By Jason Phillips, British English teacher · Updated 4 October 2026
Knowing Business English vocabulary is useful, but meetings are usually difficult for a different reason: you have to react in real time. You need language that helps you enter the discussion, make your point clearly and respond diplomatically when you disagree.
This guide focuses on phrases you can actually reuse in meetings. Choose a few from each section and practise them aloud until they feel automatic.
1. Opening a meeting or introducing a topic
“Shall we get started?”A natural way to begin when everyone is ready.
“The main thing I’d like us to look at today is…”Useful when you are leading the discussion.
“Before we move on, I’d like to clarify one point.”Good for controlling the structure without sounding abrupt.
“Just to give everyone a bit of context…”Use this before explaining background information.
“What I’d like to achieve by the end of this meeting is…”Clear and professional when setting an objective.
2. Giving your opinion clearly
“From my perspective, the main issue is…”Professional and slightly more measured than “I think”.
“The way I see it, we have two realistic options.”Natural for presenting a judgement.
“My concern would be…”A diplomatic way to introduce a problem or risk.
“I’d be inclined to…”Useful when expressing a preference without sounding too forceful.
“What makes the most sense to me is…”Good for practical recommendations.
3. Agreeing without repeating “I agree”
“That’s a fair point.”Acknowledge someone’s argument even if you want to add something.
“I’m with you on that.”Natural and slightly less formal.
“That ties in with what I was going to say.”Useful when building on another speaker’s idea.
“I think that’s the right direction.”Good for supporting a proposed action.
“Exactly — and I’d add that…”Helps you agree and then extend the point.
4. Disagreeing diplomatically
“I see where you’re coming from, but…”Shows you understand before challenging the idea.
“I’m not sure I’d go that far.”Useful when you think a conclusion is too strong.
“I’d look at it slightly differently.”A professional alternative to “I disagree”.
“My only hesitation is…”Good for raising one specific concern.
“I think we may be overlooking…”Useful when adding a missing factor.
Professional tip: In international meetings, disagreement usually sounds stronger than you think. Softening phrases such as “I’m not sure”, “my concern would be” and “I’d look at it differently” can make your English sound more confident, not weaker.
5. Interrupting politely
“Can I just jump in there?”Common and natural in spoken business English.
“Sorry to interrupt, but can I clarify something?”Useful when you need to stop confusion early.
“If I can come in for a second…”Polite but confident.
“Before we move on, could I add one thing?”Good when the topic is about to change.
“Just on that point…”A short way to enter the conversation and stay on topic.
6. Asking for clarification
“When you say X, do you mean…?”Checks meaning without admitting you did not understand everything.
“Could you talk me through that in a bit more detail?”Natural when you need a fuller explanation.
“Just so I’m clear, are we saying that…?”Excellent for confirming decisions.
“What would that look like in practice?”Useful when a proposal is too general.
“Could you give me an example?”Simple, direct and effective.
7. Moving the discussion forward
“So where does that leave us?”Brings the discussion back to the decision.
“What do we need to do next?”Clear action-focused language.
“Can we agree on the next step?”Useful when discussion is going in circles.
“Let’s park that for the moment and come back to it.”Common meeting language for postponing a topic.
“I think we’ve covered that. Shall we move on?”Polite way to control time.
8. Summarising and closing
“Just to recap, we’ve agreed that…”Useful before confirming actions.
“The key takeaway for me is…”Good for highlighting the main conclusion.
“So the next steps are…”Simple and clear.
“Is everyone happy with that?”Natural when checking final agreement.
“Thanks everyone — I think we can leave it there.”A natural way to close.
How to practise these phrases
Do not try to memorise all 40 at once. Pick five that match situations you regularly face. Create a realistic meeting scenario and say each phrase aloud several times. Then practise answering an unexpected follow-up question. The goal is to make the language available under pressure, not simply recognise it on a page.
If meetings are one of the main reasons you use English professionally, see my Business English coaching page. Coaching can use your real meeting situations, presentations and communication challenges rather than generic textbook exercises.
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