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 Meeting Essentials
A Business English study guide to communicating effectively in meetings.

Table of Contents
(Click a unit title to jump to the start of that unit)

1. Unit 201 - Introduction pg 4-5

2. Unit 202 Expressing Opinions pg 6-14

3. Unit 203 Agreeing pg 15-24

4. Unit 204 Disagreeing pg 25-32

5. Unit 205 Making Suggestions pg 33-39

6. Unit 206 Accepting and Rejecting Suggestions pg 40-47

7. Unit 207 Clarifying What Was Said pg 48-56

8. Unit 208 Clarifying What Was Meant pg 57-65

9. Unit 209 Opening a Meeting pg 66-74

10. Unit 210 Managing the Discussion pg 75-84

11. Unit 211 Interrupting and Resisting Interruption pg 85-95

12. Unit 212 Discussing a Problem (Part 1) pg 96 105

13. Unit 213 Discussing a Problem (Part 2) pg 106 - 115

14. Unit 214 Finishing Up and Action Points pg 116 - 124

15. Example Phrases by Function pg 125 - 136

16. Audio & Online Activities (Click here to go to the webpage)

2009 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com

Meeting Essentials

Whether you love them or hate them,

meetings are part of almost every job. So
performing well in meetings is a very
important skill. People who can express
their opinions, disagree politely, handle
the discussion with skill and diplomacy
these kinds of people succeed in their
careers and rise to the top in their
companies.

Meetings come in many types. They

include large, formal conferences, like
year-end meetings, and small informal
discussions, like a quick chat between
team leaders and their staff. In this 14-
chapter e-book on meeting skills, you will
learn useful language for meetings of
many different types.

First we will cover agreeing, disagreeing and expressing opinions in three

chapters. The next two parts look at making, accepting, and rejecting
suggestions. After that, well handle asking for and giving clarification, in two
sections. Then well look at running a meeting; this includes kicking it off,
managing the discussion and dealing with interruptions. Two new chapters cover
problem-solving meetings. We finish off by covering language used to wrap up a
meeting and state action points.

Whats Included?
All Business English Pod e-books come with a variety of study resources to
provide learners with maximum flexibility and value.

You can access and download all the materials for this e-book on this webpage:
http://www.businessenglishpod.com/learningcenter2/ebooks/meeting-essentials/

Each e-book includes the following resources:

Podcasts Study Notes

MP3 lessons you can PDF lesson transcripts
download to your with extra vocabulary
computer, MP3 player or and language exercises.
mobile phone.

PhraseCasts Online Activities

Compact MP3s featuring Interactive Flash quizzes,
the dialog, phrases and transcripts, exercises and
speaking practice. flashcards.

2009 All rights reserved: www.businessenglishpod.com 4

businessenglishpod
BEP 210 - Managing the Discussion
This is the second in a two-part series on opening and managing meetings. In
the first episode, we looked at how to open a meeting. In todays podcast were
going to cover how to manage the discussion.

Martin, the GM of Daneline Singapore, is discussing with his staff how to make
up a budget shortfall. He has just asked Sandra to kick off the first item on the
agenda outsourcing the cleaning.

Vocabulary
No-brainer: Something that is so
obvious that you dont even have to
think about it to know that its true.
Used for example in the expression,
Thats a no-brainer if you ask me.
Its a little harsh: Harsh means unkind
or inconsiderate. You see it for
example in the expressions harsh
treatment or harsh realities. For
example, If youre going to succeed
in this world you have to face the
harsh realities of life.
To let people go: This is a euphemism
(a nice way) for saying to fire
someone or to lay someone off. Our
costs are running too high I think
were going to need to let some
people go.
To prioritize sth.: To make something a priority, that is give it high importance.
You usually deal with first the things that you prioritize. We need to prioritize
sales without revenue, our business will fail.
Vendor: Another company that performs a service for your company or sells
something to your company. We have a variety of vendors to supply us with all
the parts we need for manufacturing.
To cut fat: Similar to to tighten ones belt, this is an idiom that describes
measures taken to cut extra costs, which are conceived of as fat. All right
this operation is not running very efficiently, and we need to save money.
Theres a lot of fat we can cut.
Side-track: Can be used as a noun or verb. A discussion that leaves the main
point. Dont you think this is a bit of side-track? Weve got a lot to cover lets
stick to the main topic of discussion.
Bread and butter: The core business area; the main way someone makes there
money. For over 100 years, selling medicines has been the bread and butter of
our business. I dont see any reason to change now.

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Meeting Essentials

Dialog
Martin: ...Sandra, would you please kick off?

Sandra: Well, this is a great way to cut a lot of fat. My figures show that we can
save almost $50,000 dollars with this one.

Sam: Can I just come in here? That reminds me, we really cant have pizza for
lunch again. Its unhealthy.

Martin: Sorry, Sam, but I think this is a bit of a side-track. Lets try to keep to
the agenda, ok? I want to get everyone out of here on time.

Sam: Of course.

Sandra: So as I was saying, outsourcing the cleaning can really save a lot of
money. Its no-brainer if you ask me.

Martin: Uh huh. What do others think? Is there anything else we should

consider?

Dave: Well, frankly, I think its a little harsh to just let go people weve been
working side by side with for years. And we have to think about how it will affect
morale (fade out)

Martin: Right, we seem to have dealt with the outsourcing issue. Now, lets
move on to the brochures. Weve budgeted $68,500 to redesign and reprint all
the sales and marketing brochures. Dave, this is your area of expertise. What do
you think?

Dave: Well, obviously, if were facing a shortfall, we need to make cuts. And this
cut would be less painful than many of the others. But we really have to
prioritize sales, because this is the bread and butter of our business. Perhaps we
can consider a limited redesign?

Sam: I agree.

Sandra: I do too. You know, Dave, speaking of the brochure, you really consider
using a different vendor for the brochures this time. I didnt think they did a
good job on the last ones at all.

Dave: Im with you 100%.

Martin: You may have a point there Sandra, but lets leave that for the regular
team meeting on Thursday. We still have a lot to cover.

Sandra: Okay.

Martin: All right, can we go around the table to make sure everyone agrees? All
those in favor of a limited redesign of the brochure? All those against?

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businessenglishpod
Debrief
During the meeting, both Sam and Sandra attempt to change the topic. But
Martin does a pretty good job of following the agenda, doesnt he? Lets study
how Martin keeps the discussion on track. Along the way, well also look at some
idioms and other useful language.

This first person to try to change the topic is Sam. Remember, Sandra is talking
about how much money they can save by outsourcing cleaning.

Sandra: Well, this is a great way to cut a lot of fat. My figures show that we can
save almost $50,000 dollars with this one.

Sandra says that outsourcing is a great way to cut a lot of fat. Similar to the
phrase to tighten ones belt, which we learned last time, to cut a lot of fat
means to save a lot of money. This makes Sam think of food:

Sam: Can I just come in here? That reminds me, we really cant have pizza for
lunch again. Its unhealthy.

It sounds as though Sams stomach is more important to him than the budget
discussions, doesnt it? Notice how Sam uses that reminds me. This useful
phrase links to what was just said to change the topic of discussion: What you
said reminds me of something else.

So Sam has attempted to change the topic. How does Martin get him back on
track?

Sorry, Sam, but I think this is a bit of a side-track. Lets try to keep to the
agenda, ok? I want to get everyone out of here on time.

Martin uses the phrase I think this is a bit of a side-track to show that he feels
the group has gone off the main topic on to an unimportant side issue. He is
careful to emphasize the benefit to the group of keeping to the agenda by saying
I want to get everyone out of here on time, that is he wants everyone to be
able to leave on time. Martins skillful action guides the discussion back on track.

Returning to the topic gives Sandra a chance to finish what she was saying:

So as I was saying, outsourcing the cleaning can really save a lot of money. Its
no-brainer if you ask me.

So as I was saying, lets Sandra continue from where she was interrupted. How
does she feel about outsourcing? She strongly supports it, saying that its a no-
brainer. That means its so obvious that you dont need a brain to figure it out.

Later on in the discussion, Sandra also tries to change the topic. Remember,
Dave has proposed a limited or partial redesign of the brochure: He is against
totally abandoning the brochure project because sales should be prioritized,
meaning that

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Meeting Essentials

this should be given high importance. He says sales are the bread and butter
of the business. This is an idiom that means something is very important to the
business profit. Daves proposal reminds Sandra of a point shed like to make.
Lets listen.

Dave: Perhaps we can consider a limited redesign?

Sam: I agree.

Sandra: I do to. You know, Dave, speaking of the brochure, you really should
consider using a different vendor for the brochures this time.

Similar to Sams That reminds me..., Sandra uses Speaking of the brochure
to change the topic. This kind of expression is particularly useful in informal
discussions or when socializing and making small talk. Well be looking in more
detail at ways to change the topic during later episodes on social English.

Now, lets listen to how Martin gets the discussion back on track this time.

Martin: You may have a point there Sandra, but lets leave that for the regular
team meeting on Thursday. We still have a lot to cover.

In this expression and in Martins previous suggestion that This is a bit of a

side-track, notice the strong journey metaphor. Metaphor means to describe
something in terms of something else. In this case, we understand discussions in
terms of a journey with a goal: The meeting participants are travelers who have
to keep to or follow the agenda, which is the road.

With the journey metaphor in mind, lets review the language for keeping the
discussion on track:

I can see what youre saying, but lets try to keep to the agenda.
To save time, we need to stay on track. Lets try not to get too far off topic.
Lets get back to that later. For now, I really want to stick to the agenda.
Thats an interesting point, but lets talk about that when we come to it. Can
we get back to the main point?
Weve got a lot of ground to cover, so I suggest do our best to stay on track.

So far youve covered language for changing the topic and sticking to the
agenda. Now lets look at some language for widening the discussion to make
sure youve heard different points of view. Remember earlier when Sandra says
that outsourcing cleaning is a no-brainer? What does Martin say to bring other
people into the discussion?

Martin: Uh huh. What do others think? Is there anything else we should

consider?

What do others think? is an effective way to widen the discussion to include

more people. What are some other phrases Martin could use?

What other approaches are there to this problem? Does anybody have any
ideas?

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businessenglishpod
How about other people? Any comments?
Lets go around the table and get reactions to that idea. Who would like to
begin?
Are there any other ways to think about this?

Great. Weve covered changing the topic, sticking to the agenda and widening
the discussion. Now lets study how Martin moves from one point to the next in
the meeting. What does he say after the team has finished talking about
outsourcing?

Right, we seem to have dealt with the outsourcing issue. Now, lets move on to
the brochures.

Similar to making a transition in a presentation, Martin signals that the last part
has finished and the new part is beginning. Lets listen to some more language
for doing just that.

Good. Id say thats about all for that topic. Now, lets turn to the issue of
sales.
Well, weve just about covered the San Francisco office. Lets continue by
discussing Buenos Aires.
Time is pressing. Lets leave that there and move on to the next point on the
agenda, okay?

Take note of the professional way Martin asks Dave about his opinion on the
next topic: He says, Dave, this is your area of expertise. What do you think?
For a more complete review of other ways to ask for and give opinions, you can
go back to BEP27. In addition, agreeing and disagreeing are covered in BEP28
and 29.

Great. There is one last topic to cover in todays episode: Checking everyone
agrees in order to reach a decision. Listen to what Martin says at the end of the
dialogue.

All right, can we go around the table to make sure everyone agrees? All those in
favor of a limited redesign of the brochure? All those against?

To go around the table means to take a vote. You can either run through the
participants one by one or, as Martin does, have them respond as a group by
asking All those in favor? and All those against?

What are some other ways to check if everyone agrees?

Can I get a quick show of hands? All those in favor?

Lets take a vote. How many people are for this idea? Against? Thanks.
Just quickly - is there anyone else that supports the strategy of reducing
overhead? Please raise your hands.

Now its your turn to practice. Were going to study keeping the discussion on
track and including other people in the discussion.

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Meeting Essentials

Practice 1
First, imagine you are chairing a meeting a Daneline about how to deal with a
budget shortfall. You are talking about the first item on the agenda, outsourcing
the cleaning, but members of your team Pat and Brooks keep changing the
topic. After each beep, use a phrase weve studied to keep the discussion on
track, for example:
I can see what youre saying, but lets try to keep to the agenda.
or To save time, we need to stay on track. Lets try not to get too far off
topic.

Are you ready? Lets give it a try.

Cue 1 - Pat: That reminds me can we go out for lunch today? Id love to try
the new Chinese restaurant.
Learner:

Cue 2 - Brooks: Can I come in here? Actually, I really think canceling the
Christmas party is the best way to save money.
Learner:

Cue 3 - Pat: Can I ask a question? Who is going to handle the new employee
training?
Learner:

How did you do? Listen to the example answers.

Answer 1
Cue 1 Pat: That reminds me can we go out for lunch today? Id love to try the
new Chinese restaurant.
Answer: Can we talk about that later? Weve got a lot of ground to cover.

Answer 2
Cue 2 Brooks: Can I come in here? Actually, I really think canceling the
Christmas party is the best way to save money.
Answer: Thats an interesting point, but lets talk about that when we come to
it.

Answer 3
Cue 3 Pat: Can I ask a question? Who is going to handle the new employee
training?
Answer: To save time, we need to stay focused. Lets stick to the agenda.

Be sure to go back and try the practice again. Substitute different language to
build up fluency.

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businessenglishpod
Lets turn now to including more people in the discussion. In a moment, youll
hear Pat and Brooks state their opinions. After each beep, use a phrase to widen
the discussion, such as What do others think? or Lets go around the table to
get comments.

Are you ready? Give it a try.

Cue 1: Well, in my opinion, outsourcing cleaning is a great way to save money.

Learner:

Cue 2: The best approach, in my view, is a limited redesign of the brochure.

Learner:

Cue 3: Another way to save money would be to cancel the Christmas party.
Learner:

Good. Now listen to some example answers.

Cue 1: Well, in my opinion, outsourcing cleaning is a great way to save money.

Answer: How about other people any comments?

Cue 2: The best approach, in my view, is a limited redesign of the brochure.

Answer: What other approaches are there to this problem? Does anybody have
any ideas?

Cue 3: Another way to save money would be to cancel the Christmas party.
Answer: Hmmmm. Lets go around the table and get reactions to that idea.
Who would like to begin?

Thats about it for todays episode on controlling the discussion. Youve learned
how to return to the main point, change the topic, move on to the next point in
the agenda, widen the discussion and check if everyone agrees. In addition,
weve covered several useful idioms and weve looked at how the discussion-is-
a-journey metaphor plays an important role in the language that we use to
manage meetings.

Thanks for listening!

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Meeting Essentials

Online Practice

Click the Launch button to open the FLASH version:

Language Review

A. Metaphor
As youre learning English, thinking about metaphor can help your memory and
contribute to your fluency, especially with idioms. For example, in the two
episodes on opening and managing meetings, we have learned to tighten ones
belt and to cut the fat: In both these idioms fat refers to money that can be
saved. In fact, language is full of metaphors. It seems we understand almost
everything in terms of something else. Can you think of more? How about time
is moneyWe need to save timebusiness is warThey attacked our market
positionand so on. Are these the same in your native language? Many of
them probably are, but you might find some that are not. This can be an
interesting way to understand differences between cultures.

A. Discussion is a journey C. Business is war

B. Fat is extra costs D. Time is money

I dont think were getting anywhere. Can we

1) A. Discussion is a journey
try another approach?

Within two years we hope to totally conquer

2) ______________________________
this market

3) I hate to say it, but its belt tightening time. ______________________________

4) I feel like were just going around in circles. ______________________________

Our CEO is a real fat cat. He doesnt think

5) twice about spending $600 on a bottle of wine ______________________________
for dinner.

Im sorryI just cant spare the time at the

6) ______________________________
moment.

For now I think the best thing we can do is get

7) out of this market and keep our heads low in ______________________________
order to cut our losses.

Time is precious. Make sure you treasure every

8) ______________________________
second.

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businessenglishpod
B. General Review
Part 1: Key Phrases
Review key phrases by filling in the blanks with words from the box.

issue about raise comments next

against covered table quick approaches

Widening the discussion to include more people:

1) What other are there to this problem? Does anybody have
any ideas?
2) How about other people? Any ?
3) Lets go around the and get reactions to that idea.
Who would like to begin?
4) Are there any other ways to think this?

Moving to a new topic:

5) Good. Id say thats about all for that topic. Now, lets turn to the
of sales.
6) Well, weve just about the San Francisco office. Lets
continue by discussing Buenos Aires.
7) Time is pressing. Lets leave that there and move on to the
point on the agenda, okay?

To check if everyone agrees:

8) Can I get a show of hands. All those in favor?
9) Lets take a vote. How many people are for this idea? ? Thanks.
10) Just quicklyis there anyone else that supports the strategy of reducing
overhead. Please your hands.

Part 2: Sticking to the Agenda

Allan keeps leading the discussion astray. Bill would like to get him back on
track, but he keeps getting his sentences mixed up. Help Bill by putting his
sentences back in order.

Allan: That reminds me can we go out for lunch today? Id love to try the new
Chinese restaurant.

Bill: 1) can that we about talk later 2) got weve a lot to ground cover of
Can_____________________ ____________________________

Allan: Can I come in here? Actually, I really think canceling the Christmas party
is the best way to save money.

Bill: Thats an interesting point, 3) lets talk but that when we to come about it

___________________________________

Allan: Can I ask a question? Who is going to handle the new employee training?

Bill: To save time, 4) need we to focused stay 5) s stick let agenda to the
_________________ ___________________

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Meeting Essentials

Answers
Language Review
A. Metaphor
2) C 3) B 4) A 5) B 6) D 7) C 8) D.

B. General Review

Part 1: Key Phrases

Widening the discussion to include more people:
1) What other approaches are there to this problem? Does anybody have
any ideas?
2) How about other people? Any comments?
3) Lets go around the table and get reactions to that idea. Who would like
to begin?
4) Are there any other ways to think about this?

Moving to a new topic:

5) Good. Id say thats about all for that topic. Now, lets turn to the issue of
sales.
6) Well, weve just about covered the San Francisco office. Lets continue by
discussing Buenos Aires.
7) Time is pressing. Lets leave that there and move on to the next point on
the agenda, okay?

To check if everyone agrees:

8) Can I get a quick show of hands. All those in favor?
9) Lets take a vote. How many people are for this idea? Against? Thanks.
10) Just quicklyis there anyone else that supports the strategy of reducing
overhead. Please raise your hands.

Part 2: Sticking to the Agenda

Allan: That reminds me can we go out for lunch today? Id love to try the new
Chinese restaurant.
Bill: 1) Can we talk about that later? 2) Weve got a lot of ground to cover.

Allan: Can I come in here? Actually, I really think canceling the Christmas party
is the best way to save money.
Bill: Thats an interesting point, 3) but lets talk about that when we come to it.

Allan: Can I ask a question? Who is going to handle the new employee training?
Bill: To save time, 4) we need to stay focused. Lets stick to the agenda.

Online Practice

Click the Launch button to open the FLASH version:

2009 All rights reserved: businessenglishpod.com 84