The official language of international business is English. To compete effectively in the workplace, individuals need to improve their competence and fluency, Meeting are a crucial component of this new workplace and people need to build good communication skills for them.
In our fast-paced international economy, knowing the right words, vocabulary and conversational tone to use during a workplace meeting cn help with career advancement.
For a business meeting, this article discusses iportant communication skills, including useful words, vocabulary, and terminology. You will strengthen your ability to chair meeting and make presentations in the workplace.
LEADING A MEETING IN ENGLISH
It ‘s crucial that you ask everyone to introduce themselves while leading a meeting and have a brief meeting agenda. In the following ways, a formal business meeting may begin:
Introducing yourself
You can start to welcome your attendes in the meeting with a simple salutation, using phrases like:
- “Good morning / afternoon”
- “Let’s begin”
- “I’d like to welcome everyone”
- “Since everyone is here, let’s get started”
- “I’d like to thank everyone for coming today”
After greeting them, introduce yourself:
- “I’m [your name]. I’ll keep this meeting brief as I know you’re all busy people”
- “I’m [your name] and I arranged this meeting because…”
Asking others to introduce themselves
It’s crucial that perople attending the meeting are well-acquainted with each other for effective discussion during the meeting. In the following ways, the one leading the meeting might ask everyone to present themselves:
- “Let’s go around the table and introduce ourselves, [name] do you want to start?”
- “Let’s introduce ourselves quickly – please state your name, job title and why you are here”
Ideally, you want people to say their name, position in the company, and reason for being at the meeting. At the meeting, this will help to guide any discussions.
Setting the agenda
Additionally, starting the meeting by clearly outlining the agenda and the main objectives of the meeting is crucial. With the following phrases, the objectives can be stated:
- “I’ve called this meeting in order to”
- “We’re here today to discuss”
- “There are [number] items on the agenda. First…”
- “Today I would like to outline our plans for”
Defining action points bto be completed before the next meeting
When the meeting has finished, give an overview of what needs to be completed before the next meeting. Use the following phrases:
- “[Name], can you have these action points finished by next week’s meeting?”
- “Before the next meeting, I want [action point] completed so we can discuss the results”
- “By the next meeting, we’ll have [action point] in progress”
GETTING INVOLVED IN A MEETING
Once you do not understand what has been said, of if there is disagreement, active involvement in the meeting is expressed by raising questions and interrupting the presenter politely. Showing that you are actively interseted in the meeting is a wise practice.
How to interrupt politely
If you accidentally speak over someone or have something to add to what is being said, you can interrupt with the following phrases:
- “Sorry, but just to clarify”
- “Sorry I didn’t quite hear that, can you say it again?”
- “That’s an excellent point [person’s name], what about doing [action point] as well?”
- “From our departments perspective, it’s a little more complicated. Let me explain”
You can also use phrase such as:
- “Excuse me for interrupting”
- “I’ve never thought about it that way before. How does it affect [this point]”
Asking Questions
There 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:
- “Can you repeat that please?”
- “Can you run that by me one more time?”
- “Can you repeat that in a simplified way?”
For clarification the following phrases should be used:
- “I don’t fully understand what you mean. Could you explain it from a different angle?”
- “Could you explain to me how that is going to work?”
- “Just to be clear, do you mean this [repeat the explained point in the way you understand it]”
The person leading the meeting or giving the presentation can also ask:
- “Are there any more comments?”
- “What do you think about this proposal?”
- “Are there any areas of this project we are not thinking about?”
PRESENTING AT A MEETING
During 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 topic
The presentation should begin by introducing its purpose with phrases such as:
- “Thank you for getting here on time. Today we’re here to discuss”
- “We’re here to discuss the progress on [name of project] project”
- “Due to issues identified in [project name], we’re here to come up with a quick resolution”
The presenter can also outline the presentation procedure to ensure clarity, with the phrases such as:
- “We’re going to run through the main points of the agenda”
- “The presentation will cover these [number of points] topics”
Concluding your presentation
The 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:
- “To summarize then, let me just run through what we’ve agreed here”
- “Before we end, let me just summarize the three main points”
- “To sum up what I’ve presented”
- “That brings me to the end of my presentation, thank you for listening”
Answering Questions
The presentation can also end by requesting input or feedback from the participants, if any. The following phrases will be useful for such situations:
- “Any final thoughts before we close the meeting?”
- “If you have further questions or want to discuss any of it in more detail, we can meet privately or you can send me an email [have email address on the final presentation slide]”
- “I’d like to thank everyone for sharing their time today and any feedback would be valuable”
- “So do we think this is the correct way to proceed?”
- “Are there any objections to what I covered?”
Additional Business Meeting Phrases
Aside form 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:
- “Can we come back to that point later? Let me just finish what I was saying”
- “Can I just finish making my point?”
Likewise, apologise for being late by saying:
- “Excuse me for being late, I was”
- “Sorry for not getting here on time, I was”
Some useful negotiation phrases during a meeting:
- “I hear what you’re saying, however our senior manager is very clear on this one”
- “I understand that we can’t do that, but can we discuss some other alternatives?”
- “I agree with what you are saying, however have you considered [different method]?”
- “How about this as an alternative [proceed to explain your alternative method]”
If you want to leave a meeting early, gather your stuff quietly and politely excuse yourself by saying:
- “Excuse me, unfortunately I have to leave early. I need to be [briefly explain where you need to be]”
- “I’ve got to shoot off, I’ve got overlapping meetings”
- “Sorry I’m going to have to leave now, [reason for leaving early]“
You can plan a future meeting by saying:
- “I’d like to set up a meeting with you at your earliest convenience. When are you free?”
- “I’d love to continue this conversation at a second meeting, when are you next free?”
- “We haven’t covered everything we needed to, shall we set up another meeting?”
When the meeting is on a tight schedule and the discussion is dragging on, you can use these phrases:
- “I’m afraid that’s outside the scope of this meeting”
- “Why don’t we return to the main agenda of today’s meeting”
- “We’ve gone slightly off topic, let us get back to [main agenda]”