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Top
Tips for Business English
Teaching meeting skills
Activities ¦ Teacher's
notes
onestopenglish.com
|
Top
Tips for Business English
by Rosemary
Richey
Activities
> Main article
> Teacher's notes
Dealing with meetings in English requires special vocabulary.
Words need to be in the right form and used correctly in certain phrases.
Use the Macmillan English Dictionary when completing these activities.
Activity 1
The following words and phrases are frequently used in
meetings. Check their meaning in the dictionary and write down a synonym
or short explanation for each.
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to bring forward
_______________________________________________________ |
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to moderate
_______________________________________________________ |
agenda
_______________________________________________________ |
to digress
_______________________________________________________ |
AOB
_______________________________________________________ |
apologies
_______________________________________________________ |
to chair
_______________________________________________________ |
to get down to (business)
_______________________________________________________ |
to call
_______________________________________________________ |
to recap
_______________________________________________________ |
to kick off
_______________________________________________________ |
minutes
_______________________________________________________ |
Activity 2
Put the words and phrases from activity 1 into
the following categories. Note that some can go in more than one category.
Compare your answers with a partner.
before the meeting
______________
______________
______________
______________
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opening the meeting
______________
______________
______________
______________ |
during the meeting
______________
______________
______________
______________ |
closing the meeting
______________
______________
______________
______________ |
Activity
3
Make other possible word forms. Use the dictionary and
check your answers with a partner. Then write an example sentence for
each word form.
noun |
apologies |
x |
x |
verb |
x |
to digress |
x |
adjective |
x |
x |
moderate |
adverb |
x |
x |
x |
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________
Activity
4
Choose the correct word or phrase to complete each sentence.
Check your answers in the dictionary.
|
______________ the agenda is first to discuss our
newest project. On top of / Set on |
|
Usually a secretary __________ the minutes, but any
participant can agree to do it too. makes / takes |
|
For our next meeting we need to discuss teamwork,
so this is ________ the agenda. in / on |
|
I will _________________ the sales manager's apologies
for not being able to come to the meeting. accept / except |
Activity
5
Fill in the gaps with an appropriate word or phrase. If
you need help, look back at the previous activities or in the dictionary.
Tips for a successful meeting
Business people often complain that meetings are
disorganised and a waste of time. By following these basic steps
you can make meetings more efficient and productive.
The () _________________
should prepare a clear () _____________
before the meeting. He/She should send this to the participants
before the meeting.
() ___________ a meeting at a
convenient time for the participants.
() ___________ the most important
discussion points that should be covered.
Talk about old business from the previous meeting to
() ____________ the discussion.
Any discussion should be () __________________
by the person in charge of the meeting.
In the case of any () ________________,
the person in charge of the meeting should bring the discussion
back to the main topic.
Make sure the points are () _______________
to finish the meeting to avoid any misunderstanding. This is also
the chance to ask for () __________
that may have been forgotten or left out.
Take the time to put these tips into practice. It
will help you improve the organisation of your meetings and cut
back on time wasted considerably!
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