1. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
Created by Miguel Cortes / Top Management Coordinator (djfrance1@yahoo.fr) Copyright © 2012 1

2. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
Introduction
Congratulations!
This quick guide to Business Meetings is an important step towards mastering Business
in English!
In today’s fast paced global world, the future belongs to those who manage cross-cultural
exchanges easily.
I know that your success rests upon your ability to convey your thoughts clearly in
Business Meetings and that’s why I created this guide, to make communicating in business
meetings easier to help you feel better when presenting in front of your boss and
international business colleagues and partners.
Enjoy – and remember to practice before that all important meetings!
Created by Miguel Cortes / Top Management Coordinator (djfrance1@yahoo.fr) Copyright © 2012 2

3. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
Making Sure You Got It Right
o Do you mean that...?
o Is it true that...?
Giving a Compliment
o Excellent idea!
o Good job!
o That’s brilliant!
Disputing Information
o That can’t be right.
o I'm afraid you don't understand what I'm
saying.
o That's not quite what I had in mind.
o That's not what I meant.
o That is not right.
o Sorry, I don’t believe that’s right.
Keeping the Meeting on Time
o That seems to be all the time we have
today.
o Please be brief.
o I'm afraid we've run out of time.
o Let’s save this for the next meeting.
o That's not really why we're here today.
o We'll have to leave that to another time.
o We're beginning to lose sight of the main
point.
o Keep to the point, please.
o I think we'd better leave that for another
meeting.
o Are we ready to make a decision?
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4. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
Suggestions and Advice Making a Request
o Why don’t we… o Would you mind if…
o I strongly believe we should… o I wonder if you could...
o I recommend…
o We should... Asking for Repetition
o Why don't you....
o How about… o I didn't catch that. Could you
o What if… repeat that, please?
o We could try… o I missed that. Could you say it
o I suggest that… again, please?
o I recommend that... o Could you run that by me one
more time?
Agreeing
Asking for Clarification
o Exactly!
o That's exactly how I feel. o I'm afraid I don't quite understand.
o I have to agree with (name of Could you explain it to me again?
participant). o Could you explain to me how that is
o I’m in favor of (name of going to work?
participant)’s plan. o I don't see what you mean. Could
we have some more details, please?
Disagreeing o I’m sorry. I didn’t understand that.
What exactly do you mean?
o I'm afraid I can't agree o Do you mean…?
o That may be true, however… o You mean…?
o On the contrary! o So, what you’re saying is…
11
Making Sure You Got
Your Point Across
o Do you see what I'm
getting at?
o Let me put it this way…
o I'd just like to repeat
that...
Created by Miguel Cortes / Top Management Coordinator (djfrance1@yahoo.fr) Copyright © 2012 4

5. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
Most Useful Phrases
And here’s your cheat sheet to all the phrases you’ll ever need in a business meeting.
Don’t forget to keep it close!
Opening a Meeting Sharing Your Opinion
o Since everyone is here, we should o I really feel that...
get started. o In my opinion...
o Hello, everyone. Thank you for o The way I see it…
coming. o I do believe that…
o I think we'll begin now. First I'd like
to welcome you all. Asking for Opinion
o Thank you all for coming at such
short notice. o Do you think that...
o I really appreciate you all for coming o What do you think?
today. o Would you like to add anything,
o We have a lot to cover today, so we (name of participant)?
really should begin. o Has anyone else got anything to
o Right then, let’s get down to add?
business. On the agenda today… o How do you feel about…
o Let’s review the minutes from the
last meeting. Show That You Understand
o Good point!
Interrupting o I see your point.
o May I have a word? o I see what you mean.
o Excuse me for interrupting, o That’s true. I never thought about it
10 that way before.
o You have a point there.
Created by Miguel Cortes / Top Management Coordinator (djfrance1@yahoo.fr) Copyright © 2012 5

6. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
If you didn’t
hear it the first time,
don’t be afraid to ask
someone to repeat themselves.
Could you repeat that, please?
And if you can’t understand something,
speak up and ask the person for clarification.
I don’t quite follow you. What exactly do you
mean?
You may also express your agreement by
saying:
I have to agree…
Finally, close the meeting by thanking
everyone.
That’s it for today. We’ll meet again in a
week’s time. Thanks for coming everyone!
Key Phrases It’s also good to follow your
disagreement with advice. You may
When leading a meeting, open with start with:
a greeting like:
I suggest…
Good morning!
Crucial Phrases to
State the purpose of the meeting so Survive Any Meeting!
everyone is on the same page:
Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming.
We're here today to discuss how we may
reach our customers better. Let’s review the minutes from the last
meeting.
Be confident when expressing your
views! I see your point.
In my opinion… Are we ready to make a decision?
When expressing your disagreement, Could you repeat that, please?
you may say:
In my opinion...
I'm afraid I can't agree with you.
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7. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
General Discussion
John has called a meeting to discuss ways to improve the company’s reach to its
customers. Can you pick out key phrases that you might use when you’re in a meeting?
John: Good morning! Since everyone’s
here, let’s get started. We're here today Tom: We provide our sales team in North
to discuss how better to reach our America with data on all our major clients.
customers. Would you like to start, Amy? We should be providing the same data to
our sales team to the South.
Amy: In my opinion, we have been
spending too much effort in South John: Do you have anything to add,
America. Since the bulk of our revenue Jenny?
comes from North America, we should
address the needs of our North American Jenny: I have to agree with Tom.
customers first!
John: So do I. Good job Tom. Would you
Tom: I'm afraid I don’t agree with you. I make sure our South American sales team
think our customers in South America gets everything they need? Donald and
want to feel just as important as their Amy will work with you. That’s it for
neighbors to the North. I suggest we give today. We’ll meet again in a week’s time.
our South American sales team better Thanks for coming everyone!
PPCD. 8
Donald: Excuse me, I didn't catch that.
Could you repeat that, please? What’s
PPCD?
Tom: I said we need to give our South
American sales team better Pre-Purchase
Client Data.
Amy: I don’t quite follow you. What
exactly do you mean?
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8. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
Key Phrases
Start negotiations on a positive note! Crucial Phrases to
Begin by expressing your desire to Get You the Deal of a Lifetime
come to an agreement:
I’m willing to compromise
Good to see you again. I hope we can
reach an agreement today. Is that your best offer?
Get them comfortable about saying I’m sure you will agree that…
‘Yes’. When talks threaten to fall I’m afraid I can’t accept your terms
apart, get your counterpart to agree
on something small: I will accept your terms if…
I’m sure you will agree that… I see your point, but…
Show your willingness to Let’s put this in writing.
compromise:
I’m afraid I’ll need more time to think
I understand. I’m willing to… about it
Never rush into anything! If you need What do you think if we…
more time, say so!
I need a little more time to consider your
offer.
Created by Miguel Cortes / Top Management Coordinator (djfrance1@yahoo.fr) Copyright © 2012 8

9. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
Negotiation Skills
Amy runs a food production facility.
She would like Jim’s company to
enforce safety measures in her
facility and to ensure all machines are
in good working condition. How are
your negotiation skills compared to
Jim’s and Amy’s? Can you do better?
Jim: Good to see you again. I hope we
can reach an agreement today.
Amy: Have you taken a look at the
contract?
Jim: I have and I’ll accept your terms if
you’ll agree to a monthly maintenance fee
of $100,000.
Amy: I’m afraid that is more than what I
expected. I can’t agree to that.
Jim: I’m sure you will agree that your
facility requires a team of highly-skilled
individuals to ensure everything runs
smoothly.
Amy: I see your point, but $100,000 is
way beyond my budget!
Jim: I understand. I’m willing to bring the
fee down by 20%, if you sign a 10-year
contract with us.
Amy: That sounds fair. However, I need a
little more time to consider your offer. 10
years is a long time.
Jim: Not a problem.
Amy: Thanks for meeting with me. You’ll
have my decision by next week.
Created by Miguel Cortes / Top Management Coordinator (djfrance1@yahoo.fr) Copyright © 2012 9

10. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
Key Phrases
Be clear about what the audience
can expect from the
presentation:
I’d like to present…
Clearly explain your slides and
illustrations:
This chart illustrates…
As you can see…
Provide further insight into your
presentation:
We believe… was due to…
Quote reliable sources to bolster
your own analysis:
Analysts expect it to hold.
Lastly, remember to always
allow time for questions:
Are there any questions?
Crucial Phrases for a Stellar
Presentation:
I’d like to present…
Let’s take a closer look at this chart.
Sales reached a peak
Sales have bottomed out
This curve here indicates an all-time low.
Sales have plummeted drastically.
We can expect a climb in sales.
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11. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
Presentation Skills
Tom is presenting the sales figures
from last quarter. Can you pick out
the key phrases that you can use in
your presentation?
Tom: We’re here today, to talk about a
new sales strategy. But first, I’d like to
present last quarter’s sales figures. Since
everyone’s here, I’ll begin my
presentation.
This chart illustrates our performance last
quarter. As you can see, sales peaked in
August before declining at an alarming
rate.
November saw the worst sales figures in
the last 10 years! The good news is the
trend is not expected to continue into this
quarter or the next.
We believe the drastic drop in sales was
due to the spike in oil prices. In the last
two months, we’ve seen oil prices back to
where they were before the spike.
Analysts expect it to hold.
Are there any questions before we discuss
the new sales strategy?
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12. Guide to Most Useful Business Meeting Phrases
On May
25th, 2012
Don’t stop here!
Now that you’re all set for any meeting, it’s time for step two! Meetings are only one vital
part of doing Business. The key that you need in all aspects of your professional life is
training and practice!
There’s no better way to reach your goals, but to have your dedicated coach help you
focus on what you need and really want to achieve.
Good luck!
Created by Miguel Cortes / Top Management Coordinator (djfrance1@yahoo.fr) Copyright © 2012 12