Why Meeting English Is Different
Many B2 learners understand meetings well but stay silent because they don't have the ready-made phrases to jump in. Meetings follow a predictable structure, and native speakers use the same expressions again and again. Learn these chunks and you will sound confident, even when your grammar is not perfect.
Before the Meeting: Key Nouns and Verbs
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| agenda | the list of topics to discuss | Let's stick to the agenda. |
| to schedule / set up a meeting | to arrange a time | Can we set up a call for Thursday? |
| invite / calendar invite | the electronic invitation | I'll send you a calendar invite. |
| attendees / participants | the people present | There will be six attendees. |
| stakeholders | people affected by or interested in a project | We need all the stakeholders in the room. |
| to reschedule / push back | to move to a later time | Can we push the meeting back to 3? |
| to bring forward | to move to an earlier time | We've brought the review forward to Monday. |
| a recurring meeting | a regular meeting | It's a recurring meeting every Tuesday. |
During the Meeting
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| to chair / run / facilitate | to lead the meeting | Priya will chair today's meeting. |
| item | one topic on the agenda | Let's move on to item three. |
| to take minutes / notes | to write the official record | Who's taking minutes today? |
| to raise a point / an issue | to introduce a topic | I'd like to raise an issue about the budget. |
| to table / park a topic | to postpone discussing it | Let's park that and come back to it later. |
| to reach a consensus | to agree as a group | We didn't reach a consensus on pricing. |
| a show of hands / a vote | a way to decide | Let's do a quick show of hands. |
| AOB (any other business) | topics not on the agenda, at the end | Is there any AOB? |
Note on "table": in American and Canadian English, to table a topic usually means to postpone it. In British English it can mean to present it for discussion. Use park or postpone if you want to avoid confusion.
After the Meeting
| Word | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| action item / action point | a task someone must do | The main action item is updating the forecast. |
| owner | the person responsible | Who's the owner of that task? |
| deadline / due date | when it must be done | The due date is Friday. |
| follow-up (noun) / to follow up (verb) | a later message or action | I'll follow up by email. / Thanks for the follow-up. |
| to circulate | to send to everyone | I'll circulate the minutes this afternoon. |
| next steps | what happens next | Let's agree on next steps. |
Phrases for Running a Meeting
Opening
- Thanks, everyone, for joining. Let's get started.
- The purpose of today's meeting is to...
- We have three items on the agenda, and we've got 30 minutes.
Moving through the agenda
- Let's move on to the next item.
- We're running short on time, so let's keep this brief.
- I think we're getting off track. Can we come back to the budget?
Closing
- Let's wrap up here.
- To sum up, we've agreed that...
- So the action items are: Ali will..., and Sophie will... by Friday.
- Thanks, everyone. I'll send out the minutes later today.
Phrases for Participating
Giving an opinion
- From my perspective, ...
- I'd like to add something here.
- The way I see it, ...
Agreeing and disagreeing politely
- I completely agree with Mark on that.
- That's a fair point, but have we considered...?
- I see where you're coming from, but I'm not sure that would work because...
Interrupting politely
- Sorry to interrupt, but could I just add something?
- Can I jump in here for a second?
Asking for clarification
- Sorry, could you clarify what you mean by "phase two"?
- Just to make sure I understand — are we saying that...?
Checking and summarizing
- So, if I understand correctly, we're going to...
- Can we confirm who's doing what?
In Real Use: A Short Meeting
Chair: OK, let's get started. The purpose of today's call is to agree on the launch date. First item: testing. Lina: Testing is almost done. We should be finished by Wednesday. Omar: Sorry to jump in — does that include the mobile version? Lina: Good question. Mobile is a separate item, so let's park it for now. Chair: OK. So, to sum up: testing ends Wednesday, launch is the following Monday. Action items: Lina will send the test report, Omar will check the mobile timeline. I'll circulate the minutes.
The Follow-Up Email
Subject: Launch meeting — next steps Hi all, Thanks for your time today. As agreed, the launch is scheduled for Monday, June 9. Action items:
- Lina: send the final test report by Wednesday
- Omar: confirm the mobile timeline by Thursday Please let me know if I've missed anything. Best, Karen
Common Mistakes
- "Make a meeting" → Say have / hold / set up a meeting.
- "Discuss about" → discuss has no preposition: We discussed the budget.
- "The meeting is cancelled to Friday" → A cancelled meeting doesn't happen. Say moved / rescheduled / pushed back to Friday.
- "Actual" meaning "current" → actual means "real". Say the current agenda.
Practice Tips
- Prepare three phrases before your next meeting: one to give an opinion, one to ask for clarification, one to summarize.
- Write the action items after any meeting you attend (even in your own language) and then translate them into English.
- Watch a recorded meeting or webinar and write down every phrase the chair uses to move between topics.