Shadowing Practice: 41 Phrases For Leading A Business Meeting - Business English (FREE E-Phrasebook) - Learn English Speaking with YouTube
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Hi everybody!
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Hi everybody!
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In this lesson I'm going to show you lots of useful phrases and expressions for leading business meetings.
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Welcome back to English for Professionals.
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I'm Derek and I'm here with another short lesson for you busy people.
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Before we get started just a quick reminder to subscribe to my channel, hit the red button and don't forget to click on the little bell
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that way you'll be notified every time I upload a new lesson
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and now let's get started with the lesson in this lesson
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I have 41 examples in total on topics such as talking about the agenda managing the discussion delegating tasks
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and much more let's get started with welcoming and thanking the participants.
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First of all I'd like to welcome everybody
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and thank you all for coming to today's meeting
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or I'd like to start by thanking all of you for agreeing to meet at such short notice.
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We use the phrase at such short notice
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if the meeting has been called with very little time to prepare
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and then we have a very simple example for informal internal meetings.
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Hello everybody and welcome.
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Now let's have a look at some different ways to introduce meeting participants.
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Before we get started let me introduce or I'd like you all to meet,
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or let's go around the table and introduce ourselves.
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Sometimes people who plan to attend the meeting can't make it, and this is also something that the meeting leader or chairperson should mention.
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Unfortunately George can't join us today, he sends his apologies.
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Or, a little bit more formal, I'd like to apologise on behalf of Mr Neary, he can't be with us today due to.
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And then you would mention the reason.
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And now let's look at a couple of examples for dealing with the minutes.
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Let's go over the minutes of our last meeting which was held on June 16th.
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And, Simon, could you please take the minutes today?
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So why is the meeting being held and what's on the agenda?
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Let's take a look.
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The purpose or aim or objective of today's meeting is the first item on the agenda is
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then we'll move on to item two which is after that we'll look at and finally we'll discuss.
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As the person who leads or chairs the meeting, it's your responsibility to make sure the other participants express their opinions.
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Let's take a look at how we can do that.
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Monica, what are your views on this?
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Mohammed, how do you see it?
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Natalia, can you give us your feedback?
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Would anyone else like to comment on this?
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Does anyone have anything else to add?
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Sometimes things have to be clarified or explained in more detail.
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Now, if the other participants don't ask for clarification or explanation then the chairperson should.
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What exactly do you mean by?
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Could you explain that in more detail?
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Would you mind going over that again please?
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I'm not sure everybody follows.
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Would you mind explaining that again?
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One of the chairperson's most important jobs is to manage the discussion.
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I think we can move on to the next point.
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If nobody has anything else to add, let's move on to the next item.
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I'm afraid we don't have time to discuss that in today's meeting.
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Let's add it to next week's agenda.
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I'm sorry but I have to stop you there.
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We need to stick to the agenda.
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We'll have to come back to that at the end of the meeting.
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We're running out of time so let's move on.
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Normally during a meeting decisions are made
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and then there's a list of action points for your team
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let's have a look at some useful phrases for delegating tasks
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Wolfgang can you keep everyone up to date with the latest
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developments Rachel could you please follow up on Pat please get in touch with
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so we're almost at the end of the meeting.
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Before we close, let's summarize.
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Let me briefly summarize what we've discussed today.
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Before we finish, let me summarize the main points.
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We've decided to.
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We've agreed that.
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We've summarized the main points and now we're ready to end the meeting.
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Well, I think that covers everything.
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That brings us to the end of this meeting.
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Our next meeting will be on...
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Thanks everyone.
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And that brings us to the end of this lesson.
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I hope you liked it and that you can try some of those phrases when you're leading or chairing your next meeting.
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If you liked the lesson, hit the like button and share with your friends and colleagues.
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Subscribe to my channel if you haven't done that already and don't forget to join my email list.
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Every two weeks I send out my free vocabulary email with additional business English vocabulary, words from the news and everyday English for you to learn.
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The link is in the description below.
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Thanks a lot for watching and see you soon.
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About This Lesson
In this lesson, you will practice leading a business meeting using essential phrases and expressions in English. This focus on business communication will enhance your professional vocabulary, giving you the tools necessary to manage discussions effectively and engage with meeting participants. By learning how to navigate various aspects of a meeting—from welcoming attendees to summarizing agenda points—you will feel more confident in English speaking practice, especially in a business context.
Key Vocabulary & Phrases
- Welcome and thank participants: "Thank you all for coming to today's meeting."
- Introducing participants: "Let’s go around the table and introduce ourselves."
- Dealing with absences: "Unfortunately, George can’t join us today; he sends his apologies."
- Managing the agenda: "The first item on the agenda is..."
- Encouraging feedback: "Monica, what are your views on this?"
- Asking for clarification: "Could you explain that in more detail?"
- Transitioning between points: "If nobody has anything else to add, let’s move on to the next item."
- Time management: "I’m afraid we don’t have time to discuss that in today’s meeting."
Practice Tips
To maximize your English speaking practice, particularly when shadowing the phrases from this lesson, follow these tips:
- Listen carefully: Pay attention to the speed and tone of each phrase. This will help you understand the natural rhythm of business English.
- Shadow speech: Repeat phrases immediately after hearing them. This technique is especially effective for phrases related to meeting dynamics, such as "Could you explain that in more detail?"
- Record yourself: Use a shadowing site to compare your pronunciation and intonation with that of the original speaker. This feedback can highlight areas for improvement.
- Practice in context: Try role-playing a business meeting situation. Incorporate the new vocabulary so that it becomes second nature during actual meetings.
- Utilize IELTS speaking practice: Many phrases from this lesson will also be beneficial for IELTS speaking tests, particularly when discussing opinions or making arguments.
What is the Shadowing Technique?
Shadowing is a science-backed language learning technique originally developed for professional interpreter training and popularized by polyglot Dr. Alexander Arguelles. The method is simple but powerful: you listen to native English audio and immediately repeat it out loud — like a shadow following the speaker with just a 1–2 second delay. Unlike passive listening or grammar drills, shadowing forces your brain and mouth muscles to simultaneously process and reproduce real speech patterns. Research shows it significantly improves pronunciation accuracy, intonation, rhythm, connected speech, listening comprehension, and speaking fluency — making it one of the most effective methods for IELTS Speaking preparation and real-world English communication.
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