Meetings in English

agenda. Perhaps you could fill us in on this point?
Jürgen, could you bring us up to date on item four?
Stephan, would you outline item five for us?
Peter, could you fill us in on the background?
Useful vocabulary
    to get down to business, to get/start the ball rolling: beginnen, anfangen
    clockwise, anti-clockwise: im Uhrzeigersinn, gegen den Uhrzeigersinn
    to fill sb in on sth: informieren
    Guiding the discussion
    It is the chair's responsibility to make sure all the participants have their say – by guiding the discussion, encouraging everyone to speak up and, if necessary, curtailing the flow of speech of individuals who are too vociferous.
Useful phrases
Thank you, Stephan. Peter, do you have any thoughts on this?
So, Peter agrees with Stephan regarding this item. Barbara, could I bring you in at this point?
I'd also like to hear Julie's opinion at this point.
Could you elaborate on that for us, please?
Does anyone else have anything to add to this?
    Dealing with dominant participants and interruptions
Useful phrases
Thank you, Jim. Could I just stop you there for a moment, because I'd like to bring Phil in here.
Jim, could I ask you to let Phil finish his point and then we can hear your view?
I'm sorry, Jim – I'd just like to finish hearing what Phil has to say on this point and then we'll come back to you.
I'm sorry, Tatjana, we don't have time to talk about that now, I'm afraid.
    Tricks for the chair
    Notice how the chair phrases requests as suggestions or questions. He addresses the participants by name to secure their attention and handles interruptions tactfully with „I'm sorry“, followed by an assurance that the person concerned will have their say afterwards.
    Encouraging quiet participants to contribute
    Example: facilitating a balanced discussion
    Chair: Item one is the font used on the outer packaging. Jo, could you outline the design department's view on this?
    Jo: Sure. We've come to the conclusion that Option A is the best choice as it's the most legible against the blue background and consistent …
    David: Can I come in here? I think …
    Chair: Sorry, David, could we just let Jo finish her point and then we'll hear your view.
    Jo: … and it's consistent with the overall branding.
    Chair: Thank you, Jo. Did you want to comment on that, David?
    David: Yes – in Logistics we strongly prefer Option B. It's far more eye-catching.
    Chair: So we have Option A for Design and Option B for Logistics. Sue, could you please tell us Manufacturing's perspective?
Useful phrases
I'd like to ask Petra to tell us about the new development at this point, if I may.
Mr Baker, what is your opinion here?
Jim, it would be useful to hear your perspective on this.
Pam, how would this affect the HR [Human Resources] department?
Julie raised the point that our existing contract is about to expire. What's your take on this, Jan?
Tara, you've been working with this client for some time now. What do you say to the point Helen raised?
    Reminding participants to be brief
Useful phrases
Before we move on to the next item, could you quickly give us your opinion on this, Maria?
I'm afraid we have to move on to the next item. Could you bring your point to a close, please?
I'm afraid I have to stop you there. Time is ticking away.
Could I ask you to keep your comment brief, please?
Can I remind you that we only have 15 minutes for each item?
    Keeping to the agenda
    Example: directing the discussion
    David: … and therefore we would be strongly in favour of B, because, as I've already said, we …
    Chair: Could I stop you there for a moment, David? I'm afraid time's running short. Jo, what do you think about item two?
    Jo: Design would like to rethink the shape of the packaging. We'd like to make it a little taller, because …
    David: I totally agree. Some years ago we opted for square packaging for another product and it was a total flop. In fact, this particular product was …
    Chair: That's a valid point, David, but I'd like to bring the discussion back to this year's launch if possible …
Useful phrases
I think we risk moving away from the agenda here. Could we bring the discussion back to …?
We have a lot to cover this morning – I'm afraid we don't have time to go into that. Can we focus on …?
I'm afraid we're getting sidetracked. Let's return to …
That's an important point, but I think that's a discussion for another day. I'd like to go on with the sales figures.
That's a valid point. May we come back to