How to follow up on what people promised you in a meeting
“I’ll send that over by Friday” is easy to say and easy to forget. How to keep track of what others said they’d do for you, and how to ask about it without nagging.
Meetings end with promises in both directions. You remember yours, mostly, because they’re on your list. The ones made to you are easier to lose: someone says they’ll send the questionnaire, introduce you to their finance team, or get back to you on pricing, and a week later you realize it never came and you’re not sure when they said it.
Write it down as it’s said
- Note who, what, and when, in one line: “Priya: security questionnaire, Friday.” If no date was said, ask for one before the meeting ends: “By when works for you?”
- Say it back at the end of the meeting: “So Priya sends the questionnaire Friday, I send the checklist Thursday.” It confirms both sides and makes the note accurate.
- If your meeting tool sends a recap with next steps, check it the same day. It’s the cheapest moment to correct a wrong name or a missing item.
Give it a couple of days
Most things people promise arrive without a reminder. Asking the next morning reads as impatience; waiting two weeks makes it awkward for both of you. Two or three working days after the meeting, or the day after the date they gave, is a good time to look again.
Ask about the thing, not the person
A good follow-up names the specific thing, assumes good intent, and makes it easy to answer. Leave out “just checking in” and “as per our meeting”: the thing itself is enough context.
Hi Priya, any luck with the security questionnaire? Happy to jump on a call if any of the questions are unclear.
Close the loop when it comes
When it arrives, cross it off where you track it. A list that still shows things you already have stops being trusted, and then it stops being checked.