English for business online and in person meetings

English for business meeting

1. Business Meetings

2. Online Meetings

3. USEFUL WORDS Video conference Host Participants Camera on C amera off Adjust volume Turn Microphone on Turn Microphone off (mute ) Share screen Poll Turn up the volume Turn down the volume Chat Record the session

4. Welcoming phrases Welcome, everyone. Today’s meeting is about… Welcome to today’s meeting. These are the issues that we want to talk about.  Welcome, everyone. This is our agenda. Welcome, everyone. The purpose of today’s meeting is… Welcome, everyone. The meeting today is going to last no more than an hour. Welcome, everyone. Thank you all for attending (at such short notice).

5. Other phrases to start a meeting Are we good to go? Is everybody ready to start? Let’s get the meeting started. Ok, let’s get started, shall we? Ok, let’s kick off (start). Let’s get the ball rolling   (get the ball rolling = begin). Today, we are going to start off by looking at  (start off = begin).

6. Tell the person what you’re doing Let me share my screen with you. Can I share my screen with you? I’m going to share my screen / desktop. I’m going to pull up my presentation. Can you see what I’m showing you? Do you want me to make it bigger?

7. Interrupting an online meeting Sorry, would you mind if I asked a question? Just to clarify are you saying that… Could I interrupt you for a minute? Would you mind if I jumped in there, please? Would you mind if I butted in?  (American English) Can I stop you for just one minute, please? One minute please, it seems we haven’t discussed…

8. Asking for clarification Could you speak more slowly, please Could you repeat/explain that again? Could you repeat that last bit, please? Could you speak up please  (a little louder) ? I didn’t get that I am sorry could you say it again?

9. Technical issues I am having trouble hearing you. I think I may have a problem with the connection. The screen is blank. The screen is frozen / You’re frozen. The image and sound are out of sync. You’re breaking up a little bit. There’s a bit of an echo on the line.

10. Summarizing and closing a meeting Let’s move on to the next item Moving on, let’s take a look at the item number… Let’s pencil in another meeting for next Wednesday. What have we done so far? What have we covered so far? In summary, we’re going to… This is what we’ve agreed on… I think we can leave this here for today. I think this is a good place to leave things today. We can pick this up again tomorrow/next week/on Wednesday.

11. In-person Meetings

12. Meeting Vocabulary Agenda:  a list of topics or issues to be discussed in a meeting. Usually, it is sent to participants before the meeting and repeated once more while opening the meeting. Chairperson/Chair:  the person who leads or prescribes the meeting. Minutes:  the official written record of the meeting, which includes key decisions and action items. To convene:  to gather for a meeting. To schedule:  to arrange a meeting for a specific  time and place . RSVP :  an abbreviation for the French phrase " répondez s'il vous plaît ", which means "please respond". It's often used to ask invitees to confirm their attendance. Venue:  the place where the meeting is to be held. Invitee:  a person who is invited to a meeting. Stand-up meeting:  a short meeting where participants typically remain standing to promote efficiency. Webinar:  a seminar conducted over the internet, often for educational or informative purposes. Doodle poll:  a tool used to schedule meetings based on participants' availability.

13. Phrases for opening meeting “Welcome to the meeting! It's great to see such commitment and enthusiasm.” “ I appreciate your presence and active participation in today's meeting. Let's begin by addressing the first item on our agenda." " I trust everyone had a chance to review the pre-meeting materials. Let's jump right into discussing our action points." " As we start, I'd like to remind everyone that our main goal for today's meeting is..." " I'm glad we're all here today. Let's use our time effectively and ensure we cover all the points on our agenda." "Before we get started, I'd like to welcome our new team members. We're thrilled to have you with us." – " Good [morning/afternoon], everyone. Let's start off with some good news..." " Let's begin by taking a moment to celebrate our recent wins. This will help set the stage for our discussion today

14. During the meeting Quorum:  the minimum number of members who must be present for the meeting's decisions to be valid. Motion:  a formal proposal put to a vote. Adjourn:  to officially end the meeting. A.O.B. (Any Other Business):  a term used towards the end of a meeting to allow participants to raise additional topics. Consensus:  general agreement among the meeting participants. Unanimous:  a decision or vote where every member agrees. Point of order:  an interjection to question the process, usually when someone believes the rules of the meeting are not being followed.

15. Seconded:  a term used when another member supports a motion proposed by someone else. Open floor:  a term used when all participants are invited to speak or share their ideas. Off the record:  a comment or discussion that is not to be officially recorded or publicly reported. Roll call:  the reading out of names to record attendance. Interruptions: breaking the continuous course of a speech or action of (someone), typically with a comment or question. Parking lot:  a term for a list of issues to be revisited at a later time.

16. Post meeting Action item:  a task assigned during the meeting to a participant. Follow-up:  additional activities or tasks that need to be done after the meeting. Minutes:  a record of the meeting, noting decisions, action items, and other important points. Deadline:  the date or time by which something must be completed. To recap/Recap:  a brief summary or review of the main points of the meeting. Next steps:  the tasks that will be undertaken following the meeting. To delegate:  to assign responsibility or authority. Wrap up:  to conclude or finish something, like a meeting or a topic within a meeting. Takeaway:  a key point to be remembered or learned from a meeting. To disseminate:  to distribute or spread information widely. Status update:  a report on the current state of a project or task.

17. Additional meeting vocabulary Stakeholder :  a person, group, or organization that has an interest or concern in an organization or project. Facilitator:  Someone who helps guide the meeting, often keeping the discussion on track and ensuring everyone has a chance to speak. Scribe:  the person responsible for taking the minutes of the meeting. Round-robin:  a meeting style where each participant takes turns speaking. Brainstorming:  a meeting or part of a meeting devoted to generating ideas or solutions to a problem. Breakout session:  a smaller, more focused discussion within a larger meeting. Straw poll:  an informal vote taken to see how the members feel about an issue or decision.

18. Gantt chart:  a visual representation of a project schedule, showing tasks, durations, and dependencies. Moderator:  a person who presides over a meeting and ensures that rules are followed. Ice breaker:  an activity or question designed to ease tension and promote open communication at the start of a meeting. Hard stop:  a strict end time for the meeting, beyond which it cannot continue. Hybrid meeting:  a meeting where some participants are physically present, and others join remotely.

19. Further vocabularies and phrases Pencil you in Postpone Apology Attend Follow-up emails Extend a warm regard Thanks for your input The connection cut out or you froze.

20. Dating behaviours

21. Dating etiquette What is it?

22. Examples Say: Where are you from? Don’t Say: Those people are rich. Those people are big. Response: America. That’s a great country.

23. Examples Say: Where do you work? Don’t Say: How much do you make. Response: Apple. That’s a great job/ it’s interesting.

24. Examples Say: You look beautiful. You look handsome. Don’t Say: Wow, you’re small.

25. Examples Say: I hope to know you better. I like you. (China) Don’t Say: I love you.

26. Examples Say: Where have you traveled recently? Don’t Say: That’s a weird country

27. Table etiquette

28. Business launch and dinner 1. When you sit down, if you do not have everything you need, how do you ask for what you need? Give me? No, May I have a fork, a napkin, a spoon ….. 2. Utensils or silverware or cutlery. a) Knife  butter knife steak knife

29. Spoon Tea spoon Serving spoon

30. Fork

31. Table manner

32. Relative emails

33. تایید وقت ملاقات It was good to make your acquaintance last week. We look forward to meeting with you again on Monday, January 3, at 9:00 a.m. to discuss the terms of our licensing agreement. We will meet in John Doe's office at 1600 Main Street. Until then, please call Jane, our administrative assistant, at 555-5555 if you need more information. We are optimistic about what we can accomplish together.

34. تایید وقت ملاقات I am writing to confirm my appointment with you made over the phone the other day. We agreed meet in your office on May 6, at 9:30 p.m. Please complete the fact finder I have enclosed so that our meeting will be productive. If you have any question regarding our appointment or the fact finder, please call me. I look forward to meeting you.

35. تشکر بابت پیشنهاد یا توصیه Thank you for your suggestion on how to make our deliveries more efficient during the meeting. I agree that we should begin using an electronic scheduling system. It is apparent that you have thought a lot about implementing such a system, and I would like to talk with you about it. I have forwarded this message to my secretary who will call you for an appointment. Thanks again for your message. The ideas and suggestions of innovative, thinking people are always welcome.

36. تشکر بابت پیشنهاد یا توصیه Thank you for your letter suggesting improvements and additions to our monthly catalog. This is exactly the kind of input we need to better serve our members' needs. I am sending your comments directly to the department manager. We welcome your involvement and will certainly consider implementing your ideas in future publications. The Doe Company is committed to providing members with the services they need to make shopping by mail easy and worthwhile. As members continue to express their preferences, we will be able to respond with expanded and improved services.

37. یادآوری برگزاری مهمانی This memo is to remind you of the Career Open House scheduled for April 2 in the main lobby reception area of the first-floor plaza. Company representatives will be on hand to talk with visiting college seniors and answer their questions about career possibilities with Gilbert Gas. If you know of college seniors interested in our company, please feel free to invite them. Although this event is not open to present employees, a similar presentation to meet your career development needs will be scheduled later in the summer.

38. تغییر بازدید از شرکت I am writing in connection with my forthcoming visit to your company and my letters of 12 and 13 January. Unfortunately, I will not be in Hong Kong until 13 March because all the flights before that are full. Would it be convenient to meet you on 13 March at 11.00 a.m.? I would also be very grateful if you could recommend a good hotel in Hong Kong to me. I look forward to hearing from you soon. Yours faithfully

39. اعلام برگزاری جلسه شرکت به سهامداران Dear shareholders The annual meeting of Varlco Incorporated will be held on Wednesday, May 6, 2017, beginning at 12:00 noon in the Congress Room of the Artral Hotel located at 3100 Breckenridge, Building 6, Duluth, Georgia. The meeting is being held for the following purposes: •  To consider amending investment advisory agreements •  To propose a distribution-of-funds plan •  To review compensation of senior executives •  To transact other business that may properly come before the meeting If you are unable to attend the meeting, please promptly sign and return the enclosed proxy. Thank you. We look forward to meeting you on May 6. Yours truly,

40. درخواست جهت ملاقات Dear Ms. Montgomery: I will be in Lincoln on February 3 and would like to meet with you at your office to discuss cleaning supplies you may need in the second half of the year. I have enclosed our latest catalog. Please note the items in yellow highlight. They are special values or new products that A-1 Cleaners will want to take advantage of now. I will contact you later this week to schedule an appointment. If you need to get in touch with me, call me at 800-555-9047. I look forward to talking with you. Thank you for your continued business. Sincerely yours, Mary West