English for Meetings

In this instalment of English for Meetings, we will look at how to share your ideas. You may notice how when you speak in your native language, you have a million ways to give an opinion or suggestion, but in English, you always say “I think”, or “in my opinion”.  In this session you will…

You are now an expert at conducting a meeting in English….. almost.  There is one last piece of the puzzle to consider: the ending.  After you have completed the agenda, reached consensus and achieved your goals, how do you end?  “goodbye”   “see ya later”   “the end”???  Not quite. Here are a few English expressions that…

Disagreeing is not the only tricky part of a meeting.  Interruptions are also difficult to manage as is the flow of the meeting.  In this section of English for meetings, you will learn how to keep the communication flowing.  Stopping interruptions When someone interrupts another participant in your meeting, you might need to step in…

Starting a meeting Let’s start on the right foot. After everyone has arrived, the chairperson should officially start the meeting. There are a few simple ways to do this that are natural and friendly: Ok everyone, let’s get started. Ok, shall we start? Right, let’s begin. Can we start, please? Let’s start with … Welcoming…

Disagreeing Strongly Disagreeing in a meeting can be like walking through a minefield.  In an English meeting you might find yourself often saying ‘no’, or ‘I disagree’.  This language is strong and final, and has its function and place. Here are a few more examples of how to disagree strongly I totally disagree I couldn’t…