Choose meetings from the list below or take a card from a cut up copy and try to finish the meeting as quickly as possible. Choose a different chair (= chairperson) for each meeting, and try to use language with each of these functions:
- Chit chat as people come in
- Getting started/ Getting down to business
- Welcome people to the meeting
- Explain the aims of the meeting
- Invite people to speak
- Brainstorm
- Organise the ideas and narrow down the options
- Help people to reach agreement
- Summarise what people have said
- Move onto the next topic
- Summarise what you have agreed and double check people’s agreement
- Bring the meeting to a close
- Suggest what to do after the meeting/ Chit chat as people leave
| Have a short meeting to decide on what, if any, cultural differences training call centre staff might need |
| Have a short meeting to decide on how to train your staff who have difficulty understanding Indian English |
| Have a short meeting to decide on a buffet meal for a mixed nationality group of guests |
| Have a short meeting to decide on how to entertain some guests who are visiting from China |
| Have a short meeting to decide on local gifts that are suitable for foreign visitors to your offices or factories |
| Have a short meeting to decide on whether to use an interpreter in your meeting, or just to rely on everyone’s limited English |
| Have a short meeting to decide on the best accommodation for foreign guests near here |
When your teacher stops you, share one decision and see what the class thinks about it.
Ask about topics you would like to discuss as a class.
Brainstorm phrases for doing the things in the list at the top of the page, then compare with a list and/ or as a class.
PDF for easy saving and printing:
Related pages
Over 300 pages of meetings photocopiables here.
