Google Calendar is a popular and versatile tool that can help you manage your time, tasks, and appointments. But did you know that you can also use it to schedule meetings with your colleagues, clients, or partners? In this article, you will learn how to use Google Calendar to create, invite, and join meetings, as well as some tips and tricks to make the most of this feature.
To create a meeting in Google Calendar, you need to create an event and add the details of the meeting, such as the title, date, time, location, and description. You can also add a video conferencing link, such as Google Meet, Zoom, or Skype, by clicking on the Add Google Meet video conferencing or Add video conferencing options. If you want to make the meeting recurring, you can click on the Repeat option and choose the frequency and duration of the repetition.
Using Google Calendar to schedule meetings is a straightforward process. Here are the steps you can follow: Access Google Calendar: Go to Google Calendar and sign in with your Google account. Create a New Event: Click on the "+ Create" button on the left-hand side, or click on a specific time slot on the calendar to create an event.
To invite attendees to your meeting, you need to add their email addresses in the Guests section of the event. You can also check their availability by clicking on the Find a time or Suggested times tabs. You can also set the permissions for the attendees, such as whether they can modify the event, invite others, or see the guest list. You can also add a note or an attachment to the invitation by clicking on the Add description or attachment option.
Fill in Event Details: Enter the event title (e.g., "Meeting with John"), and choose the date and time. You can also select the duration of the meeting. Invite Guests: In the event details window, click on "Add guests" and enter the email addresses of the people you want to invite to the meeting. They will receive an email invitation with the event details.
To join a meeting in Google Calendar, you need to open the event and click on the video conferencing link or the Join with Google Meet button. If the meeting is not using Google Meet, you can click on the location or the More options button to see the details of the meeting platform. You can also join a meeting from your mobile device by using the Google Calendar app or the Google Meet app.
Set a Location (Optional): You can add a physical or virtual location for the meeting. If it's a virtual meeting, you can include a link to the video conferencing platform you'll be using. Add Description and Attachments (Optional): You can include a description of the meeting agenda, attach relevant documents, or provide any additional information.
To manage notifications for your meetings, you need to go to the Settings menu and click on the General tab. You can choose how you want to be notified of your events, such as by email, pop-up, or sound. You can also customize the notification time and frequency for each type of event, such as meetings, birthdays, or reminders. You can also turn on or off the notifications for specific calendars or events by clicking on the Notifications option.
Set Reminders: Click on "Add a notification" to set reminders for the meeting. You can choose to receive notifications via email, pop-up, or both. Save the Event: Click "Save" to create the event. An invitation will be sent to the guests, and the event will be added to your calendar.
To share your calendar with others, you need to go to the Settings menu and click on the See all settings tab. You can choose who can see your calendar by clicking on the Share with specific people option. You can also choose the level of access for each person, such as whether they can see all event details, make changes, or manage sharing. You can also make your calendar public by clicking on the Make available to public option.
Manage RSVPs: As guests respond to the invitation, their status (yes, no, maybe) will be updated in the event details. View and Edit Events: You can view and edit events by clicking on them in your calendar. You can also make changes to the event details, add more guests, or reschedule if needed.
To use keyboard shortcuts in Google Calendar, you need to enable them by going to the Settings menu and clicking on the Keyboard shortcuts option. By pressing Shift + ?, you can view the list of shortcuts. For example, 'c' creates an event, 'e' edits an event, 'd' takes you to day view, 'w' takes you to week view, 'm' displays month view, '/' searches for an event, 'k' or 'p' goes to the previous period, 'j' or 'n' goes to the next period and '?' shows keyboard shortcuts. These shortcuts can be really helpful in quickly navigating Google Calendar.
Send Updates (Optional): If there are changes to the meeting details, you can choose to send updated invitations to all guests.