How to Run a Meeting in English (Without the Awkward Silences)

Meetings in your own language can be painful enough. Running one in English adds a whole extra layer of pressure. You need to open, guide, manage, and close the whole thing, all while making sure you sound professional and not like you’re reading from a phrasebook.

The good news is that meeting English is actually quite predictable. The same phrases come up again and again. Learn them well, and you’ll sound natural rather than nervous.

The Structure of a Meeting in English

Most professional meetings follow a simple arc: open, manage, close. Each stage has its own set of go-to phrases. Let’s work through all three.

1. Opening the Meeting

Your opening sets the tone. Keep it crisp. You’re not giving a speech. You’re getting people focused.

Try these:

• “Right, let’s get started.”
• “Thanks everyone for coming. Today we’re here to discuss…”
• “The main goal of today’s meeting is to…”
• “We’ve got about an hour, so let’s keep things moving.”

Notice that none of these are complicated. The language is simple. The confidence comes from knowing exactly what to say before the meeting starts, not improvising it on the spot.

2. Managing the Discussion

This is where most non-native speakers feel the pressure. People talk over each other, go off-topic, or the whole thing starts to drift. Your job as the person running the meeting is to steer it back.

Giving someone the floor:

• “Sarah, what’s your take on this?”
• “Could we hear from the finance team on that point?”

Keeping things on track:

• “That’s a good point, but let’s park that for now and come back to it.”
• “I want to make sure we cover everything, so let’s move on to the next item.”

Handling interruptions politely:

• “Just a moment, let’s let Maria finish.”
• “We’ll get to that. Let me just finish this point first.”

Checking understanding and summarising:

• “So, if I’m understanding correctly, the issue is…”
• “Let me just summarise where we are before we move on.”

These phrases do real work. They keep the meeting professional, and they show that you’re in control, even when the conversation gets messy. Practising these until they feel automatic is exactly what we focus on in the daily coaching programme. For more details, click here.

3. Closing the Meeting

A weak close is one of the most common mistakes. People just sort of… stop. A good close confirms what was decided, assigns next steps, and ends cleanly.

• “Right, let’s wrap up. Here’s what we’ve agreed…”
• “Before we finish, can we confirm who’s responsible for each action?”
• “I’ll send around a summary of the key points this afternoon.”
• “Thanks everyone. Same time next week?”

Worked Examples

Here’s how these phrases look in context across two different scenarios.

Business English scenario: You’re chairing a project update call with a team across three countries. Someone starts going into too much detail about a problem that needs a separate conversation.

“Thanks, David, that’s useful context. I think we’ll need a separate session to dig into that properly. For now, let’s stay focused on the timeline. Can we move to the delivery schedule?”

IELTS Speaking scenario (Part 3 discussion): This one’s slightly different. You’re not running a meeting, but the same skill applies when you need to structure your spoken response clearly and redirect your own thinking.

“That’s an interesting aspect of the question. I think the main point here is… but to also address the other side of it…”

The ability to organise spoken English in real time, whether in a meeting room or an exam, uses the same muscles. Train one and you strengthen the other.

Practice Exercise

Fill in the blank with the most natural phrase from the box. Each phrase is used once.

Phrase box: let’s get started / park that for now / wrap up / what’s your take / move on to the next item

1. “Good morning everyone. It’s nine o’clock, so _______________________.”
2. “That’s an interesting idea, but it’s not on today’s agenda. Let’s _______________________ and come back to it later.”
3. “We’re running short on time. Can we _______________________ ?”
4. “Before I give my opinion, I’d like to ask the group: _______________________ on this proposal?”
5. “We’re nearly out of time, so let’s _______________________ and agree on actions.”

The full answer key, plus a second round of exercises with more complex meeting scenarios, is available to daily coaching subscribers. Find out how the subscription works here.

Vocabulary to Know

• to chair a meeting /tʃɛː ə ˈmiːtɪŋ/ – Level: B1 – to be the person in charge of running and directing a meeting – Example: She was asked to chair the quarterly review meeting.
• agenda /əˈdʒɛndə/ – Level: B1 – a list of topics to be discussed in a meeting – Example: The agenda was sent to all participants the day before.
• to give someone the floor /ɡɪv ˈsʌmwʌn ðə flɔː/ – Level: B2 – to give someone the opportunity to speak in a meeting or formal setting – Example: The chair gave the floor to the head of marketing.
• to park something /pɑːk ˈsʌmθɪŋ/ – Level: B2 – to set aside a topic or idea temporarily to return to later – Example: Let’s park that idea and come back to it at the end.
• action points /ˈækʃən pɔɪnts/ – Level: B2 – specific tasks assigned to individuals as a result of a meeting – Example: We ended the meeting by reviewing all the action points.
• to go off-topic /ɡəʊ ɒf ˈtɒpɪk/ – Level: B2 – to start discussing something unrelated to the main subject – Example: The conversation started to go off-topic, so the chair stepped in.
• minutes /ˈmɪnɪts/ – Level: B1 – the official written record of what was discussed and decided in a meeting – Example: Could you take the minutes today and send them round afterwards?
• to adjourn /əˈdʒɜːn/ – Level: C1 – to formally end or suspend a meeting, often to continue at a later time – Example: The chair adjourned the meeting until the following Thursday.
• consensus /kənˈsɛnsəs/ – Level: C1 – general agreement among a group of people – Example: After some debate, the team reached a consensus on the new approach.
• to talk over someone /tɔːk ˈəʊvə ˈsʌmwʌn/ – Level: B2 – to speak while someone else is speaking, interrupting them – Example: Please don’t talk over each other. Let’s hear one voice at a time.

FAQ

What if I don’t know a word during the meeting?

Buy yourself time with phrases like “That’s a good question. Let me think about how to put this clearly…” or “Could you clarify what you mean by that?” Asking for clarification is a professional skill, not a weakness. Native speakers do it all the time.

Is formal meeting English very different from everyday business English?

Less different than people expect. The phrases covered in this post work across most professional contexts, from a quick team check-in to a boardroom presentation. Formal settings tend to use slightly more passive and indirect language, but the core structure stays the same.

How do I politely disagree with someone in a meeting?

Use softening language before your point. “I see where you’re coming from, but I’d like to offer a different perspective.” Or: “That’s fair, though I’m not sure that accounts for…” The goal is to challenge the idea, not the person.

Ready to sound sharper in every meeting?

The phrases here are a solid foundation. But knowing them on paper and using them smoothly under pressure are two very different things. That gap is exactly what the daily coaching programme is designed to close. Short, focused sessions that build real fluency, not just vocabulary lists. See how the subscription works.