360 useful English phrases for business meetings
The course is based on a simple English conversation in a business meeting.
In 51 short lessons we will be discussing the English used in different parts of the meeting.
Each lesson is a short video between 2 to 4 minutes (rarely longer than 4 minutes),
- Quotation from a part of the meeting conversation.
- Discussing the situational english used in this part of the meeting.
- About 6 to 12 different examples of English phrases related to the discussed situation that you can use right away in your meeting, job and life.
Here is a list of what you will learn:
Chapter 1: Situations related to Opinions (Part 1):
- Seeking opinions of all participants of the meeting. (8 Phrases).
- Seeking the opinion of just one person. (8 Phrases).
- Giving an opinion that is neutral (10 Phrases).
- Asking for opinions from different angles (3 Phrases)
- Giving a tentative opinion (7 Phrases).
- Giving a strong opinion (8 Phrases).
Chapter 2: Situations related to agreement and disagreement opinions:
- Strong Agreement (11 Phrases).
- Moderate agreement with someone’s opinion (10 Phrases).
- Tentative or partial agreement when you are not sure (5 Phrases).
- Strong Disagreement (14 Phrases).
- Moderate Disagreement (8 Phrases).
- Agreement using the word “especially” (3 Phrases).
- Agreement using the words “all, whole, entire, each and every” (4 Phrases).
- Using “so do I” to express agreement (6 Phrases).
- Disagreement using the word “but” (7 Phrases).
- Other indirect means of expressing disagreement with someone’s opinion (8 Phrases).
Chapter 3: situations related to Suggestions:
- Asking all participants for their suggestions to solve a problem (12 Phrases).
- Giving suggestions (8 Phrases).
- Rejecting a suggestion or expressing disagreement in a diplomatic way (4 Phrases).
- Expressing disagreement by casting doubt on an idea (6 Phrases).
- Direct disagreement with a suggestion (5 Phrases).
- Strong informal disagreement with a suggestion (5 Phrases).
- Offering alternative suggestions (12 Phrases).
- Soliciting for alternative suggestions to a rejected one. (5 Phrases).
- Praising others’ ideas (8 Phrases).
- Agreeing with someone’s suggestion by saying that you had the same idea in mind (5 Phrases).
- Neutral agreement with someone’s suggestion (5 Phrases).
- Dismiss someone’s suggestions as trivial (5 Phrases).
Chapter 4: other situations that are also related to Suggestions:
- Preferring one suggestion over other given suggestions (5 Phrases).
- When you have to agree with a suggestion you aren’t convinced about (7 Phrases).
- When you have no suggestions to say (6 Phrases).
- Being neutral towards all given suggestions (5 Phrases).
- Encouraging participants to give more suggestions (6 Phrases).
- Introducing unusual suggestions during brainstorming (5 Phrases).
- Building your suggestion on other people’s ideas? (7 Phrases).
Chapter 5: Situations that are also related to interruptions:
- Making interruption and asking some to interrupt him (12 Phrases).
- Allowing someone’s interruption (5 Phrases).
- Stop someone’s interruption and disallow him to speak (7 Phrases).
- Continue what you was saying after being interrupted (8 Phrases).
Chapter 6: Situations that are also related to clarification:
- Express lack of understanding (8 Phrases).
- Ask for full clarification of what is meant (11 Phrases).
- Referring forward when you want to explain something later in the meeting (5 Phrases).
- Asking for clarification on only one word or phrase (10 Phrases).
- Giving clarification of what is meant (9 Phrases).
- Paraphrasing to check if you understand correctly what has been said (12 Phrases).
- Correcting someone’s understanding (4 Phrases).
- Asking for more information when clarification is not enough (4 Phrases).
- Confirming that someone correctly understands you (4 Phrases).
- Ask for clarification of something you did not hear clearly (12 Phrases).
- Giving example for more clarification (4 Phrases).
- Responding to someone who has given a clarification (4 Phrases).
Note: This is a general English course, it only includes the general English used in business meetings. The examples in this course can also be used in everyday conversations. The business English part of the course which includes: Arranging for a meeting, starting a meeting, presenting facts, resolving conflict between participants, chairing a meeting,voting and ending a meeting will be explained in a separate course.
Happy learning
Full time English courses
Introduction to the course:
Chapter 1: Situations related to Opinions (Part 1):
In this video you will learn how the chair of a meeting can asks a general question to all the participants to say their opinions about something.
In this video you will learn how the chair of a meeting can ask a only one participant to share his opinions.
In this video you will learn how a participant can give an opinion that is not a strong opinion.
In this video you will learn how a participant can give an opinion that he is not at all confident about
In this video you will learn how the chair of a meeting can ask for other opinions from different point of views than the opinions that are already offered
In this video you will learn how a participant can give a strong opinion that he is really confident about
Chapter 2: Situations related to agreement and disagreement opinions of others:
In this video you will learn phrases a participant can use to strongly agree with an opinion that is given by another participant
In this video you will learn phrases a participant can use to moderately agree with an opinion that is given by another participant but not as strong as before
In this video you will partially agree with opinions showing that you are not so sure about it
You will learn how to disagree with someone’s opinion that you really believe it is not a good opinion.
You will learn how to disagree with someone’s opinion in a moderate way.
You will learn how to use the word “especially” to agree with someone’s opinion.
Generalization is another way to agree with the opinions of other participants of a meeting, you will see in this video how to use generalization words like “all, whole, entire, each and every” to agree with other people
Also the short phrase “so do I” can be used to agree with someone’s opinion by telling him that you have the same feelings towards the subject to be discussed
The word “but” is used for reducing the impact of your disagreement on others’ opinions.
Here you will learn other different ways to disagree with someone
Chapter 3: Situations related to Suggestions:
In this video you will learn how the chair of a meeting can ask participants of the meeting to give their suggestions to solve the problem rather than opinions about the cause of the problem.
In this video you will learn phrases a participant can use to give suggestions on ways to solve the problem that is the matter of discussion in the current meeting
In this video you will learn phrases a participant can use to disagree with a suggestion politely, when he or she thinks that this suggestion is not going to solve the problem.
Casting doubts on an idea is another ways to tell others that you disagree with a given suggestion, but without saying that you disagree, just criticizing the idea.
In this video you will not be diplomatic any more you will directly criticize the idea.
Some times when participants know each other, they can be more informal in rejecting each other’s ideas.
Sometimes a given suggestion seems to be good but inapplicable, so the chair of the meeting needs a different way that can solve the problem but applicable.
How to give another suggestion that is better and can replace a previously offered one.
When someone give a good suggestion to solve the problem it will be nice to praise his or her ideas.
Sometimes one of your colleagues says an idea that is exactly an idea that you was about to say.
When you neutrally agree with a given suggestion, this means that this suggestion will be considered only if no other better suggestion comes up by the times the meeting comes to an end.
There are times when participants of a meeting will give out crazy ideas or suggestions that have no business with the subject of discussion.
Chapter 4: Other situations that are related to Suggestions and alternatives:
Sometimes you may be thinking of one of the given suggestions as the best thing to do.
Sometimes the problem is complicated so that all the given suggestions are not good, but you do not have any other alternatives and you have to agree with one of them.
There will definitely be time when you have nothing to say during a meeting because you have very little knowledge about what is being discussed.
When you have both equal alternatives, it is difficult to choose one of them when you can choose the two.
If the ideas that floated are not enough, what do you think the next step should be? And what if there are no appropriate recommendations presented yet?
Most of the times, the clicking idea is the unusual one rather than the usual one. So do not stay back when unusual ideas come into your mind. You cannot guess the importance of it:
Usually, people do not think of new ideas, but they build on the ideas that are already given by others.
Chapter 5: Situations that are also related to interruptions:
What will you prefer to do when you want to take things in the right direction rather than the wrong direction in which they have been taken to?
When you are the person being interrupted while speaking out, you have the ability to give permission or not to the person, if you still want to talk.
You want now to stop the person from interrupting you.
People usually forget their words and ideas once they are being interrupted so then you have to signal to the listeners that now you are back with your idea.
Chapter 6: Situations that are related to clarification:
There are different ways that can help a person to ask for more understanding of the idea, but first you have to give a signal that you did not get the idea.
Now you will ask the speaker to give more clear views about the topic. The speaker can present his idea in more detail to increase the understanding level.
Sometimes you have to continue speaking and you want to delay your response after you have completed your point.
In some situations, you understand all the things about the particular idea given by a person, but one word or phrase makes it a disputed point that you need to get clear.
Whether you asked the speaker about the meaning of a particular word or you demand full clarification of the idea as whole, now it is his turn to answer.
In this technique you repeat what the speaker said but with your own words and then ask the speaker to know whether you are right or wrong.
How to correct someone’s thinking about your idea when you fell that he or she doesn’t understand you correctly.
Sometimes, the speaker explains and tries to clarify the proposal, but you think that the information is not enough about the idea. So you will be the one that will ask the speaker to explain more.
What if the speaker wants to confirm you that you correctly understood his ideas?
This time you want to ask about something in the speech that you did not hear well. Maybe the speaker has a quiet voice, or his pronunciation is changed or other things.
Giving examples are the most important proof that your ideas are appropriate and reliable.
When you want to signal that you finally understood the clarified idea.
