Meetings in English

utterings to show that you are listening. Use the handy phrases below if you want to signal to the person speaking that you understand.
Useful phrases
I see.
I understand.
Right.
That's interesting.
Oh, really?
That makes sense.
Okay, thank you for explaining that.
    Responding to questions
    If you need a couple of seconds to think before answering a question, one trick is to repeat the asker's question and clarify what they want to know while you gather your thoughts. When a speaker needs more time to think, they may also try to ask a question back. Maybe they don't have a good answer up their sleeve right away. In this case, they can simply acknowledge the question and play for time before giving a real answer. English-speakers frequently also introduce their answers by starting with, „Well …“.
    Example: buying time to think and respond
    A: So, how do you see this measure taking shape?
    B: How do we see the measure taking shape? Well, first of all, we plan to …
Useful phrases
I'm not quite sure what you mean by that. Could you explain?
It all depends on what you mean by the „extra costs“ you mentioned.
That's a very good question.
I'm glad you asked that.
It's hard to say.
    Or, perhaps you've been caught on the back foot by an awkward question you weren't quite expecting and need to politely decline to answer.
I'm afraid I'm not in a position to/able to comment on that/answer that question just now.
Well, it's rather difficult to say at present.
I don't have enough information at my disposal to consider all the implications at the moment.
Maybe we could leave the legal issues aside for a moment, the real challenge for ACME is on the European level.
Useful vocabulary
    timescale: Zeitrahmen
    to envisage: voraussehen, ins Auge fassen
    to anticipate: voraussehen, rechnen mit
    specific: besondere, speziell, präzise
    at sb's disposal: zur Verfügung haben
    outcome: Ausgang
    to foresee: vorhersehen, absehen
    repercussion: Auswirkung
    Expressing agreement and disagreement
    In English-speaking cultures, politeness and tact are key elements when expressing approval and disapproval of other people's suggestions and ideas. When expressing disagreement – the more sensitive of the two areas – many English-speakers, and particularly the British, tend towards understatement and often use diplomacy so as not to sound impolite.
    Agreeing with an opinion
    Example: expressing agreement
    A: So, I really think we should wait until next year to launch the campaign.
    B: I couldn't agree more. I can't see how launching a new model this late in the season will benefit the range.
    C: You're quite right – we could put the remainder of this year's budget to far better use.
    A: Well, I'm glad we're all agreed on that.
    Cultural differences between the US and Britain
    Although politeness is important in both the US and British cultures, North Americans tend to be more forthcoming and direct than their British counterparts when expressing their agreement, and especially their disagreement.
Useful phrases
    Total agreement
I couldn't agree with you more.
You're absolutely right (there).
I totally/completely/fully/absolutely agree (with you on that point).
I'm in total agreement with that.
    Neutral agreement
I agree.
I would agree with that.
I'm with you on that.
I think you're right.
That's a fair point.
That's true.
    Mild agreement
I tend to agree.
Maybe you're right.
I suppose so.
Possibly.
Could be.
    Diplomatic disagreement
    In English-speaking cultures, disagreeing without putting forward an alternative solution is generally viewed as unhelpful. Therefore, the emphasis is on what is known as constructive criticism, which essentially involves coupling disagreement with an alternative suggestion and backing it up with good reasons. So, people often handle disagreement by highlighting an element of an idea they find positive before moving on to tactfully express disagreement with another aspect.
    Example: disagreeing diplomatically
    A: I hear what you're saying about that but I do have some reservations about the timing.
    B: I see. Could you be more specific?
    A: Well, we have the international sales conference coming up in September. Surely we should aim to finish the proposal by then so that we can discuss it at the conference.
    B: That's a good point, but I think rushing the proposal to finish it before the conference could be counterproductive.
    A: I'm just a little concerned that the French sales team will be left out of the