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Business English phrases for meetings. Meetings play a very big part in the business world. During meetings, important decisions are made, people are promoted, demoted, hired or even fired! The future of companies is predicted, business tactics are analysed, competitors are targeted and strategies are planned. A lot of time is spent organising, attending, hosting and holding meetings, so understanding your position in the meeting and knowing how to provide input is essential. In this post, I will aim to provide all the valuable information you need to be equipped with when you enter that meeting room. Useful English Phrases For Running A Business Meeting 1. SAMPLE PHRASES FOR GETTING STARTED ?? WELCOMING ?? MAKING INTRODUCTIONS AND APOLOGIES
2. PHRASES TO USE FOR OUTLINING PRINCIPAL OBJECTIVES AND INTRODUCING THE AGENDA
FOLLOWING THE AGENDA All the attendees should somehow see or receive a copy of the agenda, whether this is handed out to individuals on paper, shown on an overhead projector screen or written on a board in the meeting room. All the attendees should be able to follow the agenda as the meeting progresses, be fully aware of which topic is being discussed and what stage the meeting is at. Before beginning the first item on the agenda, it is also customary to outline the principal objectives and provide a brief verbal outline of the agenda.
3. PHRASES TO USE FOR KEEPING THE MEETING IN AN EFFECTIVE FLOW
WATCHING THE TIME (Staying on track or getting back on track) As I mentioned before, this is usually the main issue with meetings and the thing that attendees would be most likely to complain about. A successful meeting is one that starts and finishes at the allotted time, with all the points on the agenda fully covered. It is the host’s (or chairperson’s) responsibility to ensure that the meeting does not go off topic, and that it stays within a suitable timeframe.
4. ASKING FOR OR OFFERING SUGGESTIONS OR FEEDBACK
Attendees will generally be asked to provide input by giving their opinion, making comments or suggestions, providing feedback or asking questions. It can sometimes be hard to have your say if many people would like to comment at the same time. 5. ASKING FOR CLARIFICATION (When you don’t understand something)
If you do not understand what is being said by someone in particular, instead of just letting it pass by, you should ask for clarification to ensure that you are on the same page (that you understand), because they may be talking about something that will also affect you!
6. BRING THE MEETING TO A CLOSE (Ending the meeting)
Once all the topics on the agenda have been covered, it is time to adjourn (end) the meeting. If the meeting is running over time, then it may be necessary to skip (not discuss) any less important topics, and end the meeting once all the main topics have been covered. Sometimes, a meeting may even finish early, if everything is covered ahead of time! You should always end the meeting by summarising the main points or decisions made (if needed) and thanking everyone for coming. This could also be the time to make any last minute remarks or reminders, or say a special thanks or congratulations to anyone. 7. CALLING A MEETING (Organising and hosting a meeting) If you feel there is something that needs to be discussed amongst the team, you may want to ‘call a meeting’, or you may be ‘called to a meeting’ by another colleague or superior. Meetings can be announced verbally in small teams, posted on bulletin boards or (most commonly these days) attendees are invited by email. If a verbal announcement is made, it should always be followed up by written confirmation. When contacting the prospective attendees, it is important to mention the time, date, place and topic/purpose of the meeting. If you are expecting to cover many topics, you should also send out an agenda (list of topics that will be discussed) so the attendees know what to expect and can prepare any questions, comments or information they would like to add to each point. Likewise, if you are called to a meeting and would like to prepare beforehand, don’t be afraid to ask the host (or chairperson) for a copy of the agenda! If anyone is expected to ‘have the floor’ (host a part of the meeting) or provide specific information, then don’t forget to notify them in person (or by phone if they’re not nearby!) of their duty, so they have time to prepare.
SAMPLE EMAIL FOR CALLING A MEETING: To: jennys4@abc.com; sarahj2@abc.com; michaelk5@abc.com; peterw2@abc.com; Good Afternoon Everyone, There will be a meeting next week Thursday (26th) at 3pm in Room 5C. All staff in the marketing team are expected to attend, as we will be discussing our strategy for the next quarter. We’re having this meeting earlier than usual due to the sudden surge of popularity surrounding our latest product. Please come prepared with ideas, queries, suggestions for further promotions and any questions, as we will not have time to discuss this during peak time. Please expect the meeting to last approximately 3 hours. Yours,
8. WRITING AN AGENDA (Preparing the itinerary/topics for discussion during the meeting) One common issue that occurs with meetings is that they tend to run over the allocated time. If the attendees are told to keep 1 hour free for the meeting but are then occupied for 2.5 hours, then not only are they neglecting other important work, but it could also be very costly for the company. One popular idiom to describe this would be ‘Time is money’ . If carefully organised and appropriately hosted, then a meeting CAN run smoothly. Having clear aims, setting time limits per topic, sticking to the agenda, and knowing how to ‘get back on track’ are key components of an effective meeting. The attendees will be more likely to provide input by asking questions and offering feedback if they know what to expect.
SAMPLE AGENDA MEETING AGENDA Marketing Strategy for Quarter 2 – Thursday 26thFebruary – Room 5C 15:00 – Welcome / Introduction / Refreshments 15:20 – Minutes from previous meeting 15:30 – Quarter 1 so far – Presentation by Dominic 16:00 – Positive effects of latest product 16:20 – Issues and limitations 16:40 – Feedback from last quarter 17:00 – New ideas for Q2* 17:45 – Media attention / expectations 18:00 – Questions / Reminders / AOB** * Q2 is short for Quarter 2 i.e. the second quarter of the year (April to June).
9. SAMPLE PERSONAL REQUEST
ALLOCATING ROLES (Assigning specific duties to other members of staff) The person hosting the meeting may decide to allocate roles to other staff, such as taking minutes during the meeting (keeping a record of who attends and what is discussed), speaking about a certain subject, providing figures or data on a specific topic. If you are allocated a role by the meeting host, then remember to ask questions about anything you don’t understand, rather than guessing…because it’ll be too late to prepare again once the meeting has begun! If you are hosting the meeting and would like to allocate a role to someone, remember to give them plenty of notice so they can prepare what you have asked them to do. Also, ask them if they are able to take on this role before you announce to everyone that they will be doing it, just in case they cannot.
10. TAKING THE MINUTES This usually consists of keeping a list of the attendee’s names, and recording everything that is discussed, in case it needs to be discussed again or reviewed in the future. Generally, someone who is not participating in the meeting would be called upon to be the minute-taker, but anyone may be assigned this responsibility, so it is good to be ready for it, in case your manager asks you to do it. Before the meeting begins, the minute-taker should obtain a copy of the previous (related) meeting’s minutes, a copy of the agenda for the new meeting and have a list of who is supposed to be attending, to hand. If you are not familiar with taking minutes, then it may be good to have an outline before going into the meeting to help guide you through everything that needs to be recorded. A standard outline should include:
SAMPLE MINUTES OUTLINE: MARKETING STRATEGY FOR QUARTER 2 Start Time:________ End Time:________ Meeting hosted by: _________________ Attendee Name: Signature: Main topics on the agenda:
Notes:….. The minute-taker can choose to record the meeting on paper (handwritten) or on a computer (typed up), whichever you feel more comfortable with. You will more than likely be asked to type the minutes up later, so that it can be stored electronically and sent around to all the attendees after the meeting – this should be done immediately after the meeting so that you don’t forget any of the points that were mentioned (even your own scribbled notes can seem hard to understand after a while)! Many people who are very familiar with minute-taking tend to use shorthand writing, which enables you to write a lot quicker and keep up with the discussion. If you are called upon to take minutes on a regular basis, then it may be worth learning how to do shorthand writing! Remember, you do not need to record every single word that is spoken! Only a brief outline of what is discussed, and all significant points that are made by any of the participants. For example, if someone mentions an issue that needs to be dealt with, something positive that is working really well, and any feedback or suggestions. Any key points surrounding the main topics of the meeting should definitely be recorded, as well as any votes or decisions. It is, sometimes, also important to record who said what, for this reason, the minute-taker should know the names of the attendees. If you don’t know their names, you should make a note of their seating position and ask their names at the end of the meeting. If the meeting is with a very large number of people who are not known to one another then, generally, it is customary for them to introduce themselves (mention their name or company name) before they say anything else.
11. OPENING A MEETING (Starting the meeting) At the start, while the attendees are arriving, having refreshments or getting settled into their seats, it is polite to make small talk with others (polite conversation about unimportant or uncontroversial matters). This usually fills any awkward silences while people are waiting to begin. Once everyone has arrived, the person hosting the meeting should formally welcome everyone to the meeting, and thank them for coming. If there is a new person in the meeting, or a guest attendee who does not know the others, this would be the best time to make introductions. Followed by the roll call (checking to see if all the attendees are there) and any apologies that need to be made on behalf of an important figure or a regular attendee who couldn’t make it. If the meeting is a small group then roll call is usually not necessary, as the person taking the minutes will be able to make a note of who was there. In a larger meeting, or one with guests whose names are not known, an attendance sheet should be sent around.
So, now you should be able to successfully call a meeting, write an agenda, assign roles to others, take minutes, open a meeting, stay on track and close a meeting! I hope the information provided in this blog helps you to feel more confident when you enter a meeting room, knowing that you are armed with all the main phrases that you may need to use.
If you think there is anything else that should be included in this blog about meetings, then please let me know! |
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