Meetings are the key part of the modern workplace where communication is valued. It is essential for us to develop effective communication skills. However, a lot of people struggle with what to say during meetings. Today, Wall Street English will teach you step by step and provide you with examples to help you nail your meeting speeches.
1. Greetings
Meetings always start with a basic greeting. If you are the chairperson of the meeting, you may choose one of the following ways to start your meeting.
e.g.
- Good morning / afternoon. It looks like everyone’s here, so let’s get started.
- Good morning/afternoon, everyone. The purpose of today’s meeting is to discuss…
- Thank you all for coming at such short notice. We have a lot to cover today.
If there are newcomers in the meeting, or there are employees from different departments, the chairperson should help introduce the new workers.
e.g.
- I’d like to take a moment to introduce our new member, [name, description].
- [name], would like to introduce yourself?
2. Introduction
After the greetings, you should introduce the meeting today and state the agenda by providing directions for the meeting.
e.g.
- Our main goal today is to…
- We’re here to discuss…
- Has everyone received a copy of today’s agenda?
- As you can see from the agenda, we’ll be covering…
3. Invite for opinions
When everyone knew the agenda, you should invite others for their opinions on certain matters.
e.g.
- What’s your opinion on…?
- I’d like to get your feedback on…
- What are your thought about…?
If someone has proposed their ideas, the chairperson should provide a response and invite others for response to facilitate the discussion.
e.g.
- Thank you, [name]. What does everyone else think?
- Thanks for your opinion, [name]. Are there any other comments?
4. Giving suggestions
Different parties should provide their ideas when the meeting has started. If you wish to give some thoughts, you can say the followings to arouse attentions:
e.g.
- Our recommendation to the problem is…
- We have a strong belief that…
5. Giving response
If you want to respond to someone’s viewpoints, and you agree with them, you may say:
e.g.
- That sounds great for us! We would like to go forward with it.
- That’s an amazing idea! I think…
If you do not agree with someone’s viewpoints and wish to express your ideas, you can say:
e.g.
- I see your point. But…
- I’m sorry but I have to disagree with you on this point. In my experience, …
- I understand where you’re coming from. But it seems to me that…
When you find it difficult to understand the viewpoints of others, you may ask for clarifications and ask them to elaborate their points.
e.g.
- I’m not sure I understand what you mean by…
- I’m sorry, I don’t quite follow. Would you please clarify on…
6. Moving on
When you would like to move on to another topic, here’s what you can say:
e.g.
- It seems that we have reached a consensus on this point. Let’s move on to…
- Moving on, let’s take a look at number X on the agenda.
7. Conclusion
Before the close of the meeting, you should conclude the key points of the meeting as a reminder.
e.g.
- Before we close, let me summarize the main points of today’s meeting.
- To summarize, we are going to…
8. Closing
The last step is to close the meeting.
e.g.
- If no one has anything else to add, then I think we’ll wrap up today’s meeting.
- That will be all for today.
- Thank you all for coming.
- Our next meeting will be on [date].
Remember to use the above examples in your next workplace meeting and impress your colleagues!
