English for Meetings
One-to-one lessons in the English you need to follow, contribute to, and chair meetings with confidence. Built around the actual meetings you sit in at work, with experienced British teachers. Online around the world, face-to-face in London.
Tell us about the meetings you find hard, and we will match you with the right teacher.
Who English for Meetings lessons are for
English for Meetings at PS English is for non-native English speakers who sit in meetings in English at work, and want to be more confident in those meetings than they currently are. Most of our students are professionals working in the UK, or in international teams where English is the working language, and they come to us because meetings are the moment when even strong English starts to feel uncomfortable. If you can hold a one-to-one conversation in English but freeze, fall silent or feel lost when the room fills up, you are in the right place.
English for Meetings lessons work especially well for:
People who struggle to follow meetings in English, particularly when several people are speaking, accents vary, or the pace is fast
People who can follow but rarely speak up, even when they have something useful to say, because the moment passes before they can find the words
People who chair or lead meetings in English and want to do it more naturally, more confidently, and in better British English
New arrivals in UK roles stepping into their first English-language meeting culture, where the conventions are not what they are used to
Managers in mixed-language teams running meetings where English is the common language but is not everyone’s first
What you work on in English for Meetings lessons
Every English for Meetings lesson at PS English is built around the meetings you actually sit in. We do not work through a fixed syllabus. In your first lesson, your teacher works out which part of meetings you find hardest, then plans the lessons that follow around those situations. Most students focus on some combination of the areas below.
Picking out the thread when several people speak at once, when accents vary, or when colleagues fall into idiom and slang. Strategies for staying in the room mentally, not just physically.
The phrases, openers and small interruptions that let you step in without sounding rude or stiff. "Sorry to jump in, but..." done in a way that lands naturally rather than translated.
Saying you do not agree, in English, without sounding either aggressive or apologetic. This is where many non-native speakers lose ground in meetings, and a surprisingly small set of phrases makes most of the difference.
Opening, structuring, keeping a meeting on time, bringing quiet people in, closing with clear actions. The language of facilitation rather than just participation.
The everyday phrases meetings actually run on, and the small differences between British meeting conventions and the ones you may be used to from other working cultures.
The specific habits of Zoom, Teams and Google Meet meetings: where to come in, how to interrupt without overlap, how to handle the moment when two people start speaking at once.
Many students bring a meeting that is coming up that week and we prepare for it together. The agenda, the likely conversation, the phrases they want to have ready.
Business EnglishHow our English for Meetings lessons are different
Real meetings, not role-plays
Most online meeting English content is based on invented scenarios with a script. Our lessons are built around the meetings you are actually preparing for, sitting in, or chairing this week. The agenda is real, the people are real, and the phrases you practise are the ones you will use within a few days.
Experienced British teachers
Our teachers are native British English speakers with years of experience teaching adult professionals. You learn how meetings actually run in a British or UK-based working culture, from someone who has sat in plenty of them, not from a generic global course.
The language of polite disagreement
Meetings are where polite, professional disagreement in English becomes a skill in its own right, and it is the area where non-native speakers most often lose ground. We give it the time and attention it deserves, in your lessons and in your follow-up practice.
Online and face-to-face, flexible to your schedule
Lessons fit around your working day, not the other way around. Take them online from anywhere in the world, in person in central London, or mix the two. Reschedule when work gets in the way; that is normal, not a problem.
Before I started my lessons with PS English, team meetings at work were always stressful for me. The pace of the conversation was overwhelming. By the time I had processed what someone said and formulated a response in my head, the discussion had already moved on to the next topic. I found myself staying silent, even when I had good ideas to share.
My teacher completely understood this challenge. Instead of focusing on formal presentations, we used our 1-to-1 sessions to practise the fast-paced, back-and-forth nature of real business meetings. They taught me how to keep up with native speakers, catch the flow of the conversation, and use polite but effective phrases to jump in and make contributions before the moment passed. Some of it was about learning some basic phrases so I could jump in. But it was mainly a good place to practise politely interrupting my teacher who played the role of a talkative participant. Meetings are still difficult but now I don’t have a problem contributing to meetings when I want to say something.
How it works
Book a free consultation
Tell us about the meetings you sit in, what you find hardest, and what a good outcome would look like for you. We will match you with a teacher at a time that suits you, including outside standard working hours where needed.
Meet your teacher
Your first lesson is a real lesson, at a discounted price of £20 for 60 minutes online. You and your teacher discuss the meetings you are in, look at a specific recent example, and agree what you want to focus on. No commitment, no pressure.
Start your lessons
When you are ready, book a block of lessons online or face-to-face in London. Your teacher tailors each lesson to the meetings you have that week, often working through the language for a specific meeting that is coming up. Most students book lessons in blocks of ten or twenty and adjust as their needs change.
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Find out moreFrequently asked questions
How do I chair a meeting in English?
Chairing a meeting in English well comes down to a small set of repeatable language moves rather than a large vocabulary. Open the meeting clearly ("Right, shall we make a start?"). Set the agenda in one sentence. Bring people in by name ("Anna, can I ask you to take us through point two?"). Manage time politely ("In the interest of time, let’s move on"). Handle disagreement without losing the room ("That’s a fair point, but let me come back on that"). Close with clear actions and owners ("So to summarise, Tom is going to..."). Most of the work is knowing the phrase that fits the moment, having it ready, and saying it without hesitation. We work through these in lessons and rehearse them in real meeting situations until they feel natural rather than performed.
How can I contribute to a meeting?
The barrier is almost never that you have nothing to say. It is that by the time you have worked out how to say it, the moment has gone. Three things help. First, have two or three ways in ready before the meeting starts, so you are not composing a sentence and hunting for a gap at the same time: "Can I come in on that?", "Sorry to jump in, but...", "Just to build on what Anna said...". Second, come in earlier than feels comfortable. A half-formed point made at the right moment is worth more than a polished one made after the topic has closed. Third, signpost what you are about to say ("Two quick things on this") so the room gives you the space to finish it. We practise all of this in lessons, often with your teacher playing the talkative colleague who never leaves a gap.
What advice do you have to keep up with the pace of a meeting?
Stop trying to translate. Most students who find meetings too fast are running a translation loop in their head, and the loop is slower than the conversation. The way out is to listen for the shape of what is being said rather than every word: who is speaking, whether they agree or disagree with the person before them, and what they want to happen next. That is usually enough to stay oriented, and it leaves you enough attention to think about your own contribution rather than spending all of it on comprehension. It also helps to have the phrases that buy you a moment or let you check without embarrassment: "Sorry, could you say that last part again?", "Can I just check I have understood?". We work on both sides in lessons — the listening strategies that keep you in the room, and the language that lets you ask for a second when you need one.
What are some common English phrases for meetings?
Common phrases sort into the moments of a meeting they belong to. To open: "Let’s get started." "Shall we kick off?" To bring someone in: "Anna, what do you think?" "Can we hear from the team in Manchester?" To agree: "That’s a good point." "I’d go along with that." To disagree politely: "I see where you’re coming from, but..." "I’m not sure I’d go that far." To interrupt politely: "Sorry to jump in, but..." "Can I come in on that?" To summarise: "So just to recap..." "What I’m hearing is..." To close: "Right, I think we’re done." "Thanks everyone, let’s pick this up next week." None of these phrases is complicated. The skill is having the right one ready at the right moment, which is what lessons build up over time.
What are 7 powerful speaking tips for meetings?
Seven tips that consistently make the biggest difference for non-native English speakers in meetings: first, slow down (a clear sentence at a steady pace lands better than a fast one); second, use short sentences (long, clause-heavy sentences are where confidence collapses); third, have your opener ready (knowing your first ten words frees up your attention for the next twenty); fourth, signpost what you are about to say ("Three quick points on this..."); fifth, finish your sentences (trailing off undermines the strongest content); sixth, name your contribution clearly ("I’d add one thing here..."); and seventh, accept that pronunciation does not have to be perfect, but rhythm and stress do most of the work. We work on all seven in lessons, in the context of meetings you are actually sitting in.
What level do I need to be to take English for Meetings lessons?
We work with students from intermediate (CEFR B1) upwards. If you can follow most of a one-to-one work conversation in English and understand most of what is said back, you are the right level for us. Below that, meetings will be too fast and too multi-voiced to be the right starting point, and we will say so honestly at the assessment lesson.
Are lessons online or face-to-face?
Both are available. Most students choose online, which makes scheduling around work easier. Face-to-face lessons are available in central London for students who prefer them, and many students mix the two. Online lessons use Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, whichever you already use at work. You can read more on our Online English Coach and Face-to-Face Lessons in London pages.
Ready to start?
Tell us about the meetings you find hard, and we will match you with a teacher who can help. Your consultation is free, with no commitment either way.