| Need to stock up on your business English skills? | | | | principal objectives. You can lead off with the |
| Like many business professionals, holding meetings | | | | following phrases. |
| in English will probably a frequent requirement for | | | | "We're here today to... " |
| you. Here's a quick cheat sheet you can use for | | | | "Our main aim today is to..." |
| that end (for more, of course, consult your | | | | "We called this meeting in order to..." |
| English language software). Sure, you'll probably | | | | Agenda. So participants know what's going to be |
| need a lot more to be functional, but this should | | | | covered, you'll need to introduce the agenda. It will |
| get you through ever-awkward introductions. | | | | be immensely helpful if you have a printed copy |
| First Things First. Always beam a big smile when | | | | that everyone can refer to. If you do, ask |
| you stand in front to introduce yourself to the | | | | everyone, "Have you all received a copy of the |
| attendants. Simply, "Good morning, my name is... | | | | agenda?" |
| and welcome to this meeting for ...." | | | | If you plan to go in the order it's been listed, just |
| Welcome the Participants. If the participants aren't | | | | say so: "There are X items in our agenda. We'll go |
| all that familiar with each other, welcome them | | | | over these points in exact order." |
| formally and introduce them to everyone. You | | | | If you plan to skip a few, you can say: "We'll skip |
| can use any of the following phrases to introduce | | | | item 2 for now, but we'll go over it later." |
| each individual. | | | | Discussing Items. When going through each item in |
| "Please join me in welcoming..." | | | | the agenda, simply lead with any of the following |
| "I'd like to introduce..." | | | | phrases. |
| "It's a pleasure to welcome..." | | | | "So, we go to the first point..." |
| Principal Objectives. After the pleasantries, it's | | | | "Regarding the first point... |
| good to go right in and state the meeting's | | | | |