Whether you are holding a meeting
or attending a meeting, it is important that you understand key English phrases
and expressions related to meetings. A successful meeting has no surprises.
With proper preparation and careful organization, a meeting can run smoothly.
The most typical complaint about meetings is that they run too long. Meetings
that run longer than necessary can be very costly to a company or business. As
the famous business expression says: Time is money. Setting goals and time
limits, keeping to the agenda, and knowing how to refocus, are key components
of an effective meeting. This may sound simple in your own native language, but
it is a little trickier when you or the participants do not speak fluent
English. These pages will help you hold or attend a meeting with success.
Review the vocabulary, read through the lessons, and then check your
understanding.
Scenario
The
following pages will be based on the meeting of a fictional company
called Paris Tours. The owner of the small tour company is Pierre.
He has ten employees, including four supervisors, Kana and Thomas (guides),
Nolan (driver), and Jane (receptionist). These four supervisors will be called
to a meeting to discuss the upcoming tourist season. Follow through the pages
to watch how Pierre prepares for and holds the meeting, and how his staff
participate.
Vocabulary
|
Word
Part of
speech
|
Meaning
|
Example
Sentence
|
|
absent
adj
|
not
present
|
The
vice president is absent due to unforeseen circumstances.
|
|
accomplish
verb
|
succeed
in doing
|
We have
a lot to accomplish today, so let's begin.
|
|
address
verb
|
deal
with; speak on
|
I hope
we do not have to address this matter again in the future.
|
|
adjourn
verb
|
close a
meeting
|
If
there are no further comments, we will adjourn the meeting
here.
|
|
agenda
noun
|
list of
objectives to cover in a meeting
|
Please
forward the agenda to anyone who is speaking at the meeting.
|
|
AGM
noun(abbr.)
|
Annual
(yearly) General Meeting
|
We
always vote for a new chairperson at the AGM.
|
|
allocate
verb
|
assign
roles/tasks to certain people
|
I
forgot to allocate someone to bring refreshments.
|
|
AOB
noun(abbr.)
|
Any
Other Business (unspecified item on agenda)
|
The
last item on the agenda is AOB.
|
|
apologies
noun
|
item on
agenda announcing people who are absent; apologies for absence
|
Everyone
is present today, so we can skip the apologies.
|
|
ballot
noun
|
a type
of vote, usually in writing and usually secret
|
Please
fold your ballot in half before you place it in the box.
|
|
board
of directors
noun
|
group
of elected members of an organization/company who meet to make decisions
|
The board
of directors meets once a month to discuss the budget.
|
|
boardroom
noun
|
a large
meeting room, often has one long table and many chairs
|
The boardroom is
reserved for a managers' meeting, so we'll have to meet in the lounge.
|
|
brainstorm
verb
|
thinking
to gather ideas
|
Let's
take a few minutes and brainstorm some ways that we can cut
costs.
|
|
casting
vote
noun
|
deciding
vote (usually by the chairman) when the votes are otherwise equal
|
The
role of treasurer was decided based on the chairman's casting vote.
|
|
chairperson/chair
noun
|
the
person who leads or presides at a meeting
|
As chair,
it is my pleasure to introduce to you, Mr. Allan Davis.
|
|
clarification/verification
noun
|
explanation/proof
that something is true/understood
|
Before
we address this matter, I'll need some clarification as to
who was involved.
|
|
closing
remarks
noun
|
last
thoughts spoken in a meeting (i.e. reminders, thank you)
|
I just
have a few closing remarks and then you will all be free to go.
|
|
collaborate
verb
|
work
together as a pair/group
|
The
board fell apart because the members had difficulty collaborating.
|
|
commence
verb
|
begin
|
We
will commence as soon as the last person signs the
attendance sheet.
|
|
comment
verb or
noun
|
express
one's opinions or thoughts
|
If you
have a comment, please raise your hand rather than speak out.
|
|
conference
noun
|
formal
meeting for discussion, esp. a regular one held by an organization
|
Before
the conference there will be a private meeting for board
members only.
|
|
conference
call
noun
|
telephone
meeting between three or more people in different locations
|
Please
make sure I have no interruptions while I'm on the conference call.
|
|
confidential
adjective
|
private;
not to be shared
|
Any
financial information shared during this meeting should be kept confidential.
|
|
consensus
noun
|
general
agreement
|
If we
cannot come to a consensus by the end of the meeting we will put
it to a vote.
|
|
deadline
noun
|
due
date for completion
|
The deadline for
buying tickets to the conference is May 25th.
|
|
designate
verb
|
assign
|
If no
one volunteers to take the minutes I will be forced to designate someone.
|
|
formality
noun
|
a
procedure (often unnecessary) that has to be followed due to a rule
|
Everyone
knows who is going to be the next vice president, so this vote is really just
a formality.
|
|
grievance
noun
|
complaint
|
The
first item on the agenda relates to a grievance reported by
the interns.
|
|
guest
speaker
noun
|
person
who joins the group in order to share information or deliver a speech
|
I am
delighted to welcome our guest speaker Holly, who is going
to be offering some sales pitch tips.
|
|
implement
verb
|
make
something happen; follow through
|
It's
not a question of whether or not we're going to use this idea, it's whether
or not we know how to implement it.
|
|
mandatory
adjective
|
required
|
It
is mandatory that all supervisors attend Friday's meeting.
|
|
minutes
noun
|
a
written record of everything said at a meeting
|
Before
we begin with today's meeting, let's quickly review the minutes from
last month.
|
|
motion
noun
|
a
suggestion put to a vote
|
The motion to
extend store hours has been passed.
|
|
objectives
noun
|
goals
to accomplish
|
I'm
pleased that we were able to cover all of the objectives today
within the designated time.
|
|
opening
remarks
noun
|
chairperson
or leader's first words at a meeting (i.e. welcome, introductions)
|
As I
mentioned in my opening remarks, we have to clear this room
before the end of the hour.
|
|
overhead
projector
noun
|
machine
with a special light that projects a document onto a screen or wall so that
all can see
|
I'm
going to put a pie chart on the overhead projector so that
everyone can visualize how our profits have declined.
|
|
participant
noun
|
person
who attends and joins in on an event
|
Can I
have a show of hands of all of those who were participants in
last year's conference?
|
|
proxy
vote
noun
|
a vote
cast by one person for or in place of another
|
There
must have been one proxy vote because I count twelve ballots but
only eleven attendees.
|
|
punctual
adjective
|
on time
(not late)
|
Firstly,
I want to thank you all for being punctual despite this early
meeting.
|
|
recommend
verb
|
suggest
|
I recommend that
you sit closer to the front if you have trouble hearing.
|
|
show of
hands
noun
|
raised
hands to express an opinion in a vote
|
From
the show of hands it appears that everyone is in favor of
taking a short break.
|
|
strategy
noun
|
plan to
make something work
|
We need
to come up with a strategy that will allow us to have meetings less
frequently.
|
|
unanimous
adj
|
in
complete agreement; united in opinion
|
The vote
was unanimous to cut work hours on Fridays.
|
|
vote
verb or
noun
|
to
express (the expression of) an opinion in a group by voice or hand etc
|
We need
to vote for a new vice chairperson now that Jerry is
retiring.
|
|
wrap up
verb
|
finish
|
Let's wrap
up here so that we can get back to our desks.
|
Preparing
for a Meeting
Calling a Meeting
There
are a number of ways that you may call or be called to a meeting. Some meetings
are announced by e-mail, and others are posted on bulletin boards. If a meeting
is announced at the end of another meeting, it is important to issue a
reminder. A reminder can also come in the form of an e-mail or notice. Verbal
announcements or reminders should always be backed up by documented ones. The
date, location, time, length, and purpose of the meeting should be included. It
is also important to indicate exactly who is expected to attend, and who is
not. If you are planning on allocating someone to take on a certain role, make
personal contact with that person to inform them of his or her duty.
Sample
E-mail:
cc:
kana@paristours.com; thomas@paristours.com; nolan@paristours.com
From:
pierre@paristours.com
Subject:
Meeting
Hi
Everyone, We will be having a meeting next Friday from 2:00 PM-4:00 PM in Room
3. All supervisors are expected to attend. The purpose of the meeting is to
discuss the upcoming tourist season. As you probably have heard, this could be
our busiest season to date. There are already twenty bus tours booked from
Japan, and fifteen walking tours booked from North America. We are also
expecting Korean and Australian tours in late summer. Please make arrangements
to have other staff members cover your duties during the meeting.
Thank
you,
Pierre
Sample
Notice:
MEETING
LOCATION: Room 3
DATE: Friday, May 5th
TIME: 2:00 PM-4:00 P.M.
FOR: Supervisors only
SUBJECT: Tourist Season
ATTENDANCE
IS MANDATORY
Writing an Agenda
In order to keep the meeting on task and within the set
amount of time, it is important to have an agenda. The agenda should indicate
the order of items and an estimated amount of time for each item. If more than
one person is going to speak during the meeting, the agenda should indicate
whose turn it is to "have the floor". In some cases, it may be useful
to forward the agenda to attendees before the meeting. People will be more
likely to participate in a meeting, by asking questions or offering feedback,
if they know what is going to be covered.
Sample Agenda:
|
1
|
Welcome,
Introduction: Pierre and Stella (5 minutes)
|
|
2
|
Minutes
from previous meeting: Jane (10 minutes)
|
|
3
|
Japan
Tours: Pierre (15 minutes)
|
|
4
|
N.A.
Tours: Pierre (15 minutes)
|
|
5
|
Korean
Tours: Pierre (15 minutes)
|
|
6
|
Australian
Tours: Pierre (if time allows 10 minutes)
|
|
7
|
Feedback
from last year: Everyone (15 minutes)
|
|
8
|
Vote on
staff picnic: Everyone (15 minutes)
|
|
9
|
Questions/Closing
remarks/Reminders: Everyone (5 minutes)
|
Allocating roles
The person in charge of calling and holding a meeting may
decide to allocate certain roles to other staff members. Someone may be called
upon to take the minutes, someone may be asked to do roll call, and someone may
be asked to speak on a certain subject. This should be done either in person,
or in an e-mail.
Sample Personal Request:
Pierre: Hi Jane, did you get the e-mail about next week's
meeting?
Jane: Yes, I'll be there.
Pierre: Great. I'd like to put you in charge of reviewing
the minutes from last meeting for us.
Jane: Sure, I can do that. I think there is a copy of the
minutes in my file.
Pierre: Thanks, you'll have ten minutes to remind us of what
we discussed last meeting. This will be good for Stella to hear. Stella will be
our new private tours coordinator.
Sample E-mail:
From: pierre@paristours.com
Subject: Minutes
Hi Jane, I just wanted to make sure that you would be
available to review last month's minutes and present them at Friday's meeting.
We have a new staff member joining us, so I'd like to give her a chance to see
where things have been going since the last meeting. If you have any concerns
about this, let me know.
Thanks,
Pierre
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