Topic 1
Topic of the meeting
Meeting to organize campus related activities with Mitsuko Uchida
other than her concerts.
Define the agenda (points discussed during the meeting and
approximative time to deal with each issue).
Ex: item 1 introduced by Andrew: Who is Mitsuko Uchida?
Item 2: ….
Once each item has been discussed, the chairperson should entrust one of the
members with this item to ensure action items are successfully completed and
being actively worked on.
More importantly, however, the chairperson should ensure that meeting minutes
and a meeting recap is sent to all members.
This meeting recap will discuss and recap what was agreed upon during the
meeting.
It will also identify which members have certain action and to-do items for the
following meetings.
Roles of the members of the meeting
Complete any necessary preparation
Arrive on time
Come ready to discuss findings
Listen and respond to the participation of other members
Avoid and resolve any conflicts which may occur
Ask and answer any questions
Take notes
Come with follow-ups from the previous meeting
After the meeting, complete any items which you’re responsible for.
Starting the meeting:
let’s get down to business/ I think we should make a start/ shall we get started…
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…
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?
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 finish 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
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).
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).
.
Videos: Professional English Vocabulary: Meetings – YouTube
10 Essential Verbs for Meetings - Business English Vocabulary - YouTube
