English for Meetings: 20 Essential British Phrases

If you use English at work, meetings can be one of the most challenging situations. It can be downright intimidating! You have to keep up with a flow of conversation from various people, make a contribution to the discussion yourself, agree and disagree politely, interrupt when necessary, and sometimes bring the conversation back on track.

And if you work with British colleagues, there is another challenge: British English for meetings is often quite indirect. A phrase such as “I’m not sure that would work” may sound tentative, but in context it can actually mean “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Here are twenty essential phrases for English for meetings, with explanations and examples of how they are naturally used in British workplaces.

1. Shall we get started?

A very natural way to begin a meeting.

Shall we get started? I think everyone’s here now.

You might also hear:

• Shall we make a start?

“Shall we make a start?” is particularly common in British English with the use of “shall” to make a suggestion.

2. Shall we just quickly go through the agenda?

To go through something means to look at and consider each section, usually point by point.

Shall we go through the agenda before we get into the details?

This is a very useful phrasal verb for meetings.

You can also go through:

• a report
• some figures
• the options
• the main points
• the minutes from the previous meeting

You may also hear “(to) run through something”, which has the same meaning.

3. The first thing we need to look at is…

A simple way to introduce the first topic.

The first thing we need to look at is the timetable for the launch.

Notice that look at does not necessarily mean physically looking at something. Here it means consider or discuss.

Also, a very common phrase is the first thing as a way of launching into a discussion.

You often hear this in such an exchange:

A: What do you think of the plan?

B: Well, the first thing that comes to mind is …

4. What are your thoughts on this?

A natural way to invite somebody’s opinion.

Sarah, what are your thoughts on this?

It tends to sound slightly more conversational than “What is your opinion?”

Other common alternatives include:

• What do you think?
• How do you see it?
• What’s your view on this?

If you wish to place less pressure on your colleagues to say something, you can ask indirectly: “do you have any thoughts on this?”

5. From my point of view…

A useful way of introducing your own opinion.

From my point of view, the biggest issue is going to be cost.

You could also say:

As I see it, we’ve basically got two options.

Both are useful when you want to make it clear that you are expressing your personal view rather than stating a fact.

6. I take your point, but…

An extremely useful phrase for polite disagreement.

I take your point, but I’m not sure we’ve got enough time to do that.

I take your point means approximately:

I understand the argument you are making.

It allows you to acknowledge somebody’s opinion before explaining why you disagree.

7. I’m not sure I completely agree.

A typically British way of disagreeing without sounding too direct.

I’m not sure I completely agree. I think we may be underestimating the amount of work involved.

The speaker may actually disagree quite strongly.

Compare “I don’t agree.” with “I’m not sure I completely agree.” The second is much more likely in a professional British meeting.

8. I’m not sure that would work.

Another very common example of indirect British English.

We could launch the new system next Monday.

I’m not sure that would work. We haven’t finished testing it yet.

Again, I’m not sure often softens what is actually a fairly clear negative opinion.

9. That’s a fair point.

A natural way to acknowledge that someone has made a reasonable argument.

That’s a fair point. We probably do need to speak to the sales team first.

It doesn’t necessarily mean that you completely agree. It simply shows that you recognise the validity of the other person’s argument.

10. I see where you’re coming from.

This means:

I understand your reasoning or perspective.

I see where you’re coming from, but I’m slightly worried about the cost.

It is particularly useful before expressing a different opinion.

11. Can I just come in here?

A polite way to interrupt a discussion because you want to contribute.

Can I just come in here? There’s one thing we haven’t considered.

In meetings, come in can mean join the discussion at this point.

Another common version is:

Can I just add something here?

The word just helps soften the interruption.

12. Sorry to interrupt, but…

Sometimes the simplest phrases are the most useful.

Sorry to interrupt, but can I clarify something?

British speakers frequently use sorry when interrupting, even when the interruption is perfectly reasonable.

Other possibilities include:

• Sorry, can I just say something?
• Sorry, can I stop you there for a second?

13. Can we come back to that?

Meetings do not always follow the agenda perfectly. This phrase allows you to postpone a topic.

Can we come back to that when we discuss the budget?

You can also say:

Let’s come back to that later.

This is much more natural than trying to discuss every issue immediately.

14. We’re getting slightly off track.

A diplomatic way to say that the discussion has moved away from the main subject.

I think we’re getting slightly off track. Can we go back to the original question?

Notice the softening word slightly.

British professional English frequently uses words such as:

• slightly
• perhaps
• probably
• quite
• a little
• a bit

They can make statements sound less confrontational.

15. The main issue is…

A useful expression for bringing the discussion back to the most important point.

The main issue is whether we can deliver everything by September.

You could also use:

• The key point is…
• What we really need to decide is…

These phrases are particularly useful when a discussion has become complicated.

16. Where are we with…?

A very natural workplace expression meaning:

What is the current situation or progress with something?

Where are we with the new website?

Where are we with recruitment?

Someone might answer: “We’re almost there. We’re just waiting for final approval.”

This expression is common both in meetings and in everyday office conversation.

17. Can you talk us through it?

To talk someone through something means to explain a process, plan or document step by step.

You’ve put together the new proposal. Can you talk us through it?

You might also hear:

• Can you talk us through the figures?
• Could you quickly talk us through the changes?

This is an especially useful phrase when presenting information in meetings.

18. So, are we all agreed on that?

Used to check whether everyone has reached the same decision.

So, are we all agreed on that? We’ll move the launch back by two weeks.

Another common expression is:

Can we agree on that?

Once agreement has been reached, somebody may say:

Right, that’s agreed then.

19. Who’s going to take that forward?

To take something forward means to continue working on an idea, proposal or task after the meeting.

That’s definitely worth exploring. Who’s going to take that forward?

For example: “I’ll take that forward and speak to the finance team.”

This is a very common piece of British business English.

20. Shall we leave it there?

A natural British way to bring a meeting or discussion to an end.

I think we’ve covered everything. Shall we leave it there?

You might also hear:

• I think that’s probably a good place to stop.
• Right, I think we’ll leave it there.

Again, British speakers often prefer this kind of relatively understated language to a very formal announcement that the meeting has finished.

English for meetings: notice the softening language

Learning individual phrases is useful, but there is a broader feature of British meeting English worth noticing. British speakers often soften opinions, disagreements and requests.

Compare these two exchanges:

Direct

That’s a bad idea.

We can’t do it by Friday.

More typical of a British professional meeting

I’m not sure that’s the best way forward.

Friday might be a bit difficult.

The second version can communicate essentially the same message, but sounds considerably less confrontational. That is not to dismiss the direct forms. They have their time and place, but for the purposes of not wanting to sound too blunt, they are best avoided.

Words and phrases such as these are therefore extremely important:

• I’m not sure…
• perhaps…
• slightly…
• a bit…
• I think…
• I suppose…
• might…
• could…
• just…

For learners working on their English for meetings, understanding this indirectness is just as important as learning business vocabulary.

Putting the phrases together

Here is what several of these expressions might sound like in a real meeting:

Shall we get started? The first thing we need to look at is the proposed launch date.

From my point of view, September is probably realistic.

I take your point, but I’m not sure that would work. We’ve still got quite a lot of testing to do.

That’s a fair point. Where are we with the testing at the moment?

We’re about 80% of the way through.

Sorry, can I just come in here? There’s another issue with the supplier.

OK. Can you talk us through it?

Sure.

Right. The main issue is whether we need to push the launch back by two weeks.

I think so.

Are we all agreed on that?

Yes.

Great. I’ll update the timetable and take that forward.

Perfect. Shall we leave it there?

None of the language is particularly complicated. The challenge is learning which expressions native speakers naturally reach for in real workplace situations.

Twenty essential British meeting phrases: quick reference

1. Shall we get started?
2. Shall we go through the agenda?
3. The first thing we need to look at is…
4. What are your thoughts on this?
5. From my point of view…
6. I take your point, but…
7. I’m not sure I completely agree.
8. I’m not sure that would work.
9. That’s a fair point.
10. I see where you’re coming from.
11. Can I just come in here?
12. Sorry to interrupt, but…
13. Can we come back to that?
14. We’re getting slightly off track.
15. The main issue is…
16. Where are we with…?
17. Can you talk us through it?
18. Are we all agreed on that?
19. Who’s going to take that forward?
20. Shall we leave it there?

If your goal is to improve your English for meetings, don’t try to memorise all twenty at once. Choose four or five expressions and start using them repeatedly. Once they become automatic, add a few more.

The aim isn’t to sound like you’ve memorised a business English textbook. It’s to have a collection of natural phrases ready when you need them, so that you can concentrate on the meeting itself rather than thinking about how to phrase every sentence.