Do you ever feel nervous before a business meeting in English?
You're not alone. Thousands of professionals around the world understand English well but freeze when it's their turn to speak. The good news? You can master this skill with the right phrases and mindset.
In this guide, you'll learn:
Business meetings are different from casual conversations. They require:
| Challenge | Why It's Hard |
|---|---|
| Fast speech | Native speakers talk quickly and use idioms. |
| Technical terms | Industry-specific words you may not know. |
| Turn-taking | Knowing when to speak without interrupting. |
| Formal language | Different from everyday English. |
But here's the secret: You don't need perfect English. You need the RIGHT English.
Hover over or touch any highlighted word to see its meaning.
| Word | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Agenda | Meeting plan | "Please check the agenda before we start." |
| Stakeholders | People affected by decisions | "All stakeholders must attend." |
| Circulate | Share with everyone | "I'll circulate the documents tonight." |
| Word | Definition | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Kick off | To start | "Let's kick off with the first item." |
| Digress | Leave the main topic | "I don't want to digress, but..." |
| Action items | Tasks to complete | "Your action items are on the list." |
| Recap | Summarize | "Let me recap what we discussed." |
| Consensus | General agreement | "We need to reach a consensus." |
| Minutes | Meeting notes | "Who will take the minutes?" |
| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Get down to business | Start discussing main topics | "Let's get down to business." |
| Put a pin in it | Delay discussion | "That's interesting, but let's put a pin in it for now." |
| The bottom line | The main point/result | "The bottom line is we need more budget." |
| Think outside the box | Be creative | "We need to think outside the box for this problem." |
“Good morning, everyone. Let's kick things off.”
“Thanks for joining. The main goal today is to…”
“Has everyone seen the agenda?”
“What are your thoughts on this?”
“I'd love to hear your perspective.”
“Does anyone have any input?”
“In my opinion…”
“From my perspective…”
“I tend to think that…”
“If you ask me, I'd say…”
“I completely agree.”
“That's a valid point.”
“I'm on the same page.”
“I see it a bit differently.”
“I understand your point, but have you considered…”
“I'm not sure I agree, because…”
“Sorry to interrupt, but…”
“If I could just jump in here…”
“May I add something?”
“Could you elaborate on that?”
“What exactly do you mean by…?”
“Just to clarify, are you saying that…?”
“To wrap up, let's recap the action items.”
“Thanks everyone for your time.”
“I'll send the minutes by email.”
Pro Tip: Record yourself practicing common meeting phrases. Listen and improve your pronunciation. You can also shadow (repeat after) business podcasts or TED talks.
Context: Team meeting discussing a new marketing campaign.
Chair: “Good morning, team. Let's kick off. As per the agenda, we need to decide on the Q3 campaign. Sarah, what are your thoughts?”
Sarah: “Thanks. In my opinion, we should focus more on video content. It's engaging and our competitors are using it effectively.”
John: “I see it a bit differently. Video is great, but our budget is limited. Maybe we can think outside the box and use micro-influencers instead.”
Chair: “That's a valid point. Could you elaborate on the influencer idea?”
John: “Sure. We can partner with 3-4 niche influencers in our industry. It's cost-effective and targets exactly our audience.”
Sarah: “I'm on the same page. If we combine that with one high-quality video, it could work well.”
Chair: “Great. Let's put a pin in the budget discussion and move to the timeline. The bottom line is we need to launch by August.”
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