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During this fast-paced 60-minute webinar you will learn vocabulary, phrases and pronunciation used by native English speakers during successful meetings in English.
+ Chairing a meeting
+ Useful phrases used in meetings
+ Following the agenda
+ Following up your meeting
+ Reporting content-the grammar of reporting
2. LANGUAGE REVIEW
hold a meeting
matters arising
emergency
monthly
chair
set an agenda
participant
item
reach a consensus
an emergency meeting
a monthly meeting
chair a meeting an occasion when people come together intentionally
or not intentionally
deliver information
gather information We're having a meeting on Thursday to discuss the
brainstorming problem.
3. SUMMARY
•Chairing a meeting
•Useful phrases used in meetings
•Following the agenda
•Following up your meeting
•Reporting content
•The grammar of reporting
4. Chairing a Meeting
facilitate Right then. I think we should get started. Can
open a meeting you listen please? Right then. As you all
know, we’re here to reach a decision on the
apologies main issues from the last departmental
establish authority meeting. As you can see, there are three
chair-chairman-chair items on the agenda and we have the room
person until 4.30... so let’s try and stick to the
the agenda agenda. Brian could you start by outlining the
areas finance have suggested we look at for
ensure a clear purpose cutting to achieve the 15% we agreed needs
get down to business to be implemented.
go through points
5. 1. And...and finally
2. Well, as you know, we're here today to...
Useful Language
3. We’ll come back to that at a later date.
4. come up with solutions
5. Okay everyone, let's get started
6. Did everyone receive a copy of the agenda ?
7. send apologies
8. There are 3 items to discuss...
9. I’d like to hand over to...
10. As you can see
6. Useful Language
Okay everyone, let's get started. Sylvie sends her apologies. She's tied up with the
American visitors working on the new branding project. She’ll join us a bit later.
Well, as you know, we're here today to look into ways of streamlining operations as a
result of recent negative feedback and to come up with some cost-cutting solutions.
Did everyone receive a copy of the agenda ? Good. Well, as you can see, there are 3
items to discuss : the recent operational problems that we've been having; the various
outsourcing options that are on offer and, finally, the cost-cutting solutions that head
office have sent us. Would anyone like to add anything to the agenda ?
I'm sorry Mike, but I don't think that really comes under the scope of today's meeting.
We'll come back to that at a later date, if you don't mind.
Okay, at this point, I'd like to hand over to Emmanuelle who's going to kick off with a
review of the recent operational issues that clients have complained about and the
solutions that he's come up with. Emmanuelle.
7. Opinions
How often have you seen an agenda left totally aside? The meeting starts off
well but becomes embroiled in a particular topic (perhaps the first item on
the agenda) and ends when time runs out.
A chairperson
•assesses the importance of each item on the agenda
•allots time to each topic as required
•If one issue begins to dominate the chairman takes control
•suggests a further meeting to discuss the issue at a later date (or that the main
parties concerned could continue the discussion at the end of the meeting)
•sometimes calls for a decision and then moves on to the next topic.
•needs to stay alert and make sure that the issue has been given an adequate and
impartial hearing within the allotted time.
8. The Agenda-the Chair’s Friend
The meeting agenda is a roadmap for the
meeting. It lets participants know where
they're headed so they don't get off track. Most
importantly, the meeting agenda gives a sense
of purpose and direction to the meeting.
All agendas should list the following:
•Meeting start time
•Meeting end time
•Meeting location
•Topic headings
•Include some topic detail for each heading
•Indicate the time each topic is expected to last
•Indicate which meeting participants are expected
to be the main topic participants
9. The Agenda
Review employee benefits Agenda
overhaul Management Meeting
Room 304, Concord Building
Compare areas for cuts 10 am 22nd November
Decide course of action and 1. Apologies for absence
policy 2. Minutes of the last meeting
3. Matters arising
AOB
Managers’ Meeting 4. Employee benefits and perks
5. AOB
To reduce costs in the HR department. 6. Date for follow up meeting
DATE: 15th August 2011
PLACE: Boardroom 11th Floor Summary
PARTICIPANTS: Sean Martin(IT), Craig •Benefits
Jones (Marketing), Joan Connell (Ops.) •Cuts
•Action
AGENDA •Lunch
10. Meeting Follow-up
During or after the meeting? Hello Sylvie,
Sorry you couldn’t make it to the meeting.
Start on time I think it went according to plan.
Take the minutes I’m going to contact the management
team to outline how the cuts will effect
Schedule the next meeting their departments and inform them that
we have decided to replace Emma Gibson
Follow up email as head of operations. We will be having
an urgent meeting to decide which of her
Follow up call team will take over the role.
Outline actions to be taken Emmanuelle put his suggestions to the
meeting regarding staff and benefit cuts.
We’ll have to give specific details in the
next meeting.
Jeremy
11. Follow Up
MEMO
Management Meeting
_________________________
14th October
cc. Jeremy Banks, Imogen
Gold, Emmanuelle Dalton
•JB-to contact departmental managers re.
details of staff cuts, Emma’s removal
•IG-to arrange meeting for management
to put forward possible replacements
•ED to present financial ramifications of
cuts
•SB to send more detailed outline of
proposals
12. Reporting
agreed hold the meeting next Thursday.
I arranged contact departmental heads.
Jeremy decided managed to ensure she could attend the next
Sylvie managed meeting.
Emmanuelle offered decided to replace the operations manager.
The chairman promised planned to outline the financial aspects of the cuts.
My assistant remembered promised to circulate the memo.
The meeting forgot
hoped
planned to
13. Reporting
Jeremy agreed to contact departmental managers.
Sylvie arranged to hold the meeting next Thursday and to
ensure she’d attend this time.
The meeting decided to replace the operations manager.
Emmanuelle planned to outline the financial aspects of the cuts.
My assistant promised to circulate the memo.
I intend to send you a PDF with useful language.
14. Minutes?
If you think that distributing minutes with
assigned action items and due dates will make
your meetings effective, think again.
My experience is that many meeting participants fail
to look at the minutes until the day of the next
meeting. (This assumes that the meeting recorder
distributed the minutes before the day of the next
meeting.)
To make meeting follow-up work, you need to
develop a culture of accountability that makes it not
okay to show up at the next meeting with action
items incomplete. Barring a culture change, the
meeting leader needs to follow-up with participants
regularly between meetings to ensure action items
are under way.
15. The Minutes of the Meeting
Written record of the main events at a meeting.
Include
Names of participants
Purpose of the meeting
Date-time-place
Brief summary of reports
Decision on any action items.
Care should be taken in the wording of the agreed-upon decision. If
uncertain, check with the team to be sure the wording of the decision is
accurate
Additional decisions
Assignments made include name of person assigned an item needing follow
up, its completion date, and the expected reporting date
Time meeting concluded
Date of next meeting, if known
16. Minutes-do’s and don’ts
1. write minutes soon after the meeting--preferably within 48 hours. That
way, those who attended can be reminded of action items, and those who did
not attend will promptly know what happened.
2. skip writing minutes just because everyone attended the meeting and
knows what happened. Meeting notes serve as a record of the meeting long
after people forget what happened.
3. describe all the "he said, she said" details unless those details are very
important. Record topics discussed, decisions made, and action items.
4. include any information that will embarrass anyone(for example, "Then
Terry left the room in tears").
5. use positive language. Rather than describing the discussion
as heated or angry, use passionate, lively, or energetic--all of which are just as
true as the negative words.
6. have a new year filled with productive meetings captured efficiently in
crisp, clear meeting notes!
