Can't find your words when you need them most? Learning key business English phrases for meetings will help you speak fluently and confidently in most professional setting. From formal client presentation meetings to casual team discussions, this phrase bank includes exact phrases for agreeing, disagreeing, making suggestions, and leading effective conversations.

Are you an intermediate or advanced learner who's looking to improve your Spoken English? Check out our Private Personalized English Courses.

Why choose The English Center for your training?
We are CEDEO-erkend and get excellent Trustpilot reviews for our Business English courses in Amsterdam.

Table of Contents

1. Types of Business Meetings
2. Business English Phrases for Opening a Meeting
3. Participating in Meeting Discussions
4. Presenting Ideas in Meetings
5. Managing the Meeting (For Chairs/Facilitators)
6. Business English Phrases for Closing a Meeting
7. Virtual Meeting Phrases in Business English
8. Formal vs. Informal: Choosing the Right Meeting Phrases
9. Practice Makes Perfect

1. Types of business meetings

Before we dive into the phrases, let's clarify the main types of meetings you might participate in:

• Team meetings – Regular check-ins with your department or project team
• Board meetings – Formal gatherings with company leadership
• Client meetings – External meetings with customers or partners
• One-on-ones – Individual meetings with your manager or colleague
• Brainstorming sessions – Creative meetings to generate ideas
• Status updates – Quick meetings to share progress
• Kick-off meetings – Initial meetings to launch a project

2.Vocabulary to get you started: Business English phrases for opening a meeting

Formal openings

• "Good morning/afternoon, everyone. Thank you for joining us today."
• "Let's get started, shall we?"
• "I'd like to welcome everyone to today's meeting."
• "The purpose of today's meeting is to discuss..."
• "Our agenda for today includes three main items..."

Informal openings

• "Hi everyone, thanks for coming!"
• "Shall we get going?"
• "Let's dive in."
• "Thanks for making time, everyone."
• "Right, let's get this started."

Setting the agenda

• "We've got three items on the agenda today."
• "First, we'll cover... then we'll move on to... and finally..."
• "I've sent the agenda around, but just to recap..."
• "We need to wrap up by [time], so let's stay focused."

3. Participating in meeting discussions

Mastering business English phrases for meetings means knowing how to contribute effectively. Here are essential phrases for participating in discussions:

Agreeing

Formal:

• "I completely agree with that point."
• "That's an excellent suggestion."
• "I'm in full agreement."
• "I couldn't agree more."

Informal:

• "Absolutely!"
• "That makes sense."
• "I'm on board with that."
• "Sounds good to me."

Disagreeing politely

Formal:

• "I see your point, however..."
• “With all due respect, I disagree…”
• "I'd like to offer an alternative perspective."
• "While I understand your position, I think we should consider..."

Informal:

• "I hear you, but..."
• "I'm not sure I agree with that."
• "Have we thought about...?"
• "I see it a bit differently."

Asking for clarification

• "Could you elaborate on that?"
• "What exactly do you mean by...?"
• "I'm not sure I follow. Could you explain that again?"
• "Just to clarify, are you saying...?"
• "Can you give us an example?"

Making suggestions

Formal:

• "I'd like to propose that we..."
• "May I suggest...?"
• "Have we considered...?"
• "I recommend that we..."

Informal:

• "What if we...?"
• "How about...?"
• "Why don't we...?"
• "We could always..."

Interrupting appropriately

Formal:

• "Excuse me, may I add something here?"
• "If I could just interject for a moment..."
• "Sorry to interrupt, but..."

Informal:

• "Can I jump in here?"
• "Quick question..."
• "Hold on, can I just say something?"

4. Presenting ideas in meetings

Introducing your point

• "I'd like to bring up..."
• "The point I want to make is..."
• "What I'm trying to say is..."
• "Let me share my thoughts on this."
• "From my perspective..."

Supporting arguments

• "The data shows that..."
• "According to our research..."
• "For example..."
• "This is supported by..."
• "Evidence suggests that..."

Transitioning between topics

• "Moving on to the next point..."
• "That brings us to..."
• "Now, let's turn our attention to..."
• "On a related note..."
• "This leads me to my next point..."

5. Managing the meeting for chairs (facilitators)

If you're leading a meeting, these business English phrases will help you maintain control and keep discussions productive.

Pro Tip: Use chair as the standard, modern term. It’s concise, gender-neutral, and widely accepted. Chair can also be used as a verb (“Who will chair the meeting?”). Use “chairperson” for formal or traditional contexts.

Keeping on track

• "Let's stay focused on the agenda."
• "We're running short on time, so let's move forward."
• "That's an interesting point, but perhaps we can discuss it offline."
• "Let's table that discussion for now."
• "Can we park that idea and come back to it?"

Inviting input

• "What are your thoughts on this, [Name]?"
• "Does anyone have any questions?"
• "I'd like to hear from everyone on this."
• "What does the team think?"
• "[Name], you've been quiet. What's your take?"

Moving to the next topic

• "Shall we move on?"
• "I think we've covered that. Let's proceed to..."
• "Next on the agenda is..."
• "Right, moving forward..."

6. Business English phrases for closing a meeting

Summarizing key points

Formal:

• "To summarize, we've agreed to..."
• "Let me recap the main points..."
• "In conclusion..."
• "The key takeaways from today are..."

Informal:

• "So, to wrap up..."
• "Just to recap quickly..."
• "Bottom line is..."

Assigning action items

• "So, [Name], you'll take care of...?"
• "Can we confirm who's responsible for what?"
• "Let's assign action items."
• "[Name] will handle X, and [Name] will follow up on Y."
• "What are our next steps?"

Scheduling follow-ups

• "When should we meet again to discuss this?"
• "Let's schedule a follow-up for next week."
• "I'll send out a meeting invite for..."
• "We'll reconvene on [date]."

Final remarks

Formal:

• "Thank you all for your time and contributions."
• "I appreciate everyone's input today."
• "That concludes our meeting."

Informal:

• "Thanks, everyone!"
• "Great discussion, team."
• "Alright, let's get back to it."
• "Catch you all later!"

7. Virtual meeting phrases in Business English

The rise of remote work means we all need to master virtual meeting etiquette. Here are essential phrases for online meetings:

Practical technology phrases

• "Can everyone hear me okay?"
• "You're on mute, [Name]."
• "Could you turn on your camera, please?"
• "I'm having connection issues."
• "Let me share my screen."
• "Can everyone see the presentation?"
• "I'll drop the link in the chat."
• "Sorry, I was having audio problems."

Virtual meeting etiquette

• "Let's use the raise hand feature if you have questions."
• "Please mute yourself when not speaking."
• "Feel free to use the chat for questions."
• "I'll monitor the chat for questions."

8. Formal vs. informal: Choosing the right meeting phrases

Understanding when to use formal or informal business English phrases for meetings is crucial for professional success.

Use formal language when:

• Meeting with senior leadership or executives
• Presenting to clients or external stakeholders
• Attending board meetings
• In large, structured meetings
• When you're new to the organization

Use informal language when:

• Meeting with your immediate team
• In brainstorming sessions
• During one-on-ones with colleagues
• In startup or casual work environments
• When the meeting culture is relaxed

Pro tip: When in doubt, start with a formal tone and then adjust, if needed, based on the tone others set.

9. Practice makes perfect

Mastering business English phrases for meetings takes practice. Try incorporating a few new phrases into your next meeting, and pay attention to how native speakers navigate different situations. Remember, confidence comes from preparation – knowing these meeting phrases will help you contribute meaningfully and professionally in any business setting.

The key to success is not just memorizing these phrases, but understanding the context in which to use them. Whether you're participating in a formal board meeting or a casual team catch-up, having the right business English phrases at your fingertips will boost your confidence and professional credibility.

Ready to polish your business English? Our Spoken Business English courses help you communicate with clarity and confidence in any professional setting.

You can work with a professional native-speaker trainer and get real-world practice at our locations in:

Amsterdam (near Vondelpark or Central Station)

Amstelveen (easy parking, quiet setting)

The Hague (Zuid-Holland’s choice for English training)

Hoofddorp (close to Schiphol, central, accessible, modern)

Prefer a virtual course? Contact us about English Center courses online.

Since 2009, thousands of learners have trusted our courses

What do our clients think about us? Just click the TrustPilot icon to read some reviews

Or click the CEDEO-erkend logo to see us at the CEDEO site.

"Business English Phrases for Meetings" was written by Brenda de Jong-Pauley, MA, Director, The English Center and Alexandra Roberts, BA, English trainer.