Useful English Phrases for Running a Business Meeting

Useful English Phrases for Running a Business Meeting This reference sheet provides short phrases to help you run a business meeting from start to finish. Generally speaking, you should use formal English to run a business meeting. As you participate, its a good idea to paraphrase others ideas to make sure you understand. Opening the Meeting Welcome participants with quick phrases and get down to business. Good morning/afternoon, everyone.If we are all here, lets. . . get started (OR)start the meeting. (OR). . . start. Good morning everyone. If were all here, lets get started. Welcoming and Introducing Participants If you have a meeting with new participants, make sure to introduce them before as you start the meeting. Please join me in welcoming (name of participant)Were pleased to welcome (name of participant)Its a pleasure to welcome (name of participant)Id like to introduce (name of participant)I dont think youve met (name of participant) Before I get started, Id like to please join me in welcoming Anna Dinger from our office in New York. Stating the Principal Objectives of a Meeting Its important to begin the meeting by clearly stating the main objectives for the meeting. Were here today toOur aim is to ...Ive called this meeting in order to ...By the end of this meeting, Id like to have ... Were here today to discuss the upcoming merger, as well as go over last quarters sales figures.   Giving Apologies for Someone Who is Absent If someone important is missing, its a good idea to let others know that they will be missing from the meeting. Im afraid.., (name of participant) cant be with us today. She is in...I have received apologies for the absence of (name of participant), who is in (place). Im afraid Peter cant be with us today. Hes in London meeting with clients but will be back next week. Reading the Minutes (Notes) of the Last Meeting If you have a meeting that repeats regularly, make sure to read the minutes from the last meeting to make sure that everyone is on the same page. First, lets go over the report from the last meeting which was held on (date)Here are the minutes from our last meeting, which was on (date) First, lets go over the minutes from our last meeting which was held last Tuesday. Jeff, could you please read the notes? Dealing with Recent Developments Checking in with others will help you keep everyone up to date on progress on  various projects.   Jack, can you tell us how the XYZ project is progressing?Jack, how is the XYZ project coming along?John, have you completed the report on the new accounting package?Has everyone received a copy of the Tate Foundation report on current marketing trends? Alan, please tell us how the final arrangements for the merger are coming along.   Moving Forward Use these phrases to transition to the main focus of your meeting. So, if there is nothing else we need to discuss, lets move on to todays agenda.Shall we get down to business?Is there any other business?If there are no further developments, Id like to move on to todays topic. Once again, Id like to thank you all for coming. Now, shall we get down to business? Introducing the Agenda Before you launch into the main points of the meeting, double check that everyone has a copy of the agenda for the meeting. Have you all received a copy of the agenda?There are three items on the agenda. First,Shall we take the points in this order?If you dont mind, Id like to ... go in order (OR)skip item 1 and move on to item 3I suggest we take item 2 last. Have you all received a copy of the agenda? Good. Shall we take the points in order? Allocating Roles (secretary, participants) As you move through the meeting, its important that people keep track of whats going on. Make sure to allocate note taking. (name of participant) has agreed to take the minutes.(name of participant) has kindly agreed to give us a report on this matter.(name of participant) will lead point 1, (name of participant) point 2, and (name of participant) point 3.(name of participant), would you mind taking notes today? Alice, would you mind taking notes today? Agreeing on the Ground Rules for the Meeting (contributions, timing, decision-making, etc.) If there is no regular routine to your meeting, point out the basic rules for discussion throughout the meeting. We will hear a short report on each point first, followed by a discussion around the table.I suggest we go round the table first.The meeting is due to finish at...Well have to keep each item to ten minutes. Otherwise well never get through.We may need to vote on item 5, if we cant get a unanimous decision. I suggest we go round the table first to get everyones feedback. After that, well take a vote. Introducing the First Item on the Agenda Use these phrases to begin with the first item on the agenda. Make sure to use sequencing language to connect your ideas throughout the meeting. So, lets start withShall we start with. .So, the first item on the agenda isPete, would you like to kick off?Martin, would you like to introduce this item? Shall we start with the first item? Good. Peter will introduce our plans for the merger and then will discuss the implications.   Closing an Item As you move from item to item, quickly state that you have finished with the previous discussion. I think that covers the first item.Shall we leave that item?If nobody has anything else to add, I think that covers the important points of the merger. Next Item These phrases will help you transition to the next item on the agenda. Lets move onto the next itemThe next item on the agenda isNow we come to the question of. Now, lets move onto the next item. Weve been having a bit of a personnel crunch lately. Giving Control to the Next Participant If someone takes over your role, give control to them with one of the following phrases. Id like to hand over to Mark, who is going to lead the next point.Right, Dorothy, over to you. Id like to hand over to Jeff, who is going to discuss the personnel issues. Summarizing As you finish the meeting, quickly sum up the main points of the meeting. Before we close, let me just summarize the main points.To sum up, ...In brief,Shall I go over the main points? To sum up, weve moved forward with the merger and expect to start work on the project in May. Also, the personnel department has decided to hire additional staff to help us with the increased demand. Suggesting and Agreeing on Time, Date and Place for the Next Meeting As you end the meeting, make sure to arrange for the next meeting if necessary. Can we fix the next meeting, please?So, the next meeting will be on... (day), the . . . (date) of.. . (month) at...What about the following Wednesday? How is that?So, see you all then.   Before we leave, Id like to fix the next meeting. What about next Thursday? Thanking Participants for Attending Its always a good idea to thank everyone for attending the meeting. Id like to thank Marianne and Jeremy for coming over from London.Thank you all for attending.Thanks for your participation. Thank you all for your participation and Ill see you next Thursday. Closing the Meeting Close the meeting with a simple statement. The meeting is closed.I declare the meeting closed. Explore useful phrases and proper language use in these business English articles: Introduction and Example Meeting Dialogue Phrase Reference Sheet for Participating in a Meeting Formal or Informal? Appropriate Language in Business Situations