February 17, 2018 - Dom Barnard - 6 min read
English is the major language of international business. Individuals need to increase their competence and fluency in order to remain competitive in the workplace. Meetings are a key part of this modern workplace and individuals need to develop effective communication skills for them. Understanding the right phrases, language and conversational tone to use during a workplace meeting will help with career progression in our fast-paced international economy. This article covers essential communication skills for a business meeting, including useful phrases, vocabulary and terminology. You’ll improve your ability to lead meetings and deliver workplace presentations. Leading a meeting in EnglishWhen leading a meeting, it’s important you ask everyone to introduce themselves and provide a brief meeting agenda. A formal business meeting could start in the following ways: Introducing yourselfYou’ll want to start the meeting by welcoming your attendees and introducing yourself. You can start with a simple greeting, using phrases such as:
After greeting them, introduce yourself:
Asking others to introduce themselvesFor effective discussion during the meeting, it’s essential that individuals attending the meeting are well-acquainted with each other. The person leading the meeting could ask everyone to introduce themselves in the following ways:
You ideally want people to say their name, position in the company and reason for being at the meeting. This will help guide any discussions during the meeting. Build Career Skills OnlineFast-track your career with award-winning courses and realistic practice. Start a Free TrialSetting the agendaLikewise, it is important to start the meeting by outlining the agenda clearly and the key objectives of the meeting. The objectives can be stated with the following phrases:
Defining action points to be completed before the next meetingWhen the meeting has finished, give an overview of what needs to be completed before the next meeting. Use the following phrases:
Getting involved in meetingsActive participation in the meeting is reflected by asking questions and interrupting the presenter politely if you do not understand what is being said, or if there is agreement / disagreement. It is a good idea to show that you are actively involved in the meeting.
How to interrupt politelyIf you accidentally speak over someone or have something to add to what is being said, you can interrupt with the following phrases:
You can also use phrase such as:
Asking questionsThere are many different ways to ask questions during the meeting. The following phrases are suitable when asking for someone to repeat what they have said:
For clarification the following phrases should be used:
The person leading the meeting or giving the presentation can also ask:
Presenting at a meetingDuring the presentation, it’s important to engage your audience and clearly set out the structure of your presentation. You can use the following expressions to achieve this:
Introducing your topicThe presentation should begin by introducing its purpose with phrases such as:
The presenter can also outline the presentation procedure to ensure clarity, with the phrases such as:
Build Career Skills OnlineFast-track your career with award-winning courses and realistic practice. Start a Free TrialConcluding your presentationThe presentation should end by briefly going over the key messages and action points again. The conclusion should ensure that the individuals present in the meeting leave with a clear idea about the next steps. It’s also polite to thank the audience for attending. The concluding phrases could be:
Answering questionsThe presentation can also end by requesting input or feedback from the participants and answering their questions, if any. The following phrases will be useful for such situations:
Additional business meeting phrasesAside from the typical benefits, clear communication is required to hold off an interruption, delegate tasks, confirm decisions, apologise for being late, or excuse you early from a meeting. The following phrases will prove useful for such situations and will help ensure a productive meeting. When holding off an interruption, you can say:
Likewise, apologise for being late by saying:
Some useful negotiation phrases during a meeting:
If you want to leave a meeting early, gather your stuff quietly and politely excuse yourself by saying:
You can plan a future meeting by saying:
When the meeting is on a tight schedule and the discussion is dragging on, you can use these phrases:
Learn more English for the workplace with our Learn English for Business immersive course, where you can practice what you learn in online exercises.
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来自: Tracyhoe > 《Meeting English》