Meetings in English

Time may have run out or all of the items on the agenda may have been checked off. Some meetings will end earlier than expected and others will run late. Before the chair closes the meeting, he or she will let the participants know the meeting is drawing to a close.
Useful phrases
    Formal meetings
I am officially ending today's meeting. You will receive the minutes within two days.
I declare the meeting closed.
The meeting is adjourned until tomorrow, 8.00 a.m.
    Informal meetings
It looks like we've run out of time.
Before we bring the meeting to a close, does anyone have any other business to discuss?
Well, we're almost out of time for today. Are there any last questions before we finish?
Is there any other business?
I think we've covered everything on the agenda.
As you can all see from the agenda, that was the last item. If no one has anything else to add, then I think we'll wrap this up.
That brings us to the end of the meeting.
Let's call it a day, then.
The meeting is closed.
    Thanking the attendees
    Thanking the participants is usually one of the last remarks. However, even after closing the meeting the chairperson might realise they have forgotten something. There is almost always one last thing to say.
Useful phrases
I'd like to thank you all for coming and I wish you a safe journey back.
Thank you all for your participation.
I'd especially like to thank Karl for coming over from Glasgow.
Oh, before you leave, please make sure you have signed the attendance sheet.
Could I have your attention again, please? I didn't mention that …
If you could all return your chairs to the room next door that would be much appreciated.
Useful vocabulary
    to adjourn a meeting: vertagen
    to call it a day: beenden, Schluss machen
    to wrap sth up: abschließen
    to follow sth up: an etwas dranbleiben

The meeting itself
    There are different roles and goals in a meeting. The chair is in charge of smooth and efficient „housekeeping“. However, participating also has its pitfalls and requires particular types of language for achieving one's aims, above all when it comes to politeness and expressing oneself diplomatically.
    On the following pages you will find information on
distributing and accepting roles (page 62),
active listening and asking questions (page 64),
expressing agreement and disagreement (page 69),
making suggestions and giving your opinion (page 78),
enquiring and resolving misunderstandings (page 81),
diplomacy and politeness (page 85),
what to do in case of language problems (page 90),
voting (page 91).
    Roles at a meeting
    Whether your meeting is formal or informal, it will run more smoothly if one of the participants assumes the role of chair („Conducting a meeting“, p. 47).
    Other important players at the meeting are the minute-taker and the participants. The minute-taker writes the minutes, i.e. he or she records the meeting and keeps track of what has been said. One could also say that the minute-taker is the administrator for the meeting.
    The participants can take various roles, such as the role of the presenter, who provides information, or the role of a task owner, meaning that an individual is in charge of a certain topic. Participants are also thinking resources – they contribute ideas, help to solve problems and shed light on issues from different perspectives.
    Assigning and accepting roles
    For formal meetings, the above roles will usually be allocated before the meeting itself. At more informal meetings, one of the chair's first tasks during the meeting may be to assign these roles to other participants.
    If this role has not been assigned yet – which usually happens in the run-up to the meeting, as the minute-taker should prepare in advance (writing equipment, preliminary information, etc) – perhaps the easiest way is to ask for volunteers.
    Example: asking for a minute-taker
    Chair: Do I have any volunteers for minute-taker today? Don't all jump at once! No volunteers? Okay. Peter, could I ask you to take the minutes today?
    Peter: I'm afraid I'm pretty tied up this week – I don't think I'd be able to turn them around in time for the next meeting.
    Chair: No problem. How about Sarah?
    Sarah: I'm sorry, but I'm on a training course in the Manchester office all next week.
    Chair: I see. Jack, do you have time to do the minutes?
    Jack: Yes, certainly.
    In the above example, two participants use the following polite formulations to decline the chair's request: „I'm afraid“, „I'm