By Jason Phillips, British English coach · Updated 24 October 2026
Use this as a reference sheet. Pick five phrases before your next meeting, say them aloud, then use at least two during the real discussion. Teachers and trainers may also use this page as a free classroom reference.
Opening and setting the agenda
1. “The purpose of today’s meeting is…”Use this to state the objective clearly.
2. “Let’s quickly run through the agenda.”Useful for reviewing the planned topics.
3. “The main thing we need to decide today is…”Keeps the meeting focused on an outcome.
4. “Before we start, is there anything we need to add?”Invites additional agenda items.
5. “Shall we get started?”Natural and simple for beginning.
Giving your opinion
6. “From my perspective…”Professional and neutral.
7. “The way I see it…”Natural and conversational.
8. “My main concern is…”Useful when highlighting risk.
9. “I’d be inclined to…”A softer way to express a preference.
10. “One option would be to…”Useful when proposing a solution.
Agreeing
11. “I think that makes sense.”Natural agreement without sounding excessive.
12. “I’m on the same page.”Common, slightly informal workplace English.
13. “I’d agree with that, especially because…”Adds reasoning to agreement.
14. “That ties in with what we’ve seen.”Connects a point to previous evidence.
15. “That sounds like the right approach.”Useful when supporting a plan.
Disagreeing diplomatically
16. “I see your point, but…”Acknowledge first, challenge second.
17. “I’m not completely convinced that…”Softens disagreement.
18. “I wonder whether we’re overlooking…”Useful for raising a missing issue.
19. “Could there be another way of looking at this?”Invites discussion rather than confrontation.
20. “I’d be cautious about…”Useful when discussing risk.
Clarifying and checking understanding
21. “Just to clarify…”One of the most useful meeting phrases.
22. “Could you clarify what you mean by…?”Direct but polite.
23. “Just to make sure I’ve understood…”Good before paraphrasing someone’s point.
24. “So, in other words…”Useful for checking meaning.
25. “What would that mean in practice?”Turns a vague idea into something concrete.
Interrupting politely
26. “Sorry to jump in, but…”Natural in fast-moving discussions.
27. “Can I just add something there?”Polite and common.
28. “Before we move on, could I clarify one point?”Stops the discussion without sounding rude.
29. “If I could come in on that…”Professional and diplomatic.
30. “Can I briefly respond to that?”Useful in structured meetings.
Keeping the meeting focused
31. “Let’s get back on track.”Returns to the main topic.
32. “Perhaps we can park that for now.”Postpones a side issue.
33. “Let’s come back to that later.”Simple alternative to “park that”.
34. “We’re slightly off topic.”Direct but not aggressive.
35. “Can we focus on the decision we need to make?”Useful when discussion becomes too broad.
Making decisions and assigning actions
36. “Can we reach a decision on this today?”Moves discussion toward an outcome.
37. “Are we all agreed on that?”Checks consensus.
38. “Who’s going to take ownership of this?”Clarifies responsibility.
39. “I’ll follow up on that.”Shows responsibility for the next step.
40. “Let’s assign an owner and a deadline.”Creates accountability.
Talking about deadlines and progress
41. “Are we still on track?”Checks progress.
42. “We’re slightly behind schedule.”Natural status update.
43. “Can we realistically meet the deadline?”Useful when timing is uncertain.
44. “We may need to push the deadline back.”Moves a deadline later.
45. “Could we bring the deadline forward?”Moves a deadline earlier.
Summarising and closing
46. “Just to summarise where we are…”Useful before closing.
47. “The key takeaway is…”Highlights the main point.
48. “So the next steps are…”Introduces actions.
49. “I’ll send a short follow-up with the actions.”Clear professional closing language.
50. “Thanks everyone — that covers everything from my side.”Natural way to finish.
How to practise this phrase bank
- Choose five phrases that fit a real meeting you have coming up.
- Say each phrase aloud three times.
- Add your own realistic information after each phrase.
- Use at least two phrases in the real meeting.
- Afterwards, note which phrases came naturally and which ones you forgot.