Word for ending a meeting

Wrapping Up

There are different reasons why a meeting comes to an end. Time may run out, or all of the items in the agenda may be checked off. Some meetings will end earlier than expected and others will run late. The odd time, a meeting may be cut short due to an unexpected problem or circumstance. Here are a variety of ways to adjourn a meeting:

Reminders

There is almost always one last thing to say, even after the closing remarks. A chairperson might close the meeting and then make a last-minute reminder. Instructions for tidying up the room may also be mentioned.

Thank You’s and Congratulations

The end of the meeting is also the time to thank anyone who has not been thanked at the beginning of the meeting, or anyone who deserves a second thank you. Congratulations or Good-luck can also be offered here to someone who has experienced something new, such as receiving a promotion, getting married, or having a baby.

Follow Up

In the closing remarks, the chairperson, or participants may want to discuss the date and time for the next meeting, when the minutes will be available, or when a decision should be made by. This is also the time to give contact information, such as how to send a question by e-mail or who to call regarding a certain issue.

Not every meeting could have become an email. You tried to look the other way when you spotted a new event in your virtual calendar, hoping it would magically transform into text, but it’s still there. There’s nothing else to do but heave a sigh, roll your eyes, and put on your best smile along with headphones. 

Does it really have to be like this?

Luckily, there’s no need for hard feelings when a business meeting alert pops up on your screen. We’ve got your back, whether you are holding a meeting or you’re just under the spotlight of your webcam. Take a seat and rest easy because we’ve prepared 120 phrases you can use in your next business meeting, even when the notice takes you by surprise. 

Phrases to use if you are holding a meeting

You’ve scheduled a call, invited your team members, and now you have just enough time to sit on pins and needles while waiting for the meeting to start. 

Maybe you plan to let your team know about an upcoming change, and you already know that the meeting might go downhill. Sometimes, the call is all about sharing updates, but there’s so much to say that it becomes impossible to get your mind around all the details you need to share. 

If you tremble to think where to go from now, we are here to throw you a lifeline. From opening a meeting to waving your teammates goodbye, we’ve listed all there is to say in a business meeting. 

What to say when opening a meeting

First things first — starting a meeting. It does seem obvious that you will need to open the meeting before getting to the point of your gathering. However, sometimes, even things as plain as day can slip your mind in a meeting, especially when you have to hold your nerves. 

Let’s go over all the phrases that can come in handy in the first couple of minutes of your call — from welcoming and introducing the participants to sharing the agenda and goals of your meeting.

👋 Phrases for welcoming and introducing meeting participants

Making the participants feel welcome doesn’t go without saying. This is especially the case if you are meeting everyone for the first time. 

Regardless of the purpose of your business meeting, here are some phrases you should have in mind when gathering your team.

🔶 Phrases for welcoming the participants

• Thank you all for coming.
• I appreciate everyone being here.
• First, I’d like to welcome you all.
• I would like to thank you for being here on time.
• I wish to thank you all for coming on such short notice.

Sometimes, the attendees might not have had a chance to come across each other before the meeting. Perhaps they have just joined the company and have now logged in to their virtual onboarding session. Let’s see how you break the ice before turning to the topic of the meeting.

🔶 Phrases for introducing the participants

• Could everyone briefly introduce themselves?
• I would like to introduce…
• I would like to begin by introducing…
• It’s my pleasure to introduce…
• Let’s take a moment and introduce ourselves.
• Please join me in welcoming…

🎯 Phrases for sharing the objectives of a meeting

After a warm welcome, your team will probably want to know why they are being urged to plug in their webcam or leave their cozy office chairs to sit around the conference table — perhaps even for hours.

Even if you have scheduled the call weeks before or it’s a regular weekly updates meeting, it’s still necessary for your motives not to remain ulterior. 

When people are familiar with the main goals even before a meeting starts, it helps prevent meeting amnesia from taking over. Without a clue on what is the point of an event, people might brush aside everything that was said as soon as the meeting ends. 

Let’s take a look at some useful phrases to help you ensure everyone stays on the same page.

🔶 Phrases for presenting the meeting goals

• Our aim today is to…
• We are here today to decide on/agree on, etc.
• By the end of today’s meeting, we need to… 
• I’ve scheduled this meeting so that we…
• The purpose of today’s meeting is…
• Today, we are going to…

📄 Phrases for introducing the meeting agenda

When all the topics are laid out in the open, fewer team members will check their watches impatiently, waiting for the meeting to finish. People usually perceive business meetings as incredible time-wasters — so apart from scheduling them sparingly, always make sure to point out the topics and the dynamics of the encounter. 

To prevent your teammates from running out of patience, we’ve compiled a list of practical phrases you can use to spread the word about the main points of your business meeting.

🔶 Phrases for sharing the agenda of the meeting

• First, we will be discussing…
• After that, we will move on to…
• Then, we’ll try to cover…
• Shortly after, we’ll go over…
• Next, we will consider…
• If there’s enough time, we will also go through…
• Finally, we will talk about…

What to say during a meeting

You’ve just finished welcoming everyone, you’ve made the goals of the meeting public, and now you’re done. All is well, you’ve got everyone’s attention, and the mic is yours. 

All of a sudden, people start breaking in and talking over each other. Some of them have, perhaps, even turned their cameras off or started scrolling through their phones. 

Although it might seem like your attendees’ attention is all done and dusted, there are still ways to manage this situation. Let’s examine the phrases that can help you remain in control during a meeting — from expressions for discussing updates, moving on, keeping the discussion on track, to phrases for handing the word over to other meeting participants.

📰 Phrases for discussing updates

Sometimes, you schedule a meeting so that everyone can be timely updated on recent developments. Other times, the meeting’s purpose is nothing but celebrating progress. 

Even when the goal of your meeting goes beyond pointing out the company’s news, it’s still necessary to touch upon the current situation in your company. 

The following phrases can help you out in remaining as brief as possible.

🔶 Phrases for sharing updates in a meeting

• I would like to inform everyone about the project’s progress.
• How is the project coming along?
• Has everyone submitted their monthly reports?
• Josh, can you let us know what’s new in…?
• Regarding last month’s reports, I would like to add…
• I suggest we start with Mike updating us on…

⏭️ Phrases for moving forward

Perhaps you’ve touched on a topic that takes forever and a day to unfold, and there’s not enough time to discuss it in detail. Sometimes, your team members might need a hint that it’s time to move on and let the previous topic be. Whatever the reason, whenever you want to suggest that you’ve closed the book on the already discussed, here are some handy phrases you can use.

🔶 Phrases for moving to another topic

• If nobody has anything else to share, let’s move on to…
• I think that covers it. Now we can go to our next topic.
• Let’s move on to our next point.
• Since we’ve covered this issue, now we can go to the next one.
• The next topic we need to cover is…
• Now that we’ve found a solution/finished discussing this topic, we can go to…

👉 Phrases for keeping a discussion on track

Meetings may start off with small talk. Sometimes a team member shares a video of their pet’s newest trick, and the rest of the colleagues join in the conversation cheerfully. Although there’s no harm in sharing an anecdote or two at the onset of a meeting, when this happens in the middle of a critical discussion, there might not be enough hours in a day for this conversation to reach the end. 

Try using some of the following phrases to prevent the babble from going on from here to eternity.

🔶 Phrases for keeping the discussion on track

• Can we continue this discussion later and go back to…?
• We are getting out of topic. Can we return to…?
• Can we go back to our subject, please?
• I’m afraid we are running out of time, so could we go back to…?
• Getting back to the topic…
• Let’s skip this topic and take it up at another time.
• We can continue talking about this later. Now, let’s go back to our previous subject.

In case your team is still eager to talk, you can always refer them to continue the conversation in the #random channel of your team chat app. 

💡If you need a helping hand in preventing the unnecessary small talk from getting the best of your team’s workflow, make sure to check out our blog post: How to balance work communication and chit-chat in remote work

🎤 Phrases for handing the word over to another person

Meetings are usually more than a one-person show. Even when you are in charge of the conference flow, sometimes, it’s necessary to hand the mic over to other team members. 

For an uninterrupted meeting flow, you need to consider a proper transition when allowing another person to talk so that you can hold your listeners’ attention. This is when the following phrases can be of use.  

🔶 Phrases for asking someone to speak in a meeting

• Now, Carl will tell us more about…
• I would like to hand it over to Mike, who can share more on this topic.
• Kim is now going to take over.
• I’d like to hand you over to Joshua who will talk you through…
• Now I would like to introduce Sim who is going to talk about…

What to say when finishing up a meeting

Everything that needs to be said is already laid out, and you are sure your meeting has served its purpose.  

However, before you hastily reach for the End the call button or leap to your feet, eager to leave the conference room, there are still a couple of things to be done. Let’s go over all you need to cover before you bid the participants farewell — from summarizing and closing the meeting to thanking everyone for their time.

🌯 Phrases for summarizing

Although pretty potent, the human ability to memorize all the details doesn’t depend on our willingness only. Paul Reber, a professor of psychology at Northwestern University, claims that our minds simply cannot remember all the details from the events we experience because the information we deal with comes at such a speed that our memory systems cannot keep pace with it.

Therefore, instead of relying on people’s ability to take mental notes of your speech, it’s always better to sum everything up, especially when discussing critical topics. 

Here are some phrases to help you ensure everyone bears the crucial information in mind.

🔶 Phrases for summarizing in a meeting

• Here are some of the main points we discussed today.
• To sum up, we’ve talked about…
• I would like to briefly cover the topics we mentioned today.
• Before we finish, let’s go over everything we talked about today.
• Let’s quickly summarize the main points of today’s meeting. 

🫂 Phrases for closing a meeting

After reviewing the main points of your meeting before everyone goes their separate ways, don’t forget to close the meeting before closing the browser window. If out of ideas what to say before adjourning the meeting, here are some suggestions. 

🔶 Phrases for ending a meeting

• To conclude, we have decided on…
• That just about covers everything for today.
• We have covered everything from our agenda.
• We will have to finish here, but our next meeting will be scheduled for…
• If there’s nothing more to discuss, we can end here.

🙏Phrases for thanking everyone for attending

Sometimes, some of the participants postpone their lunch breaks to attend a meeting. Most frequently, everyone is timely informed ahead and can plan their workdays accordingly. However, whichever the case, ending the meeting without showing appreciation for your team members’ attendance is both impolite and disrespectful of their time. To avoid coming across as unappreciative, let’s go over some phrases you can use to wrap up a meeting on a positive note. 

🔶 Phrases for showing appreciation in a meeting

• I would like to thank everyone for coming today.
• Thank you all for your time.
• Thank you for your participation in today’s meeting.
• I want to thank everybody for a productive meeting.
• I would like to thank you all for sharing your time today.

What to say if you are attending a meeting

Sometimes, you are not the one in the driving seat, and it looks like all you need to do is to show up and sit up at a meeting. Although this position allows you to breathe easy, attending a meeting is more than just being present and nodding your head.

Chances are, you are invited to attend a meeting for a reason. Most of the time, you will need to voice your opinion or help your team members reach a decision. 

However, you don’t have to wear yourself to a shadow in preparation for attending a meeting. Just make sure to go through all the phrases we’ve put together, and you’ll come prepared to conquer whatever comes your way.  

Phrases for sharing your perspective in a meeting

It’s not unusual to want to keep your lips sealed in fear of bombarding your coworkers with useless information. Information overload is widespread in a remote work setting, and it can pose a threat to the entire organization’s performance. 

Perhaps you think that it’s better to be safe than sorry when sharing your opinion in a meeting. When this happens, you put at risk both the transparency of your team’s communication and your own career growth. 

To prevent the fear of speaking out from getting in the way of anyone’s progress, we’ve gathered all the necessary phrases you could use to express your thoughts in meetings. Whether you need to share your opinion, agree or disagree, offer advice or provide clarification, we’ve got you covered. 

🗣️ Phrases for sharing your opinion

Whether you are the only expert on the discussed topic or you would like to share your ideas before a decision is made, it’s only proper to tread your words before speaking your mind. 

We’ve compiled a list of useful phrases to help you capture everyone’s attention in a meeting. Just don’t forget to wait for the right moment to avoid interrupting the speaker — and you’re good to go. 

🔶 Phrases for sharing your opinion in a meeting

• I think we should try…
• From my point of view, that’s…
• I think that this is a great idea.
• There is no doubt this project will come through.
• I am positive that this is the right path to take.
• The way I see things…

✅ Phrases for agreeing

Whenever a suggestion comes up in the #general channel of your team chat app, showing your agreement doesn’t take a lot of your time. If you use an emoji reaction such as (🙌), (🤝), or (✅), your teammates will quickly conclude that you approve of their idea. 

In a business meeting, however, saying yes to a suggestion requires you to put your opinion into words. Here are some expressions you can put to use whenever you wish to support your team.

🔶 Phrases for agreeing in a meeting

• I completely agree with that.
• I support your view.
• I am with you on this!
• That is how I see it too.
• Great point!
• I have to agree with Mike.

❌ Phrases for disagreeing

Expressing different opinions in a business meeting does not have to turn into a running battle. The fear of disagreement coming out wrong usually leads people to avoid these conversations altogether. However, phrasing your doubts in a more positive way can bring forward a healthy discussion and promote better problem-solving. 

Don’t let the scare stop you from helping your team reach the right decision. Think of using the following phrases instead. 

🔶 Phrases for disagreeing in a meeting

• That’s a great point, but maybe we should consider all the options.
• Great job for noticing that, but have you considered…?
• I see where your idea is coming from, but maybe we should change the direction a little bit.
• I see where you’re coming from, but… 
• I’m sorry but I have to disagree on this because…
• While I agree with you on…have you considered…?

✋ Phrases for advising and suggesting

Whether the meeting you are attending is mainly focused on solving a problem or the team gathering is a perfect chance for you to propose a new idea, suggesting in a room full of people can put the frighteners on everyone. 

Regardless of whether you are making a suggestion in a group call or presenting an idea by sitting opposite your coworkers, try devising your speech before the meeting. The following phrases can put your mind at ease when presenting in a meeting.

🔶 Phrases for suggesting in a meeting

• I think we should try…
• Why don’t we…?
• Perhaps we could…?
• What do you think of…?
• We should…
• How about we…?
• Couldn’t we try to…?
• I suggest that…?

🔍 Phrases for clarifying

Along with suggesting goes solving dilemmas. Sometimes, your team members would wholeheartedly agree with your ideas, but they need more details on your suggestions. This is when you need to elaborate to ensure your propositions come through. 

Here’s how you can rephrase and sum up your ideas so that everyone gets a clear picture. 

🔶 Phrases for giving clarification in a meeting

• Let me put this another way.
• Here’s what I had in mind.
• What I’m saying is that…
• My idea was…
• Just to clarify…
• In a nutshell, what I’m saying is…

What to say if you’re asking questions in a meeting

Sometimes our coworkers feel nervous when presenting ideas in a meeting. When this happens, it’s entirely natural for their thoughts to come out as a bit confusing and incoherent. This is when a nudge in the right direction comes in handy, and it takes the form of asking the right questions. 

Apart from showing interest in their ideas, when you ask for more details on a topic you demonstrate a willingness to learn, grow and collaborate with your team members.

Sometimes, you need to ask for repetition or clarification. Other times you might wish to hear your team members’ opinions or you have to ask them to provide you with specific information. Whichever the situation that opens a window on question asking during a meeting, we are here to back you up with plenty of useful phrases.

❓👂Phrases for asking for repetition

You might have had a lot on your mind, so while your coworker was presenting, you were miles away. In this situation, it’s always better to ask for repetition than take a shot in the dark trying to settle on their words. 

Whenever you are in two minds about something that was mentioned in a meeting, here’s how you can ask your team to circle back to a topic.

🔶 Phrases for asking for repetition in a meeting

• I’m sorry, could you repeat that please?
• Can you run that by me one more time, please?
• I’m afraid I didn’t quite understand that. Could you say it one more time, please?
• I missed that. Could you say it again, please?
• Can you repeat what you just said?
• I’m sorry, would you mind repeating that again?

❓🔎 Phrases for asking for clarification

Whether you were not paying enough attention or your team member’s nerves got the best of their words, it’s never a bad idea to ask for more information on a topic whenever confusion is on the horizon. 

You can’t be too careful when an important decision is at stake, so a bit of clarification won’t do any harm. Let’s go over some useful phrases to help you understand the direction of any discussion in a meeting. 

🔶 Phrases for asking for clarification in a meeting

• Sorry, I’m not sure what you were aiming at. Could you explain it a bit?
• Could you go into a little more detail?
• Could you please tell me what you mean by…?
• Let me check if I understood you correctly. Did you say that…?
• Could you be a little bit more precise, please?
• Can you expand on that?

❓🗣️Phrases for asking for opinions

Not everyone enjoys speaking in front of a large crowd, and this trait usually leads people to try to remain silent as long as possible when attending a meeting. Sometimes, however, it’s necessary to hear everybody out, especially when discussing a vital issue relevant to several departments. This is when the following phrases can be of use.

🔶 Phrases for asking for opinion in a meeting

• Mike, would you mind giving us your opinion on this?
• How do you feel about this, Susie?
• What is your opinion on this subject?
• What are your views on…?
• Esther, can we get your input?
• Maggie, can we hear what you have to say about this?

❓ℹ️ Phrases for requesting information

Maybe your coworker is missing in action whenever you reach out to them looking for an important report. Seeing them in a meeting could be a perfect opportunity to request the necessary data and remind them to pin their report to a channel in the team chat app so that nobody has to go above and beyond looking for it anymore. 

If the fear of giving the impression of being too demanding stops you from requesting crucial information, try using the following phrases.

🔶 Phrases for asking for information in a meeting

• Would you mind giving us more detail on…?
• Could you….please?
• Can you share….please?
• Sam, I wonder if you could send us…?
• If possible, could you please share more details on…?
• When you get a chance, could you share…?

Wrapping up: Keep your headphones close and the useful phrases closer

When an unexpected meeting comes out of the blue in the middle of the workweek, it’s quite tempting to search for ways to get out of talking. Maybe you had in mind to unplug your headphones or direct your eyes towards the floor so that your team members might forget you’re there. 

However simple it may seem to hide your presence, keeping a list of useful phrases for business meetings at your fingertips could do you a bigger favor than laying low. 

Just give yourself a bit of time to practice and prepare, and you’ll definitely make a grand performance.

Today you’re going to learn almost 100 practical English phrases to use in meetings. Many of them – such as the phrases for expressing opinions, agreeing, and disagreeing – can also be used in other situations outside of work.

Let’s begin with a few vocabulary words. The verbs typically used with “meeting” are “have” and “hold”:

• We’re going to have another department meeting on Friday.
• Let’s hold a meeting to discuss the policy changes.

You can also use “schedule,” “arrange” or “organize” to talk about having a meeting in the future.

When you participate in a meeting, you “attend” the meeting (formal) or “go to” the meeting.

• Did you go to the project team meeting?
• Several people did not attend the development meeting.

A well-organized meeting will have an agenda – that’s a list of topics (often called items) that will be discussed. In some meetings, one person keeps notes that will be the official record of the meeting – these are called the meeting minutes.

Why hold a meeting? There are many different reasons. One is to brainstorm. “Brainstorming” is creating a lot of different ideas, so that they can later be analyzed, evaluated, and the best ones can be selected. Brainstorming is often done as a first step in a project, before there is a definite plan.

Another reason to hold a meeting is to develop a strategy and allocate tasks. A strategy is a plan for completing a project, and to “allocate tasks” means to assign specific items of work to specific people.

Meetings are also held to collaborate (work together) on projects and give updates – reports of progress and current status. Finally, meetings are held to make decisions.

Some meetings use a formal system of voting, in which a decision is made if it receives the majority (more than 50%) of the votes. Other meetings use a less formal system of decision-making, aiming for the group to come to a consensus (a general agreement).

Beginning a Meeting

To start the meeting, the meeting leader (who is called the chairperson or chair) may use one of these phrases:

• Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming today.
• Since everyone is here, let’s get started.
• First, I’d like to welcome you all.

If there are new people in the meeting, or people from different departments who might not know each other, the chairperson may introduce them:

• I’d like to take a moment to introduce… [name + description]
  I’d like to take a moment to introduce Carla, from the public relations department.
• Please join me in welcoming [name + description]
  Please join me in welcoming Jim, a consultant who will be helping us with project management.
• Sheila, would you like to introduce yourself?

Finally, it’s good to state the specific topic or objective of the meeting, in order to focus the discussion:

• As you can see from the agenda, we’ll be talking about… [topic]
• I’ve called this meeting in order to … [goal]
• Our main goal today is to … [goal]
  Our main goal today is to determine the budget for 2013.

Asking for Opinions

Meetings often begin with the presentation of some information and then a request for opinions. To ask people for their opinions, you can say:

• What does everyone think about…?
• I’d like to get your feedback on…
• What are your thoughts about… ?
• What are your views on… ?

After one person has expressed his or her opinion, you can say “Thanks,” to acknowledge the opinion, then use these phrases to ask for more people to respond:

• What does everyone else think?
• Are there any other comments?

If there’s a specific person who you would like to hear from, you can ask him or her directly by using these phrases:

• Susan, can we get your input?
• Would you like to add anything, Susan?

Giving Your Opinion

Now let’s learn some phrases for giving your opinion – with some detail in order to give you some flexibility in the way you express your opinion:

Strong

• I strongly believe that…
• I’m positive that…
• I’m convinced that…
• I have no doubt whatsoever that…
• There’s no question that…
  (strongest)

Normal

• I think / believe / feel that…
• From my point of view…
• In my experience… / I find that…
  (use these phrases to base your opinion on your experience)
• I’d say that…
• If you want my honest opinion, I think that… / To be honest…
  (use these phrases when you want to express a negative or critical opinion. The word “honest” is a diplomatic way to signal that you are going to say something negative or unpopular)

Weak

• It seems to me that…
• It’s possible that…
• I tend to think that…
• My initial reaction is…
  (use this phrase to show that this is an opinion you haven’t thought very deeply about)

Agreeing / Disagreeing

Once other people in the meeting have expressed their opinions, you can react by agreeing or disagreeing. Here are some appropriate phrases for this purpose – again, based on degree of strength.

Strong agreement:

• I completely agree.
• I couldn’t agree more.
• You’re absolutely right.

Normal agreement:

• Exactly!
• That’s just how I see it.
• I’m with Peter on this.
  (you can use this phrase to refer to another colleague’s opinion)

Partial agreement:

• Well, it depends.
• I agree with you up to a point, but…
  (this means that you agree with some of the opinion, but not all of it)
• I agree with you in principle, but…
  (this means you agree with the opinion in theory, but not in practice)

Normal Disagreement:

In English, saying “I disagree” can be a little too direct, and may be considered impolite. Use one of these phrases instead, to disagree diplomatically:

• I’m afraid I disagree.
• I’m not so sure about that.
• I see it differently.
• Yes, but…
• Not necessarily.

Strong disagreement:

Finally, here are some phrases for disagreeing strongly. The words “I’m sorry” make the phrase more polite.

• I’m sorry, but I completely disagree.
• I’m sorry, but I don’t agree with that at all.

Settling a disagreement:

What do you do if you’re in charge of a meeting and people are arguing? Use one of these phrases to settle the disagreement and continue the meeting:

• We don’t seem to be getting anywhere with this, so maybe we could discuss it further at another time.
• Let’s move on. I think we’re going to have to agree to disagree.

Suggestions

If you’d like to make a suggestion or recommendation, you can use these phrases. The “weaker” phrases introduce an option as a possibility. The “stronger” phrases give more emphasis to your belief that it is a good idea.

Weak:

• We could…
• Why don’t you/we….?
• How about…?
• What about…?

Strong:

• I suggest…
• I recommend…
• We should…
• Let’s…

Note:

We could / Why don’t we / We should / Let’s are followed by the base form of the verb:

• We could invest in new technology.

How about / What about / I suggest / I recommend are followed by the -ING form:

• How about investing in new technology?

Interrupting

At times, you might want to interrupt the discussion to add a point. Here are three polite ways to do that:

• May I have a word?
• Could I just say one thing?
• Excuse me – sorry for interrupting, but…

Controlling the meeting

If you’re controlling the meeting, you’ll need these phrases to move the discussion to the next item on the agenda:

• I think we’ve spent enough time on this topic. Moving on…
• If nobody has anything else to add, let’s move on to the next item.
• We’re running short on time, so let’s move on.
• I’d like to skip item 2 and go directly to item 3.
  (This means you want to go from item 1 directly to item 3)

If you’d like to give control of the discussion to another person, you can say this:

• I’d like to hand it over to Brian, who is going to lead the next point.
• Next, Brian is going to tell us about…

Finally, it’s common for discussions to go off topic – however, you can bring the discussion back to the main point by using one of these phrases:

• I’m afraid that’s outside the scope of this meeting.
• I think we’re getting a bit off topic.
• We’d better save that for another meeting.
• Let’s get back on track, OK?
• Getting back to… [topic]

Closing

At the end of the meeting, use one of these phrases to close it:

• It looks like we’ve covered the main items on the agenda.
• That will be all for today.
• If no one has anything else to add, then I think we’ll wrap this up.

You can also use a phrase similar to the ones used at the end of presentations, such as “Let me quickly summarize the main points.”

You can also set a date for the next meeting:

Our next meeting will be… / Let’s get together…

• on January 29th.
• on the first Monday of next month.
• two weeks from today.

If the date of the next meeting is not yet scheduled, then you can say, “I’ll let you know the date of our next meeting.”

Now you know all the phrases you need to participate in a meeting in English! We covered a lot of material today, so make sure you take the quiz to practice the vocabulary.

Meeting people for the first time

• (We’ve emailed many times but/ We’ve spoken on the phone but) it’s so nice to finally meet you (face to face).
• You must be (name).
• Here’s my business card.

Small talk at the beginning of a meeting

• Did you have any trouble finding us?/ Did you have any trouble getting here?
• How was your journey?/ How was your flight?
• Is this your first time (here) in (name of place)?
• Nice day/ Lovely day/ Horrible weather/ Rather hot/ A bit humid (today), isn’t it?

Ending the small talk and getting down to business phrases

Transitions phrases for moving smoothly from one stage to another

• Well (then),…/ Okay (then),…/ Right (then),…/ So,…/ Anyway,…/ Anyhow,…

Saying something nice about the small talk

• …I’d love to chat more, but…
• …you must tell me more about that later, but…
• …it’s been lovely to catch up, but…

Giving a reason for finishing the small talk

• …we have a lot to get through today, so…
• …we have to be out of here by 12, so…
• …I have another meeting at 11, so…

Getting down to business phrases

• … let’s get down to business/ I think we should make a start/ shall we get started…

Language after the suggestion to make it softer and prompt a reaction

• …, if you don’t mind/ if that’s okay (with you).

Responding to getting down to business phrases

• Of course./ Sure. (Let’s.)

Polite language at the beginning of a meeting

• Thanks for coming (all the way here/ so far) today (so early in the morning/ on such a cold day).

Dealing with practicalities of the meeting

Talking about the agenda

• Does everyone have a copy of the agenda?

Introducing the topic of the meeting

• As you (all/ should/ probably/ might) know,…
• As I wrote in my email (yesterday/ about this meeting/ sending the agenda),…
• The main reason for this meeting is…
• What we need to decide/ talk about/ think about today is…
• The (main) topic/ subject/ aim/ objective/ purpose/ goal of this meeting is…

The most useful phrases for the body of a meeting

Getting other people to speak/ Asking for ideas/ Asking for opinions/ Getting people involved

• (Do you have/ Does anyone have) any (other/ particular) thoughts/ comments/ opinions/ views (on this)?
• What do you think (about this/ about that)?

Giving strong opinions

• I really think…
• I strongly believe/ I really believe/ I firmly believe…
• I’m (absolutely/ completely/ 100%) certain/ convinced/ positive that…

Giving weak opinions

• I’m no expert on this, but…
• (I’m not sure/ certain, but) I would guess/ I would imagine/ I would suppose…
• This is only my opinion, but…
• I would probably say that…
• In my limited experience,…

Strongly agreeing

• I totally agree.
• (That’s/ You’re) exactly right./ Exactly!
• (You are/ That’s) absolutely right!/ Absolutely!
• I feel exactly the same way./ I feel just the same way.

Weakly agreeing/ Reluctantly agreeing

• You might be right./ You could be right./ You may be right.
• I suppose you’re right./ I guess you’re right.

Strongly disagreeing

• (I’m sorry but) I really don’t agree.
• (I’m afraid) I have to disagree.

Weakly disagreeing/ Politely disagreeing

• (I’m afraid) I don’t really agree.
• I’m not sure that I agree.
• I mostly agree, but…
• (That’s a) good point, but…
• I feel almost the same way, but…

Making suggestions/ Coming up with ideas (when brainstorming etc)

• I would suggest/ I would recommend/ I would advise…
• My (main) suggestion/ recommendation/ advice would be to…
• The best solution/ The best course of action would probably be…
• We should (probably) consider/ think about…

Asking for evidence/ Asking for support for opinions/ Asking for reasons

• What makes you say that?

The most useful turn taking (interrupting, etc) phrases

Interrupting

• Sorry to interrupt, but…
• Can I come here (for a moment)?
• (Before you go on,) can I just say…?
• If I can just (interrupt) (for a moment),…

Allowing people to speak/ Inviting people to speak/ Allowing people to interrupt

• (Of course/ Sure), (please) go ahead. (What would you like to say?/ Please have your say.)

Stopping the other person interrupting/ Keeping the turn

• Sorry, can I just finish this one point (first)?/ Sorry, can I just what I’m saying (first)?
• Sorry, just one (more) thing before you have your say,…

Getting the turn back/ Getting the discussion back on track

• (Now) where were we? Oh yes,…/ (Now) where was I? Oh yes,…
• (Anyway/ Well), as I was saying…

Requesting

• Could you (possibly) give me a hand with/ lend me a hand with…?

Checking/ Clarifying/ Dealing with communication problems

• Sorry, what do you mean by…?
• (By…) do you mean…?
• So (in other words), what you’re saying is…
• Sorry, did you say… (or…)?

Helping come to an agreement (when people can’t agree)

• Maybe we can decide this with a show of hands.
• Please raise your hand if…
• I think I can suggest a compromise.
• Can anyone suggest a (possible) compromise?

Delaying a decision/ Continuing the discussion later

• We don’t seem to be making much progress (on this), so let’s continue this discussion by email, shall we?
• Maybe we can come back to that later/ in a later meeting (if we have time).
• Maybe we should sleep on this and try again next week.

Changing topic/ Moving on

• Okay, we’ve still got a few points to get through, so…
• Right, I think we’ve covered that, so…
• …let’s move on to the next point/ topic on the agenda, shall we?
• …let’s turn our attention to…

The most useful phrases for ending meetings

Checking agreement (by everyone/ about everything)

• Are we (all) agreed?

Summarising what you have discussed and agreed, and responding to that

• So, to summarise our discussion/ So, to sum up our agreement,…

Checking there’s nothing left to talk about, and replying to that

• Is there anything else that we need to discuss (before we finish)?
• No, I think we’ve covered everything, thanks.
• Actually, there is just one more thing (that I’d like to discuss/ that we need to discuss).  

Smoothly finishing/ Giving reasons for finishing the meeting, and responding to that

• Anyway, I’m afraid I have another meeting in 10 minutes, so we’ll have to stop there (if you don’t mind).
• Well, I think someone is waiting for this room, so shall we call it a day (if that’s okay)?
• So, I’d like to be able to discuss this more, but I know (name) has to be somewhere, so we’ll have to come back to it another time, I’m afraid.

Bringing the actual meeting to a close

• So/ Okay/ Right (then), let’s call it a day/ wrap it up there (and continue…) (, shall we?)

Polite and friendly language at the end of a meeting

• Thanks, that was very useful./ Thanks, that was very productive.
• Thanks for (all) your (great) contributions/ ideas. (They were very helpful).
• Thanks for making the time to meet us./ Thanks for taking the time to meet us.
• Thanks for inviting us.
• It was great to see you (again).
• It was (so) nice to (finally) meet you.
• Have a good weekend/ a good trip/ fun/ a good time/ a safe journey.

Talking about future contact

• I look forward to seeing you again soon.
• (As I said) I’ll (check with my boss and) get in touch/ be in contact/ email you (about)…
• See you at…/ See you next…/ See you on…/ See you soon./ See you, then./ See you then./ See you later.

Good small talk questions at the end of a meeting

• Do you have to go (straight) back to your office?
• (Do you have) any more meetings today?
• (Are you) finished for today?
• (Do you have) any plans for the weekend?

Now you’ve learned the 100 most useful phrases for business meetings you might also be interested in our lists of vital business English abbreviations, telephoning language and emailing language — essential phrases for business communication:

• The 150 most useful Business English abbreviations
• The 100 most useful telephoning phrases
• The 100 most useful emailing phrases
• The 100 best small talk questions

This reference sheet provides short phrases to help you run a business meeting from start to finish. Generally speaking, you should use formal English to run a business meeting. As you participate, it’s a good idea to paraphrase others’ ideas to make sure you understand.

Opening the Meeting

Welcome participants with quick phrases and get down to business.

Good morning/afternoon, everyone.
If we are all here, let’s
. . . get started (OR)
start the meeting. (OR)
. . . start.

Good morning everyone. If we’re all here, let’s get started.

Welcoming and Introducing Participants

If you have a meeting with new participants, make sure to introduce them before as you start the meeting.

Please join me in welcoming (name of participant)
We’re pleased to welcome (name of participant)
It’s a pleasure to welcome (name of participant)
I’d like to introduce (name of participant)
I don’t think you’ve met (name of participant)

Before I get started, I’d like to please join me in welcoming Anna Dinger from our office in New York.

Stating the Principal Objectives of a Meeting

It’s important to begin the meeting by clearly stating the main objectives for the meeting.

We’re here today to
Our aim is to …
I’ve called this meeting in order to …
By the end of this meeting, I’d like to have …

We’re here today to discuss the upcoming merger, as well as go over last quarter’s sales figures. 

Giving Apologies for Someone Who is Absent

If someone important is missing, it’s a good idea to let others know that they will be missing from the meeting.

I’m afraid.., (name of participant) can’t be with us today. She is in…
I have received apologies for the absence of (name of participant), who is in (place).

I’m afraid Peter can’t be with us today. He’s in London meeting with clients but will be back next week.

Reading the Minutes (Notes) of the Last Meeting

If you have a meeting that repeats regularly, make sure to read the minutes from the last meeting to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

First, let’s go over the report from the last meeting which was held on (date)
Here are the minutes from our last meeting, which was on (date)

First, let’s go over the minutes from our last meeting which was held last Tuesday. Jeff, could you please read the notes?

Dealing with Recent Developments

Checking in with others will help you keep everyone up to date on progress on various projects. 

Jack, can you tell us how the XYZ project is progressing?
Jack, how is the XYZ project coming along?
John, have you completed the report on the new accounting package?
Has everyone received a copy of the Tate Foundation report on current marketing trends?

Alan, please tell us how the final arrangements for the merger are coming along. 

Moving Forward

Use these phrases to transition to the main focus of your meeting.

So, if there is nothing else we need to discuss, let’s move on to today’s agenda.
Shall we get down to business?
Is there any other business?
If there are no further developments, I’d like to move on to today’s topic.

Once again, I’d like to thank you all for coming. Now, shall we get down to business?

Introducing the Agenda

Before you launch into the main points of the meeting, double check that everyone has a copy of the agenda for the meeting.

Have you all received a copy of the agenda?
There are three items on the agenda. First,
Shall we take the points in this order?
If you don’t mind, I’d like to … go in order (OR)
skip item 1 and move on to item 3
I suggest we take item 2 last.

Have you all received a copy of the agenda? Good. Shall we take the points in order?

Allocating Roles (secretary, participants)

As you move through the meeting, it’s important that people keep track of what’s going on. Make sure to allocate note taking.

(name of participant) has agreed to take the minutes.
(name of participant) has kindly agreed to give us a report on this matter.
(name of participant) will lead point 1, (name of participant) point 2, and (name of participant) point 3.
(name of participant), would you mind taking notes today?

Alice, would you mind taking notes today?

Agreeing on the Ground Rules for the Meeting (contributions, timing, decision-making, etc.)

If there is no regular routine to your meeting, point out the basic rules for discussion throughout the meeting.

We will hear a short report on each point first, followed by a discussion around the table.
I suggest we go round the table first.
The meeting is due to finish at…
We’ll have to keep each item to ten minutes. Otherwise we’ll never get through.
We may need to vote on item 5, if we can’t get a unanimous decision.

I suggest we go round the table first to get everyone’s feedback. After that, we’ll take a vote.

Introducing the First Item on the Agenda

Use these phrases to begin with the first item on the agenda. Make sure to use sequencing language to connect your ideas throughout the meeting.

So, let’s start with
Shall we start with. .
So, the first item on the agenda is
Pete, would you like to kick off?
Martin, would you like to introduce this item?

Shall we start with the first item? Good. Peter will introduce our plans for the merger and then will discuss the implications. 

Closing an Item

As you move from item to item, quickly state that you have finished with the previous discussion.

I think that covers the first item.
Shall we leave that item?
If nobody has anything else to add,

I think that covers the important points of the merger.

Next Item

These phrases will help you transition to the next item on the agenda.

Let’s move onto the next item
The next item on the agenda is
Now we come to the question of.

Now, let’s move onto the next item. We’ve been having a bit of a personnel crunch lately.

Giving Control to the Next Participant

If someone takes over your role, give control to them with one of the following phrases.

I’d like to hand over to Mark, who is going to lead the next point.
Right, Dorothy, over to you.

I’d like to hand over to Jeff, who is going to discuss the personnel issues.

Summarizing

As you finish the meeting, quickly sum up the main points of the meeting.

Before we close, let me just summarize the main points.
To sum up, …
In brief,
Shall I go over the main points?

To sum up, we’ve moved forward with the merger and expect to start work on the project in May. Also, the personnel department has decided to hire additional staff to help us with the increased demand.

Suggesting and Agreeing on Time, Date and Place for the Next Meeting

As you end the meeting, make sure to arrange for the next meeting if necessary.

Can we fix the next meeting, please?
So, the next meeting will be on… (day), the . . . (date) of.. . (month) at…
What about the following Wednesday? How is that?
So, see you all then. 

Before we leave, I’d like to fix the next meeting. What about next Thursday?

Thanking Participants for Attending

It’s always a good idea to thank everyone for attending the meeting.

I’d like to thank Marianne and Jeremy for coming over from London.
Thank you all for attending.
Thanks for your participation.

Thank you all for your participation and I’ll see you next Thursday.

Closing the Meeting

Close the meeting with a simple statement.

The meeting is closed.
I declare the meeting closed.

Explore useful phrases and proper language use in these business English articles:

Introduction and Example Meeting Dialogue

Phrase Reference Sheet for Participating in a Meeting

Formal or Informal? Appropriate Language in Business Situations

By

Do you ever feel lost or anxious when you’re in a meeting with other English speakers?

Even if you are comfortable speaking in front of others in your own language, expressing your thoughts effectively or leading a successful meeting in English can be difficult.

This guide will provide you with example English phrases and useful tips that you can use at your next business meeting.

I will also help you to prepare for the most common situations that you will face, and what to avoid.

How to Use this Survival Guide

The more prepared you are for a meeting, the more confident you feel, which in turn helps you to lead a successful and stress-free meeting.

This guide covers 4 parts:

1. First you will learn some commonly used English phrases – such as how to say your message effectively, how to keep the group focused on the topic, and how to transition.
2. Second we will look at some phrases that you must avoid
3. Then we will go over some tips for running a good meeting.
4. Lastly we will look at an example, and show you how to manage and participate in your next meeting with confidence.

1. Useful Phrases

Below you will find some of the most useful phrases you can use in business meetings, divided into categories.

Try to learn some of them, or review them before your meeting to refresh your memory and boost your confidence:

Introductions and Openings Used to begin a meeting and welcome the participants.	Examples: -Good morning/afternoon everyone. -Since everyone is here, we can begin. -Can we all welcome John, our new IT manager? -I would like to extend a warm welcome to our VP of Sales, John.
Stating Objectives and Introducing the Agenda This sets the tone of the meeting and keeps it focused.	Stating Objectives: -Today, we are here to discuss last month’s sales. -I’ve called this meeting so we can review the most recent project. -By the end of this meeting today, we should have completed… Introducing Agenda: -Does everyone have a copy of the agenda? -There are seven items on our agenda. Let’s start from the beginning. -If it’s ok with everyone, I would like to start with the second point, last month’s sales numbers.
Clarifying or Repeating Points Whether you are leading or participating in the meeting, it is important to make sure everyone understands.	Examples: -Was that clear to everyone? -If we look at it from this perspective, does that make more sense? -Can I make that easier to understand? -I will repeat for clarification… -Because these are important points, I will repeat them.
Sharing and Asking for Opinions The reason for a business meeting is productive discussion. Encourage discussions by asking for participants’ opinions and sharing your own.	Sharing an Opinion: -I (really) feel that these sales figures are encouraging. -If you ask me, I think that we should focus on… -In my opinion, this idea is … Asking for an Opinion: -Do you agree with this initiative? -I’d love to get some ideas from everybody -Sue, could you share your opinion on these ideas? -John, how do you feel about this marketing plan?
Agree or Disagree with Points Made Agreeing or disagreeing means people are listening. Always make sure that both sides of the argument are heard.	Agreeing: -That’s a great point -I could not agree more. -That is exactly what I was thinking. -I must agree with Sue on this idea. -That sounds like a great idea Disagreeing: -Unfortunately, I do not see it the same way. -I agree with you in part, but -I can’t agree with you because I think.
Negotiating and Compromise These are some of the most important parts of many business meetings. Know how to negotiate respectfully and how to compromise.	Negotiating: -I will need to take more time to consider your offer. -I can accept your terms on these conditions… -I see your point, but I think we are better off by. Compromising: -I understand, and I am willing to compromise on these points. -What do you think if we were to do this instead? -This is what I am willing to offer in order to move this deal forward.
Interrupting to Comment or Ask a Question Questions are a productive part of any meeting, but interrupting can be a major distraction. Ask for permission to interrupt if you need to clarify something or make an important comment.	Interrupting: -May I have a word on this topic? -If I may, I think that we should discuss this… -Excuse me for interrupting, but could you clarify the marketing plan again? -May I add something about last month’s sales report here?
Questions to Facilitate Discussion Contributions from the participants is necessary not only to keep the meeting productive but also to make those participants feel welcome and a part of the group.	Asking for Contributions: -We haven’t heard from you yet, John. Do you mind sharing your thoughts? -What do you think about the numbers from last month? -Would you like to add anything about these figures, Sue? -John, what do you think about this? -Does anyone have any comments on this point? -Is there anything else anyone else would like to add?
Managing Participants and Time Frame Keeping meetings on time is difficult, so these phrases can keep the meeting on schedule.	Participant Management: -John, please be brief with your comments. -Let’s get back to the topic of marketing, shall we? -We are not here to discuss marketing today. Time Management: -We are running out of time for this meeting. -Well, that is all the time we have for today’s meeting, but let’s discuss that next time. -I’m afraid we’ve run out of time for today, but our next meeting will be Monday morning.
Summarizing the Meeting Points It is important to briefly summarize what was discussed, and the actions for the next meeting.	Summarizing: -Before we go, let me summarize what we have decided on. -To sum up the meeting, we discussed points A, B, and C. -Shall I review today’s important points?
Assigning Action Items There are normally some tasks that need to be completed after a meeting.	Action Items: -We should really prepare these numbers for our meeting next week. -Let’s focus our attention on completing these changes in the marketing plan by Friday afternoon. -Would you mind taking care of the report by Thursday morning? -I look forward to your report at our meeting next week, Sue.

You can also download your free PDF copy of this list of useful phrases:

Download the Meetings Phraselist

Most Important Phrases

If learning all phrases seems intimidating, don’t worry. Some phrases are more important than others, so focus on learning those first.

Then you can take your time with the other phrases, so you don’t feel so overwhelmed.

The most important phrases are:

• Clarifying what a participant or meeting leader has said is crucial for all members of the meeting. In most cases, if you did not understand what someone said, it is likely that another member of the group also has the same problem.
  Using these phrases can ensure the entire group understands what is going on and that the message is clear.
• Asking participants for their contributions creates an environment where everyone feels that their input is not only important, but wanted.
  Use the phrases above to ask for specific comments or feedback, and make sure to take note of those contributions.
• Assigning action items is one of the crucial differences between effective and ineffective meetings.
  It is great to get the team together to speak about specific projects or critical company issues, but without putting those discussions into action, they are worthless.

2. Phrases to Avoid in Business Meetings

We’ve spent quite a bit of time reviewing what phrases work well in business meetings, but there are also some phrases that should be avoided.

Review this list before your next meeting so you don’t accidentally use them.

“No one agrees with you on that”
The first rule of a meeting is to keep the tone positive and upbeat. Telling a person that no one supports their idea or agrees with their opinion will drastically shift the tone of the meeting. It will also make other members of the group feel that their opinions or ideas won’t be received well, either.

“That is a secondary issue”
This phrase, although it may be used with the best intentions in order to keep a meeting on time or on task, sounds rude. It makes people feel like what they have to say are not important.
If someone brings up a topic that is off task, simply thank them for their contribution and suggest that it may be best to discuss that topic in another meeting, or one on one. This will not only acknowledge that participant’s comments or question, but will also keep the meeting focused and on time.

“I’m in charge here”
You very well may be the chairperson of the meeting, but declaring that you are in charge is rude and also deters others from asking questions or adding value to the meeting. Keeping a meeting on topic can be done more effectively with the phrases listed above.

“Let’s have a follow up meeting”
The purpose of a business meeting is to present information, and ultimately, come to a resolution, make a decision, or create a plan for a specific problem. Instead of ending a meeting with the proposal of yet another meeting, it is more productive to assign action items to the meeting participants so that any subsequent discussion is as productive as possible.

3. Business Meeting Tips

Speaking English in front of native English speakers is hard enough, let alone also making sure the meeting runs smoothly.

You want to appear friendly and knowledgeable, and not boring – as many people believe meetings are.

It doesn’t matter if you are updating the team about a project in progress, or have an innovative idea to present to overseas clients, keep in mind the following tips:

1. Keep the meeting positive and upbeat
   Nobody wants to sit through a boring meeting, especially one that encourages a negative environment. Make sure you are keeping the tone of the meeting positive.
   Many people from North America appreciate lighthearted jokes or conversations about their day, so make sure to include that before or after the meetings.
2. Address the entire group
   It can be hard to shift your attention – and eye contact – to and from each person in the room. It is much easier to set your gaze on one or two colleagues at the end of the conference room table.
   However, making eye contact with everyone in the room keeps everyone’s attention, and they feel included. When people feel a connection with the speaker or presenter (that’s you!), it is more likely that they will listen to your message.



3. Encourage feedback
   Business meetings are meant to be a group effort, not simply one person talking. If you are leading the meeting, leave room for feedback in between your main points and for questions at the end.
   This is especially important if your meeting includes Europeans or Americans – the more the entire group is engaged, the more effective the meeting will be. People from native English speaking countries can be very willing to give their opinion, so expect lots of conversations.
4. Watch your time
   Everyone has taken time out of their day to be present, and everyone has more work to do once the meeting has concluded. Be mindful of the set end time, and stick to it.
   Depending on what country you’re from, some countries (like the UK and the US), like to be very punctual. If you say the meeting starts and ends at a certain time, you need to adhere to that schedule.
5. Don’t forget your body language
   If you are slouched over the conference table or have your arms folded in front of your chest, others may take this as you don’t care, or don’t want to work.

4. Putting a Conversation Together

So now you know lots of useful phrases and words for meetings, but how do they go together?

Here is an example conversation between 4 participants to help you see how they work:

Chair: Good morning everyone. First of all, I would like to extend a warm welcome to Bob, the Vice President of Sales in our US branch.

Bob: Thanks for having me.

Chair: Let’s talk about today’s agenda. If it’s ok with everyone, I’d like to start with the second point. Bob, can you please talk about the sales reports from each district?

Bob: Sure, I’d love to … (presents findings on PowerPoint – if you would like to learn more about creating great presentations in English, you can check out our guide here).

Chair: Thank you very much Bob. Now I’d love to get some ideas from everybody. How do you feel about those results? Is there anything we can all do as a team to improve sales in our own districts?

Participant 1: I feel that we have been focusing too much on younger customers. In my opinion we need to focus our advertising on an older market, around 35-40 age group.

Participant 2: I’m sorry, I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat that, please?

Participant 1: I said that we need to focus our advertising on the 35-40 age group.

Participant 2: Unfortunately, I see it differently. I think that we are not focused enough on younger customers. Our advertising is not reaching the 25-34 age group, and we need to update our advertising channels.

Chair: What do you think about this point, Bob?

Bob: That’s a great point about the wrong channels. However, I think we need to focus more on our older customers.

Chair: Is there anything else anyone would like to add?

Participant 1: I understand, are you willing to compromise? We can try the same marketing campaign we have been using for the younger group, but instead target it at the 35-40 age group. We can test that and see what results we get.

Participant 2: That sounds like a great idea.

Chair: Great. Well I’m afraid we have run out of time for today. Before we go, let me summarize the main points …

Chair: Let’s focus our attention on completing the campaign in two weeks. Bob, would you mind taking care of setting up the new marketing campaign by Monday? Thank you all for coming.

—

Did you see how the phrases from the table above were used in the conversation?

Why not download the meetings phraselist and place it side by side on your screen with the conversation above, or even print it out.

Now re-read the conversation and try to match the phrases on the list with how they are used in the example conversation.

Conclusion

Being in a business meeting with English speakers doesn’t have to be scary if you understand what phrases are important and what phrases to avoid.

Remember, you don’t need to know everything in this article right now. Review the most important phrases first, and then slowly build up your knowledge.

Not only will your boss appreciate how well you run meetings, but the people who are in the meeting will as well.

Are there any important phrases that are missing from the list above? What worries you the most about meetings? How did your last meeting in English go? Let us know in the comments below!