Business meetings: planning and reporting effectively
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Think about these questions before reading. Share your ideas with a partner.
- Think about the best meeting you have ever attended. What made it so good, and what was the result?
- If you had to organize a meeting for your team, what would be the first three things you would do to prepare?
- What can make it difficult for people to share their opinions during a meeting, and how can a team help everyone feel more comfortable?
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Running a Productive Meeting
Listen to the dialogue. Notice how the vocabulary and grammar from the lesson are used.
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Answer these questions in your own words. Support your answers with evidence from the article.
01According to the article, why is it important to have a clear purpose for a meeting?
Sample answerIt is important because it helps everyone understand why they are there and makes it easier to stay focused.
02What is one common reason that meetings become unproductive?
Sample answerMeetings can become unproductive when participants get sidetracked by discussions that are not on the agenda.
03What are 'action items' and why are they a key outcome of a good meeting?
Sample answerAction items are specific tasks for people to complete. They are important because they ensure that the meeting leads to clear results.
04What is a better alternative to trying to solve every problem in one long meeting?
Sample answerIt is better to schedule a brief follow-up meeting to discuss other topics.
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Vocabulary
Vocabulary
These expressions will help you communicate more naturally about this topic.
Examples
to wrap up — to finish or conclude an activity, like a meeting or discussion.
Usage note: This is a common and slightly informal phrasal verb. You can say, "Let's wrap up in the next ten minutes" or "The chairperson wrapped up the meeting at 5 pm."
to get sidetracked — to start talking about something that is not the main topic of the discussion.
Usage note: This is useful for keeping a meeting focused. You might say, "We're getting a bit sidetracked. Let's get back to the main agenda point."
to be on the same page — to have a shared understanding or to agree on a situation or plan.
Usage note: This is a common idiom used in professional contexts. It's great for checking understanding: "Before we continue, I want to make sure we're all on the same page."
to move on to (the next point) — to change the topic of discussion and start talking about the next item on the agenda.
Usage note: This is a neutral, formal phrase often used by the person leading the meeting. For example: "Thank you for your ideas. Shall we move on to the next point?"
a follow-up meeting — a meeting that takes place after an earlier one to discuss progress or new information.
Usage note: This often connects to 'action items'. You can say, "We need to schedule a follow-up meeting to review the results of these action items."
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Key meeting phrases
Do you know these common expressions for meetings? Test your knowledge.
Match each phrase with its correct definition.
Drag or click to match
Definitions
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Grammar: infinitive of purpose vs. past simple
Grammar
We use the infinitive of purpose (to + verb) to explain the reason for an action, like planning a meeting's goals. In contrast, we use the past simple to report on finished actions, like what was decided in a meeting last week.
Examples
We are meeting to discuss the quarterly sales figures.
Here, 'to discuss' explains the purpose or reason for the meeting.
In our last meeting, we discussed the quarterly sales figures.
The past simple 'discussed' shows a completed action from a past meeting.
Sarah emailed the team to confirm the time for the next project update.
We often use the infinitive of purpose to explain the reason for an email or phone call.
Key points
- Use 'to + verb' to answer the question 'Why?' about an action.
- Use the past simple for finished actions at a specific time (e.g., yesterday, last week).
- Common mistake: 'I called for asking about the report.' Correct: 'I called to ask about the report.'
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Find the mistake
Read the sentences below about business meetings.
Each sentence contains one error. Find and correct it.
01We met yesterday for discuss the new marketing strategy.
Corrected version
We met yesterday for to discuss the new marketing strategy.
02The list of action items from the last meeting are on your desk.
Corrected version
The list of action items from the last meeting are is on your desk.
03I think we are all in the same page about the project deadline.
Corrected version
I think we are all in on the same page about the project deadline.
04Could you please send me the minits from Tuesday's meeting?
Corrected version
Could you please send me the minits minutes from Tuesday's meeting?
05Last week, the team decide to change the project's name.
Corrected version
Last week, the team decide decided to change the project's name.
06It's important not to get sidetrack during this important discussion.
Corrected version
It's important not to get sidetrack sidetracked during this important discussion.
07All the attenders must sign in before the meeting starts.
Corrected version
All the attenders attendees must sign in before the meeting starts.
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Useful phrases: participating in a discussion
Vocabulary
In a meeting, it's important to share your ideas and respond to others. Here are some natural phrases to help you express your opinion, agree, and disagree politely.
Examples
From my perspective, we should focus on marketing first.
Register: Neutral/Formal. Use this to introduce your opinion in a professional way. It's a good alternative to 'In my opinion...'
I couldn't agree more.
Register: Neutral. Use this to show you completely agree with what someone has said. It's a common and enthusiastic way to express total agreement.
I see your point, but have we considered the budget?
Register: Neutral/Formal. Use this to show you understand someone's idea before you present a different view or a problem. It's a very polite way to disagree.
Sorry, I'm not sure I follow.
Register: Neutral. This is a softer and more polite alternative to saying 'I don't understand'. You can follow it with a specific question, like 'Could you explain the last part again?'
If I could just add something here...
Register: Neutral/Formal. Use this to add your own idea that builds on what another person has just said. It shows you are listening and want to contribute.
Sorry to jump in, but I have a quick question about that.
Register: Neutral. A polite way to interrupt someone when you have an important and relevant point to make. Always start with an apology like 'Sorry to...'.
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Complete the sentences with words from the box. One word is extra.
Word bank
01We only have five minutes left, so we should the meeting soon.
02Please try not to get ; we need to stay focused on the main topic.
03It's important that everyone is on the same before we present the project to the client.
04Now that we've agreed on the budget, let's to the marketing plan.
05I will schedule a meeting for next Tuesday to review the action items.
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Making meetings work
Read the article below, then answer the comprehension questions.
Last Tuesday, our team meeting lasted for two hours, but we achieved very little. We got sidetracked by a long discussion about the new coffee machine. Effective meetings are different. They start with a clear purpose. The chairperson opened yesterday's meeting to present the goals for the quarter. This helped everyone understand why we were there. When everyone is on the same page, it's easier to stay focused. If a conversation goes off-topic, a good leader will politely ask to move on to the next point on the agenda. The main goal is to wrap up on time with clear action items for everyone. It’s better to schedule a brief follow-up meeting for other topics than to try and solve everything at once.
01What problem did the writer have in the meeting last Tuesday?
Sample answerThe meeting was very long, they didn't achieve much, and the team got sidetracked by an unrelated topic.
02According to the article, what did the chairperson do to make yesterday's meeting better?
Sample answerThe chairperson started the meeting by presenting the goals for the quarter.
03What should a good leader do when the team gets sidetracked?
Sample answerThey should politely ask to move on to the next point on the agenda.
04Why does the writer think a follow-up meeting can be a good idea?
Sample answerBecause it's better to focus on one or two things in the main meeting and discuss other topics later, instead of trying to do everything at once.
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Discuss these questions with a partner. Try to use vocabulary from the lesson.
- Some people believe most meetings could be replaced by an email. Do you agree? In what situations is a meeting essential to make sure everyone is `on the same page`?
- Think about meetings in your culture or company. How common is it for discussions `to get sidetracked`? What strategies can a chairperson use to get the meeting back on topic?
- Imagine you are leading a meeting that is running late. Is it better to `wrap up` on time, even if you don't discuss everything, or is it more important to cover all the agenda points? What could be the consequences of each choice?