{"id":1199,"date":"2018-02-17T11:34:00","date_gmt":"2018-02-17T11:34:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/virtualspeech.co\/?p=1199"},"modified":"2025-10-04T10:20:38","modified_gmt":"2025-10-04T10:20:38","slug":"english-phrases-workplace-meeting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/blog\/english-phrases-workplace-meeting","title":{"rendered":"Common business English phrases for a workplace meeting"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>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&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/blog\/verbal-communication-skills\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">effective communication skills<\/a>&nbsp;for them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This article covers essential communication skills for a business meeting, including useful phrases, vocabulary and terminology. You\u2019ll improve your ability to lead meetings and deliver workplace presentations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Leading a meeting in English<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>When leading a meeting, it\u2019s important you ask everyone to introduce themselves and provide a brief&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vertex42.com\/WordTemplates\/meeting-agenda.html\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">meeting agenda<\/a>. A formal business meeting could start in the following ways:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introducing yourself<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>You\u2019ll want to start the meeting by welcoming your attendees and introducing yourself. You can start with a simple greeting, using phrases such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cGood morning \/ afternoon\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cLet\u2019s begin\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI\u2019d like to welcome everyone\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cSince everyone is here, let\u2019s get started\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI\u2019d like to thank everyone for coming today\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>After greeting them, introduce yourself:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI\u2019m [your name]. I\u2019ll keep this meeting brief as I know you\u2019re all busy people\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI\u2019m [your name] and I arranged this meeting because\u2026\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Asking others to introduce themselves<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For effective discussion during the meeting, it\u2019s 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cLet\u2019s go around the table and introduce ourselves, [name] do you want to start?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cLet\u2019s introduce ourselves quickly &#8211; please state your name, job title and why you are here\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Setting the agenda<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, 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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI&#8217;ve called this meeting in order to\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWe\u2019re here today to discuss\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cThere are [number] items on the agenda. First\u2026\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cToday I would like to outline our plans for\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Defining action points to be completed before the next meeting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>When the meeting has finished, give an overview of what needs to be completed before the next meeting. Use the following phrases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201c[Name], can you have these action points finished by next week\u2019s meeting?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cBefore the next meeting, I want [action point] completed so we can discuss the results\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cBy the next meeting, we\u2019ll have [action point] in progress\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Getting involved in meetings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Active 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&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.teachingenglish.org.uk\/article\/meetings-2-getting-involved-meetings\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">involved in the meeting<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-embed-handler wp-block-embed-embed-handler wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Roleplay with AI in Different Languages (Spanish, French, German, and more)\" width=\"1220\" height=\"686\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/EwbQhnb3Ff8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Discover how our&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">VR training<\/a>&nbsp;can level up your language skills.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to interrupt politely<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>If you accidentally speak over someone or have something to add to what is being said, you can interrupt with the following phrases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cSorry, but just to clarify\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cSorry I didn\u2019t quite hear that, can you say it again?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cThat\u2019s an excellent point [person\u2019s name], what about doing [action point] as well?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cFrom our departments perspective, it\u2019s a little more complicated. Let me explain\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You can also use phrase such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cExcuse me for interrupting\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI&#8217;ve never thought about it that way before. How does it affect [this point]\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Asking questions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>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:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cCan you repeat that please?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cCan you run that by me one more time?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cCan you repeat that in a simplified way?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>For clarification the following phrases should be used:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI don&#8217;t fully understand what you mean. Could you explain it from a different angle?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cCould you explain to me how that is going to work?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cJust to be clear, do you mean this [repeat the explained point in the way you understand it]\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The person leading the meeting or giving the presentation can also ask:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cAre there any more comments?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWhat do you think about this proposal?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cAre there any areas of this project we are not thinking about?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Presenting at a meeting<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>During the presentation, it\u2019s important to engage your audience and clearly set out the structure of your presentation. You can use the following expressions to achieve this:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image is-resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vs-static.virtualspeech.com\/img\/blog\/leader_presentation_with_team.jpg\" alt=\"Presenting at a meeting in English\" style=\"aspect-ratio:1.8911174785100286;width:840px;height:auto\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Introducing your topic<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The presentation should begin by introducing its purpose with phrases such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cThank you for getting here on time. Today we\u2019re here to discuss\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWe\u2019re here to discuss the progress on [name of project] project\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cDue to issues identified in [project name], we\u2019re here to come up with a quick resolution\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>The presenter can also outline the presentation procedure to ensure clarity, with the phrases such as:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cWe\u2019re going to run through the main points of the agenda\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cThe presentation will cover these [number of points] topics\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Concluding your presentation<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>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\u2019s also polite to thank the audience for attending.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The concluding phrases could be:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cTo summarize then, let me just run through what we\u2019ve agreed here\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cBefore we end, let me just summarize the three main points\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cTo sum up what I\u2019ve presented\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cThat brings me to the end of my presentation, thank you for listening\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Answering questions<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>The presentation can also end by requesting input or feedback from the participants and&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/blog\/guide-for-handling-questions-after-a-presentation\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">answering their questions<\/a>, if any. The following phrases will be useful for such situations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cAny final thoughts before we close the meeting?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cIf 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]\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI\u2019d like to thank everyone for sharing their time today and any feedback would be valuable\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cSo do we think this is the correct way to proceed?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cAre there any objections to what I covered?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Additional business meeting phrases<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Aside 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When holding off an interruption, you can say:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cCan we come back to that point later? Let me just finish what I was saying\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cCan I just finish making my point?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Likewise, apologise for being late by saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cExcuse me for being late, I was\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cSorry for not getting here on time, I was\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Some useful negotiation phrases during a meeting:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI hear what you\u2019re saying, however our senior manager is very clear on this one\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI understand that we can\u2019t do that, but can we discuss some other alternatives?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI agree with what you are saying, however have you considered [different method]?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cHow about this as an alternative [proceed to explain your alternative method]\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>If you want to leave a meeting early, gather your stuff quietly and politely excuse yourself by saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cExcuse me, unfortunately I have to leave early. I need to be [briefly explain where you need to be]\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI\u2019ve got to shoot off, I\u2019ve got overlapping meetings\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cSorry I\u2019m going to have to leave now, [reason for leaving early]\u201c<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>You can plan a future meeting by saying:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI\u2019d like to set up a meeting with you at your earliest convenience. When are you free?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cI\u2019d love to continue this conversation at a second meeting, when are you next free?\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWe haven\u2019t covered everything we needed to, shall we set up another meeting?\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>When the meeting is on a tight schedule and the discussion is dragging on, you can use these phrases:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>\u201cI&#8217;m afraid that&#8217;s outside the scope of this meeting\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWhy don&#8217;t we return to the main agenda of today&#8217;s meeting\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>\u201cWe\u2019ve gone slightly off topic, let us get back to [main agenda]\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Learn more English for the workplace with our&nbsp;<a target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/courses\/english-for-business\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Learn English for Business<\/a>&nbsp;immersive course, where you can practice what you learn in online exercises.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Meetings are an essential part of the modern workplace. Understanding the right phrases, vocabulary and terminology to use in an English business meeting can help your career progression in our highly competitive workplace environment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":1200,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1199","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-career-and-workplace"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1199","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1199"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1199\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4557,"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1199\/revisions\/4557"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1200"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1199"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1199"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/virtualspeech.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1199"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}