Business English: Holding meetings in English 用英语主持会议

　

The Structure of a Meeting 会议的结构

One of the most common requirements of business English is holding meetings in English. The following sections provide useful language and phrases for conducting meetings and making contributions to a meeting.

Meetings generally follow a more or less similar structure and can be divided into the following parts:

I - Introductions

Opening the Meeting
Welcoming and Introducing Participants
Stating the Principal Objectives of a Meeting
Giving Apologies for Someone Who is Absent

II - Reviewing Past Business

Reading the Minutes (notes) of the Last Meeting
Dealing with Recent Developments

III - Beginning the Meeting

Introducing the Agenda
Allocating Roles (secretary, participants)
Agreeing on the Ground Rules for the Meeting (contributions, timing, decision-making, etc.)

IV - Discussing Items

Introducing the First Item on the Agenda
Closing an Item
Next Item
Giving Control to the Next Participant

V - Finishing the Meeting

Summarizing
Finishing Up
Suggesting and Agreeing on Time, Date and Place for the Next Meeting
Thanking Participants for Attending
Closing the Meeting

The following pages focus on each part of the meeting and the appropriate language for each situation.

Running a Meeting 主持会议

Language Used to Participate in Meetings 出席会议常用语