By Jason Phillips, British English coach · Updated 24 October 2026
Knowing individual business words is useful, but meetings depend more on combinations of words you can retrieve quickly. These are the kinds of phrases that help you enter a discussion, clarify a point, challenge an idea politely and finish with clear actions.
Quick-reference Business English meeting phrase bank
This section is designed as a practical reference for learners, teachers and workplace trainers. Bookmark it, share it with a class or use it to prepare for a real meeting.
| Situation | Useful phrases |
|---|---|
| Opening | “The purpose of today’s meeting is…” “Shall we get started?” “Let’s quickly run through the agenda.” |
| Giving an opinion | “From my perspective…” “The way I see it…” “My main concern is…” |
| Agreeing | “I think that makes sense.” “I’m on the same page.” “That ties in with what we’ve seen.” |
| Disagreeing politely | “I see your point, but…” “I’m not completely convinced that…” “Could there be another way of looking at this?” |
| Clarifying | “Just to clarify…” “Could you explain what you mean by…?” “Just to make sure I’ve understood…” |
| Interrupting | “Sorry to jump in, but…” “Can I just add something there?” “Before we move on, could I clarify one point?” |
| Refocusing | “Let’s get back on track.” “Perhaps we can park that for now.” “Before we move on, can we agree…?” |
| Decisions | “Can we reach a decision today?” “Are we all in agreement?” “Once this is signed off, we can move ahead.” |
| Actions | “Who will take ownership of this?” “I’ll follow up by Friday.” “Let’s confirm the action points.” |
| Closing | “Just to summarise where we are…” “The key takeaway is…” “So, the next steps are…” |
Meeting phrase reference: what to say at each stage
This reference is designed for professionals who need language they can retrieve quickly in a real meeting. I have taught Business English to professionals across a wide range of roles, and the same communication problems come up repeatedly: entering a discussion, disagreeing without sounding abrupt, clarifying vague language and finishing with clear ownership.
| Meeting stage | Useful phrase | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Open | “The main objective today is…” | Sets a clear purpose. |
| Contribute | “From my perspective…” | Introduces your view professionally. |
| Clarify | “Just to make sure I’ve understood…” | Checks meaning without sounding confrontational. |
| Disagree | “I see where you’re coming from, but…” | Acknowledges first, then challenges. |
| Interrupt | “Sorry to jump in, but…” | Lets you enter the discussion politely. |
| Refocus | “Can we come back to the main point?” | Brings the meeting back on track. |
| Decide | “Are we in a position to make a decision?” | Moves discussion towards an outcome. |
| Assign | “Who is taking ownership of this?” | Makes responsibility explicit. |
| Close | “So the next steps are…” | Ends with actions rather than vague agreement. |
Seven meeting-English problems I repeatedly correct
- Giving an opinion too directly: replace “You are wrong” with “I see your point, but I’m not completely convinced.”
- Translating instead of using chunks: learn complete phrases such as “raise a concern” and “meet a deadline” rather than assembling each sentence word by word.
- Overusing “I think”: rotate phrases such as “From my perspective”, “The way I see it” and “My main concern is”.
- Not checking understanding: use “Just to clarify…” before acting on an unclear instruction.
- Speaking for too long: lead with your conclusion, then give the reason.
- Finishing without ownership: name the person, action and deadline before the meeting closes.
- Avoiding interruption completely: polite interruption is often necessary in international meetings; prepare one phrase so you can enter naturally.
For teachers and trainers: you may link directly to this section as a free reference for learners practising workplace meetings. The examples are written in British English and can be used for independent study or lesson discussion.
Six phrases you can use in your next meeting
You do not need complicated English to contribute well. Choose a phrase that fits the situation, then add your own point.
“The purpose of today’s meeting is to agree our priorities for next month.”
“From my perspective, we should focus on the delivery date first.”
“Just to clarify, does that deadline include the testing stage?”
“I see your point, but I’m concerned about the extra cost.”
“Before we move on, can we agree who will handle this?”
“So, the next step is for me to send the revised plan by Friday.”
What do common meeting words mean?
- Agenda: the topics planned for the meeting. “I’ve added the budget review to the agenda.”
- Minutes: the written record of the meeting, including decisions and actions. “Could you send me the minutes?”
- Action item: a task agreed during the discussion. “Let’s confirm the action items before we finish.”
- Chair: the person who leads the meeting; also a verb. “Who is chairing today’s meeting?”
- Deadline: the latest time a task must be completed. “The deadline for feedback is Thursday.”
“Minutes” here means a written record, rather than units of time. “Chairing” means leading the discussion.
Starting and setting the agenda
“Before we start, I’ll quickly run through the agenda.”
“The main objective today is to agree the launch timeline.”
“We should be able to cover the key points in about 30 minutes.”
“Let’s come back to that once we’ve looked at the figures.”
Giving your opinion
I’d be inclined to is useful when you want to give a preference without sounding too absolute.
Agreeing professionally
Disagreeing without sounding confrontational
Clarifying and checking understanding
“Could you clarify what you mean by ‘phase two’?”
“Just to make sure I’ve understood, you’re suggesting we delay the launch by two weeks?”
“So, in other words, the issue is capacity rather than cost?”
Useful when someone gives a vague strategic answer.
Interrupting politely
Keeping the meeting focused
“I think we’re moving slightly off topic, so let’s get back on track.”
“That’s important, but perhaps we can park it for now.”
“I’ll keep this brief because we still have two items to cover.”
Talking about decisions
Example: “Once finance signs off on the revised budget, we can give the team the go-ahead.”
Actions and responsibility
Example: “I’ll take ownership of the supplier issue and follow up by Friday.”
Deadlines and progress
Summarising and closing
Five meeting collocations worth mastering
- raise a concern: “Can I raise a concern about the timeline?”
- address an issue: “We need to address the staffing issue before we commit.”
- make a decision: “We should make a decision before the end of the meeting.”
- meet a deadline: “Will we have enough time to meet the deadline?”
- take responsibility: “I’ll take responsibility for updating the client.”
These sound much more natural than translating word-for-word from another language.
See the phrases in a short meeting
Alex: “The main objective today is to agree the delivery date.”
Sam: “From my perspective, Friday is realistic.”
Alex: “Just to clarify, does that include testing?”
Sam: “It does, but I’d like to raise a concern about the final checks.”
Alex: “Let’s address that before we make a decision. Who can take responsibility for the checks?”
Sam: “I can. I’ll follow up with an update by Wednesday.”
Practise before your next meeting
Complete each sentence with the correct verb: meet, take, raise, make, address.
- “Could I _____ a concern about the proposed budget?”
- “We need to _____ this issue before the launch.”
- “Who will _____ responsibility for contacting the supplier?”
- “Can we _____ a decision today?”
- “We’ll need extra support to _____ the deadline.”
Check your answers
- raise a concern
- address this issue
- take responsibility
- make a decision
- meet the deadline
Now think of a meeting you actually have coming up. Say its purpose aloud, explain one concern and finish with a next step. Use three phrases from this guide, then repeat without reading. Notice which phrases you can retrieve easily and which still need practice.
Check your meeting vocabulary
Complete the sentences with agenda, action points, minutes or deadline.
- Could you send the meeting _____ so we know what to prepare?
- Let’s agree the _____ and who is responsible for each task.
- I’ll circulate the _____ so everyone has a written record of the decisions.
- What is the _____ for sending the final proposal?
Check the answers
1. agenda · 2. action points · 3. minutes · 4. deadline
Now try saying this aloud: “Before we close, let’s agree the action points, assign each task to someone and confirm the deadline.” For more ways to manage the discussion, practise the 40 useful English meeting phrases.