up emails.

f. Monitor responses. If you provided an email address during step 4b, you will receive an email from Doodle that includes the ‘admin link’. Once you open the page, click on ‘Access poll with administrator rights’ to monitor responses (see Fig 3.). This will help you decide the most suitable time and date for your meeting.

Fig 3. Monitor responses

2. To schedule a multi-day event

Fig 4. Make a Choice (Poll)

When you need to schedule a multi-day event, but you are not sure of the the most suitable week,you can use the  ‘Make a Choice’ tool in Doodle to help you.

Tip: Before you propose a range of dates, it is recommended that you ensure the periods you select do not overlap with any important institutional occasions, country holidays or religious events that may impact participation.

a. Open the event’s Doodle page, select the ‘Make a Choice’ tab and then click on Make choice >> (see Fig 4)

b. General Information. Give the event a title, and include a description, your name, and your email address (this is optional, but remember that this will allow you to monitor responses). Click Next

Fig 5. Poll options

c. Add Choices. Identify the options you would like to offer the participants (see Fig 5).
Click Next

Tip: It is recommended that you do not offer too many options, as to do so would likely complicate the process of selecting a mutually convenient timeframe.

d. From this point forward, follow the same steps identified in the first part of the tutorial: Prepare to send invitation (1e) and then Monitor responses (1f).

e. When you have received your responses, the most suitable timeframe for your event will become clear (see Fig 6).

Fig 6. Summary of responses

We want your feedback!

We look forward to your feedback on this tutorial. Did you find it helpful? Do you have any experiences of your own that you would like to share? Comments are very welcome and will help us fine tune future tutorials.

A note of thanks to Isabel Vales from ICRISAT for the inspiration! Keep the ideas coming!

References

• TimeandDate.com
• Doodle FAQ