“In a meeting” cheat sheet

Leading a meeting
I’d like to thank everyone for coming today – Using the conditional “I would like” is more polite and
more adapted to a business meeting situation.

Shall we take a tour of the table and introduce ourselves? – Using “shall we” is useful here as not only
are you being more polite, you are including yourself in the suggestion.

I’ve called this meeting in order to find a solution to the manufacturing issue I am sure you are all
aware of. We have a number of items on the agenda so let us begin with point one…. – The agenda is
the list of subjects that you intend to cover in the meeting. These subjects are often called “items” or
“points.”

Participating

If I could come in here, the figures you have shown are no longer accurate. They do not take into
account the political shift towards populism in northern Europe. I have the updated figures here… – It
is important to participate actively by interrupting or asking questions. “If I could come in here, …” is
a good way of politely interrupting a speaker.

That’s an excellent point, but what about the increased carbon emissions from using air transport. –
Beginning an interruption with a compliment is a constructive way of participating in a conversation.

Can you repeat that in a simplified way please? – This may be one of the most underused but
important interruptions during a meeting. If you did not understand it, it is very likely that it was
unclear for other participants too.

Managing interruptions and negotiating

Would you mind if we came back to that point later so I can finish what I was saying? – This
expression will allow you to get to the end of the point you were trying to make in a meeting and also
deal with the interruption later. “Would you mind” is a slightly more polite and formal way of saying
“Can we” or “Could we.”

I hear what you are saying but I’m afraid we are not prepared to change our stance on this issue – “I
hear what you are saying” is a useful expression to remain polite when you are saying no. “Change
our stance” is a polite way of saying negotiate or compromise

Perhaps, we should let Rachel finish her point before we get distracted. Rachel, you were saying… –
Don’t hesitate to participate by supporting a participant who has been interrupted. You don’t have to
be the leader of the meeting to help keep the meeting on track.
Tricky vocabulary

You may hear some confusing expressions during meetings. Here are some of the more common
ones:

Could you take the minutes John? – To “take the minutes” is to take notes that summarise what was
said during the meeting so that they can be circulated to the participants at a later date.

Can we circle back on this as it is already 2pm and we are all hungry? – To “circle back” is to return to
a point at a later date (often never!)

Can I pick your brain Rachel? You are an expert on statistics after all – To “pick someone’s brain” is to
use somebody’s specific knowledge or experience to help with a decision or a problem.

Just give me a ballpark figure Adam. That’s all I need. – a “ballpark figure” is an imprecise numerical
estimate which can be used to assess the viability of a project.

We need to downsize if we want to survive the year – “to downsize” is to reduce the amount of
people working in a company often by either firing them or offering them early retirement.

The only way to beat the competition and win this contract is to think outside the box – “To think
outside the box” is another way of saying think creatively to come up with innovative ideas.

Eleanor, can you touch base with our American office to see if anything has changed regarding the
merger? – “to touch base” is another way of saying contact or call someone. Like a lot of expressions,
it comes from the world of sport. In baseball, if you need to touch the base to confirm your homerun.

Are you on board Sarah? You don’t look convinced – “To be on board” means to agree to be included
in a group or a project.