Unit 2: BUSINESS MEETINGS

I Answer these questions before reading the text.

1 Why are business meetings usually held?

2 What are the typical problems associated with
meetings?
3 What makes meetings effective?
4 What is the role of the chairperson in a meeting?

II Read the text and compare it with your answers.

EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MEETINGS

The functioning of many business organizations today relies heavily on complex work
organization, which requires effective communication between different departments, layers
of management, customers and business partners. In other words, it is really difficult to
imagine a modern workplace in which people don’t spend any time in meetings, either to
discuss critical issues, solve problems or make important decisions.

Although thousands of business meetings are held every day, not all of them are effective.
Ineffective meetings usually have no clear purpose, take too much time and produce no
clear outcomes. The chairperson of the meeting is probably the first to blame for an
unsuccessful meeting because if s/he does not prepare well, the discussion easily gets side-
tracked and participants lose focus and interest. Many business people often complain that
meetings can really be a waste of their precious time.

No wonder then that effective and productive meetings are everyone’s goal. Successful
meetings are usually well-planned, have a clear purpose and follow-up. When preparing
the meeting, it is important for the chairperson to announce the meeting in good time, state
the venue and circulate the agenda. The agenda contains the items which will be
discussed in a meeting so that people who attend the meeting can prepare in advance.

The chairperson opens, runs and concludes the meeting. He or she makes sure that all
participants are included in the discussion. She or he allocates time for each item to keep
the discussion on track. It is very important to assign responsibility for each action point
discussed so that all participants know what they are expected to do after the meeting. The
chairperson can appoint a minute taker who will take the minutes, or write down the most
important things said at the meeting. When most items on the agenda have been discussed,
the chairperson asks if there is any other business, often abbreviated to AOB, and closes
the meeting.

If the meeting is well-planned and well-chaired, participants will be able to present

information, contribute their ideas and proposals and express their opinions. For meetings
to be really productive, many different arguments need to be heard so that listening to
speakers, asking questions and offering counterarguments are all welcome steps in the
process of reaching consensus or the final decision.

Underline all important words, word partners and prepositions. Check their meaning in
a dictionary.
III Find the words in the text for these definitions.

1 the last item on the agenda, usually used as an abbreviation

2 a place where the meeting is held
3 one subject or issue discussed in the meeting
4 a person who writes down the things said and decided at the meeting
5 a list of subjects to be discussed in the meeting
6 a person who is in charge of the meeting
7 an official written record of what is said and decided at the meeting

IV Match the word on the left to the words on the right to get word partners.

1. to circulate a) a meeting
2. to hold b) the minute-takes
3. to announce c) the agenda
4. to assign d) consensus
5. to appoint e) all the items
6. to take f) the minutes
7. to discuss g) the meeting in a good time
8. to reach h) responsibility

V Complete the sentences with the missing verbs below.

attend run discuss contain state

announce make circulate solve

1 In business meetings participants ____________ different issues, _____________

problems and ____________decisions.
2 If the chairperson doesn't know how to _____________ the meeting well, the meeting will
probably lose focus.
3 The chairperson should ____________ the meeting in good time, _____________ the
venue and _____________ the agenda.
4 Agendas _______________ items to be discussed so that those who _____________
the meeting can prepare in advance.

VI Complete the sentences with the missing nouns.

1 The chairperson usually appoints the m_______________ who writes down the most
important points from the meeting.
2 A good chairperson should allocate t______________ for each item to keep the meeting
on track.
3 It is important to assign r____________ to participants who are in charge of a certain
action point.
4 In some meetings participants vote in favour of or against a p______________. In others,
participants reach a c_____________.
LISTENING

MEETINGS – The role of the Chairperson

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_kZT8t75J4

I Listen and fill in the gaps1.

DENISE: Has everybody got a copy of the ________________?
Would you mind ___________________ minutes John?
JOHN: Not at all.
DENISE: Good. Well, then let's ________________ started. First of all, thank you everyone
for _________________ at short notice. As you know, the _________________ of this
meeting of the Capital Works Committee is to _____________ a proposal for some urgent
building work at our Southside plant. As we've got to _______________ a decision which
may involve spending, we'll ______________ it as a formal meeting. Now, you've read the
proposal, so without further ado, I'd like to _______________ it up for discussion.
Perhaps if we can start with you Tan – what's your ________________?
TAN: Well, I'm not convinced that the work is as urgent as this report suggests, so perhaps
we should…
DENISE: So, to _________________ up – I think we are all aware that some urgent work
does need to be done, and we will need to work on a longer term plan for a major refit.
Well, if there's no more discussion – we'll ____________ it to a vote. We're recommending
that tenders be called for the urgent work needed. All those in favour? All those against?
Then that's agreed... Any other ______________?
Then we'll ____________ the meeting. Thank you everyone. The next meeting will be in two
weeks, at the same time…

II Find word partnerships that mean:

keep a written record of a meeting: ___________________________________
talk about a suggestion: ___________________________________
arrive at a decision, make a decision: ___________________________________
vote on something: ___________________________________

III Find expressions in the text that mean:

with only a little time given to do something, very quickly: __________________________
not wasting any time: ___________________________________
people who vote for something: ___________________________________
people who are opposed to something, vote ___________________________ something.

IV Fill in the gaps with the expressions from above:

Croatia voted _________________ of joining the EU.
I can't cancel my arrangements ____________________, I need to be told of changes at
least a week in advance.
The time has come to leave, so ______________________, good evening and good-bye.
V Tasks of a chairperson: Find these sentences in the text and decide what function
they have in a meeting:
1
Source: http://australianetwork.com/businessenglish/stories/ep04.htm
Sentences Functions:
1. Has everybody got a copy of the agenda? A. Thanking people for
2. Would you mind taking minutes John? attending the
3. Well, then let’s get started. meeting.
4. First of all, thank you everyone for attending at short B. Asking people to
notice. speak.
5. As you know, we needed to convene this meeting of the C. Closing the meeting.
Capital Works committee to discuss a proposal … D. Summarizing the
6. I’d like to open it up for discussion. discussion (concisely
stating the main
7. Perhaps if we can start with you Tan – what’s your view? points made during
8. So, to sum up … the meeting).
E. Stating the objective
9. Let’s put the recommendation to a vote. We’re of a meeting.
recommending tenders be called for the urgent work needed. F. Starting a meeting.
All those in agreement? Anyone against? G. Inviting discussion.
10. Then we’ll close the meeting. Thank you everyone. The next H. Putting the
meeting will be in two weeks, at the same time. recommendation of
the meeting to a vote.

VI What is the function of these sentences? (Choose the functions from exercise V)
Sentences Function
1 Has everybody got a copy of the agenda?
2 Does everyone have an agenda?
3 Everybody should have received an agenda.
4 Would you mind taking minutes John?
5 Could somebody take the minutes please?
6 We’re here today to discuss a proposal…
7 The purpose of our meeting today is to discuss the following
proposal…
8 Who’d like to start the discussion?
9 What’s your view Tan?
10 Let’s hear from Tan.
11 Do you have a view on this Tan?
12 In summary…
13 So the main points are…

VII How can you address the Chairperson of a meeting?

1. _____________________________,
2. _____________________________,
3. _____________________________,
4. _____________________________,
5. _____________________________

THE STRUCTURE OF MEETINGS

I Match the corresponding box next to each function depending on who does it: the
chairperson, participants or both?

HOW TO BEGIN?

FUNCTION CHAIRPERSON PARTICIPANTS

☐ start the meeting √
☐ welcome the participants
☐ introduce everyone if necessary
☐ state the objective of the meeting
☐ go through the agenda
☐ say when the meeting will finish

WHAT HAPPENS DURING THE MEETING?

☐ ask for opinion

☐ state an opinion
☐ comment on opinion
☐ (dis)agree
☐ ask for clarification
☐ interrupt
☐ express doubt
☐ make a suggestion
☐ check understanding
☐ keep to the agenda
☐ vote

HOW TO END THE MEETING?

☐ conclude the main points
☐ summarize
☐ ask for a vote
☐ emphasise action points
☐ close the meeting

II In which part of the meeting will you hear the following? The beginning, the main
part or the ending?

Let me introduce you to… If I understand you correctly… We’ve got a very tight
agenda, so we’d better
get down to business…

The meeting is due to It’s out of the question… We’ll deal with … first,
finish by… then we’ll discuss…, and
finally we’ll…

Thank you for coming To recap, John, you’re in charge of The objective of today’s
here… the report. Ann is in charge of the meeting is …
draft plan. Sue will inform the team,
right?

III Match the phrases that are similar in meaning.

1 I couldn't agree more. I agree to some point, but..

2 What's your opinion? Why don't we buy from ABC Ltd.?

3 I agree to some extent, but... As far as this item is concerned, we’ve agreed
that…
4 I see what you mean. I totally agree.

5 Ann is in charge of the report. What do you think about this?

6 So, we’ve agreed that… I see, what you're saying is ...

7 To summarize the meeting… Ann is responsible for writing the report.

8 I advise you to buy from ABC To sum up,…

Ltd.
BEGINNING
IV Match the halves of the sentences.

1. Thank you for coming here today a) on behalf of our marketing team.
2. I would like to welcome you here b) at such a short notice.
3. Does everyone have a copy c) of the agenda?
4. We have a very tight agenda, so d) finish by 12.
5. As you already know, the purpose of e) today's meeting is to decide on our
6. There are two items marketing budget.
7. The meeting is due to f) let's get down to business.
g) on our agenda.

V Fill in the gaps in this introduction to a meeting.

Good morning, everyone. Are you all here? OK....

Let's get s_____________ then. Thanks for c_____________ to today's meeting.
Have you all got a copy of the a_____________? Good.
As you can see, we've got a very t_____________ agenda today so I suggest we get down
to b_____________.
The p_____________ of today’s meeting is to decide what we can do to improve the
financial situation of the company.
So, first we'll d_____________ with the financial report.
T_____________, we'll have a look at Simon's proposal for consolidation. I'd like to hear
everyone's o_____________ on the proposal then.
Finally, we'll m_____________ a decision on the financial plan for the next quarter.
I think we should spend around 15 minutes on each i_____________, so we’ll finish by 3.

VI Translate the following sentences to English.

1. Pozdravljam vas u ime našeg odbora.

2. Krenimo na posao.
3. Imamo vrlo gust dnevni red, s pet točaka.
4. Cilj današnjeg sastanka je…
5. Moramo donijeti odluku o tom prijedlogu.
6. Sastanak bi trebao završiti do 14.00.
DURING A MEETING
How to make suggestions?

VII Read the dialogues and pay attention to different verb structures for making
suggestions.

A: I suggest that we should relocate next I suggest (that) someone should do something.
year.
B: I completely agree.
A: I suggest we read the draft now. I suggest (that) someone does something.
B. I agree.
A: I suggest relocation. I suggest something (noun).
B. That's out of the question!
A: Can we postpone the meeting? I suggest doing something.
B. Yes, I suggest putting it off for next
week.
NOT!
I suggest to do something
I suggest somebody to do something
A: It seems we have the wrong I advise (that) somebody does something.
documents.
B: I advise we contact the Berlin office
immediately!
A: What shall we do about it? I advise doing something.
B: I advise talking to him.
ATTENTION!
ADVISE (verb) ≠ ADVICE (noun)
He advised us… vs. I need advice.
Advice = uncountable noun
We got a lot of advice.
We got a lot of advices.
A: Who should we elect? I propose somebody (in voting).
B: I propose Tom.
A: I propose that we wait for the new I propose doing something.
scheme to be put in place.
B: You really propose waiting for another
month?

VIII Translate the following to English.

1 Predlažem da povisimo cijene. 3 Predlažem Johna.
2 Predlažem izvoz u Italiju. 4 Predlažem da ti vodiš zapisnik.
5 Predlažem da IT odjel preseli u novi
ured.
6 Dobila sam puno dobrih savjeta od nje.
7 Ona ga uvijek savjetuje o poslovnim
potezima.

How to participate in
discussions?
IX Fill in the missing words.

Asking for opinions/ Getting people involved

1 Do you have any c________________ on this?

2 What's your opinion _______ this?
3 What's your v_________________, Peter?

Giving strong opinions

1 I r______________ think… 5 I’m a______________ certain that it
2 I s_______________ believe... will work.
3 I f_______________ believe… 6 That's a good p______________.
4 ______ my opinion, this is a good idea.
Strong agreeing
1 I couldn't agree m_____________.
2 I t_____________ agree.
3 You are a________________ right!/

Weak agreeing/ Reluctant agreeing

1 I see what you 3 I agree to some p____________, but..
___________________, but.... 4 I s_______________ you’re right.
2 I agree to some
5 I g______________ you’re right.
e__________________t, but...

Asking for clarifications

1 What e_________________ did you mean by...
2 Could you be more s____________ about it?
3 Could you please e______________ on that?

Interruptions
1 Excuse me, may i____________?
2 Can I just f_____________what I was saying?
3 Just _________ me finish.
4 Voting
Do not be aggressive! Use
polite language…
(This is called ‘downtoning’)
In business communication (and in other life situations, too) avoid aggressive

That’s Could you possibly do it as soon as you can?

absurd! That’s not really how I see it.
Do it I don’t quite agree with that.
immedia
tely!
That’s If you want to be an effective communicator, you should know how to soften your
language.
points
out byof avoiding aggressive, uncompromising and confrontational language. Remember
that in effective business meetings it is important to make your point firmly but politely.
the
question
Look at the following phrases and match them with their politer versions:
!
How to soften your language? Agreeing, disagreeing and giving suggestions

SOFTEN BY USING: EXAMPLE:

☐ WE / LET’S Let’s reconsider the price, shall we?
We could reduce the price.
☐ PERHAPS / MAYBE Perhaps we could reduce the price.
☐ A BIT / JUST / A LITTLE / SLIGHTLY The price is a little bit high, don’t you think?
Can we reduce the price slightly?
☐ WOULD / COULD / MAY / MIGHT The price may / might be a bit lower.
It could / would be a good idea to lower the price
☐ PLEASE Please confirm your attendance via e-mail.
☐ I’M AFRAID I’m afraid the price is too high.
☐ “NOT” AS A MODIFIER It wouldn’t be bad if the price was lower.
☐ Using NOT with a POSITIVE WORD The price is not very affordable.
instead of the obvious negative The product is not too affordable.
word.
☐ Turn it into a QUESTION Could you lower the price?
Would it be possible to lower the price?
X Match up the polite and the impolite versions of the sentences.

1 Your terms are unacceptable A) I’m afraid you might have misunderstood what
I’ve said.
2 You must send it straight away. B) It seems there is a small mistake in the report.
3 Your product’s quality is very poor. C) Please could you send it as soon as possible?
4 I never said that, you are lying! D) I was wondering if you could change your
terms slightly.
5 You made a mistake in the report. E) The quality is not as high as we expected.

XI Rewrite the following sentences by using the words and phrases in the brackets.

1 We won’t give you a discount (afraid). 4 These figures are false! (not)
2 You must finish the report! (please) 5 He is not available. (afraid)
3 Your prices are way too high. (a little 6 So, we’ll find another buyer! (perhaps)
bit)

ENDING

XII This is a typical ending of a meeting. Fill in the gaps with the words from the box.
thinks charge sum brings favour go suggest meet against put

I suggest that we _________ over the main points again. We have agreed that we need
more space as we are expanding our business and as we have recently hired seven new
employees. Marko ___________ refurbishing our office to make more room for our new
employees. Ann, on the other hand, _________ renting a new office in the same
neighbourhood would be a better solution, despite somewhat higher costs.

I suggest we ________ it to a vote. All those in __________ of Marko's proposal? All those
____________? (…)

As you can see, four of us are in favour of Marko's proposal, while two of us are against it
and suggest renting a new office. So, to __________ up, we will need to find a good
constructor. Maya, could you please look into that matter by the end of next week? Athony,
you are in ___________ of making a plan on how to organize our work while our office is
under reconstruction. The deadline is next Friday. Sonia, could you please write the report?
I suggest we _____________ again in ten days. This ___________ us to the end of our
meeting.

IMPORTANT PHRASES:THE LANGUAGE OF THE MEETINGS

I Read the phrases used in the meeting and copy the phrases from the box below in
the appropriate place in the table.
The purpose of this meeting is to… I couldn’t agree more. Why don’t we…?
I think we’ve covered everything. I see what you mean. Just let me finish…
AT THE BEGINNING USEFUL PHRASES
1 start the meeting Let’s get started.
We’ve got a very tight agenda, so we’d better get down to
business.
2 welcome the participants I’m very glad to welcome you here (on behalf of…)
Thank you all for coming here today.
3 introduce everyone if This is XY. She is in charge of…She deals with…
necessary Let me introduce you to…
4 state the objective of the We’re here today to…
meeting 1 _______________________________________________
5 go through the agenda There are three items on the agenda. Firstly, we’ll deal with…
Secondly, we’ll…,Thirdly,… Finally,…
6 say when the meeting will I’d like to finish by…
finish The meeting is due to finish by…
DURING THE MEETING USEFUL PHRASES
 ask for opinion What do you think about this?
What’s your opinion on this?
 state an opinion In my opinion,…
If you ask me,…
 comment on opinion That’s a good point.
So, what you’re saying is…
2 _______________________________________________
 disagree I’m afraid I disagree.
I have to disagree.
It’s out of the question!
 agree I agree completely.
That’s a good idea!
3 _______________________________________________
 ask for clarification What exactly did you mean by…?
Could you be more specific about…?
Could you please elaborate on that?
 interrupting and dealing with Excuse me, may I interrupt?
interruptions Can I just finish what I was saying…?
4 _______________________________________________
 express doubt I agree to some extent, but…
I suppose you’re right but…
 make a suggestion I think we should…
5 _______________________________________________
 check understanding Is that clear everyone?
 keep to the agenda Let’s now move on to the next item on the agenda.
We’ll come to that later.
 vote Let’s put this to a vote. Everyone in favour of this proposal?
Against?
AT THE END USEFUL PHRASES
 conclude the main points Let’s go over the main points again.
So, we’ve agreed that…
As far as…is concerned, we’ve agreed that…
 summarize So, to sum up…
 emphasise action points Ana is in charge of completing the report by 14 January.
So John, can you please write the report?
 close the meeting That brings us to the end of our meeting today.
6 ________________________________________________
MORE USEFUL PHRASES FOR MEETINGS

call
The chairperson arrange A MEETING
can schedule
hold

Participants can attend A MEETING

be in

cancelled
A meeting can postponed
be put forward
rescheduled

I Translate the words in brackets to English.

1. They usually _____________ (održavaju) meetings in the conference room.

2. She always ______________ (ide na) the meetings of the Board. I do not know
what’s happened with her today.
3. We have so many issues to discuss. I will have to __________ (sazvati) sastanak.
4. The meeting on refurbishment of our office is _____________ (planiran u rasporedu)
for Friday at 10.00.
5. He will ___________ (predsjedavati) the meeting on Tuesday as Ann, who usually
______________ (vodi) them has called in sick.
6. It is almost four o’clock, I think it is time I ____________ (zaključiti) the meering.
7. The meeting was ____________ (odgođen) to the afternoon as Johnatan and Marie’s
plane is late.
8. We will need to ___________ (otkazati) the meeting as the documents we planned to
discuss are not ready yet.
9. I am afraid I cannot put you through, the CEO is ____________ (na sastanku).
10. I’m sorry to inform you that we had to _____________ (promijeniti termin sastanka)
due to some technical difficulties.

II Replace the underlined vorbs with the verbs from the table above.

A meeting of the Tennis Club Committee was organized for 1 March, but not everyone could
go to it, so it was delayed until March 31. One committee member said that this was too late,
so finally we moved it to March 15. The chairperson was in charge of it very efficiently, and
we decided on some new membership rules. Only one committee member did not go to the
meeting
ROLE-PLAY
Make groups of five. Read the situation first and assign roles.

SITUATION
Four managers are in a meeting to decide whether to lay off their colleague Ann. The reason
why Ann might be dismissed is that recently she hasn’t performed well and her abrasive style
is seen as offensive. If she is laid off, the managers need to decide how much severance pay
to give her.
ROLES
Students 1 and 2 think Ann should be dismissed. Think of additional details why she should
be fired.
Students 3 and 4 think Ann should stay because of her experience and work discipline.
Think of additional details why she should stay.
Student 5 is the chairperson. Think about the introduction and the ending. Ask participants
for their opinions and moderate the meeting.

Get ready for your roles. Every participant should use as many phrases from the table on the
previous page as possible. The meeting should last about 5 minutes.
MEMO, AGENDA AND MINUTES

I Study this sample memo and circle the correct word in the sentences on the right
outlining the basic rules for writing memos.

MEMO Memos are usually used for

internal/external communication.
To: All department heads
From: Mary Fitch, HR Manager
They should include the following
Date: 2 February 2014
headings: To, From, Date, and
Subject: Visit of Germanica Ltd. representative
Subject/Topic.
Please note that Sandra Keiths, a representative of
Germanica Ltd., a company specializing in offering They should be long/short and
Business German courses, will visit us on Friday, 5 include only relevant information.
February.

There will be a presentation of the courses, The tone of a memo may be/must be
followed by a meeting at 1 p.m. that you should all formal, informal or neutral.
attend.
It is usual to end with your full
If you wish to join us for lunch at a local restaurant, signature/initials.
please let me know as soon as possible.

Adapted from: Market Leader Intermediate, p. 144, Longman.

II Study the agenda below and complete the explanation next to it.

Department Heads Meeting Agendas contain the following

information: the title, the date, and the
AGENDA ____________ (place).

Date: 5 February Larger or more formal meetings may

Time: 1 p.m. also include the following:
Venue: Room 12, Angus House a) Apologies for absence
b) Matters arising from last meeting
1 Presentation: Germanica Ltd. c) Correspondence
d) Date of next meeting.
2 Course organization
____________ is reserved for other
relevant issues that were not included
in the agenda.
Adapted from: Market Leader Intermediate, p. 144, Longman.
Action minutes are intended to make sure that decisions of the meeting are understood
and carried out. There is a brief summary of the discussion for each item on the agenda.
The initials of the person responsible for carrying out any action required are given on the
margin, along with the deadline.

III Read the action minutes below. Then, explain the layout and the structure
of the action minutes by answering these questions:

1 What do the initials on the right margin stand for?

2 What do the dates on the right margin stand for?
3 Where do we include information about the time and the venue of the meeting?
4 What are action points and where are they included?

Minutes of the Department Heads' Meeting

_____________________________________________________

Date: 5 February 2014, 1 p.m.

Venue: Room 12, Angus House

Present: Mary Fitch, Christina Bilich (Germanica Ltd.), Joe Piscarelli,

Ann Murray, Vince Wallace

1 Presentation: Germanica Ltd.

Following the Board's decision to provide Business German courses for

our employees, the representative of Germanica Ltd. made a
presentation of the courses, detailing the necessary steps for the
organization of the courses in our premises. MF 10
FEB
We all agree that Mary Fitch should make the necessary arrangements
with Christina Bilich to organize classification testing. Department heads
will be informed about the time and place for testing of their employees.

2 Course organization

We agreed that the courses will be offered at different language levels JP

on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays after 4 p.m.
AM
All department heads should rearrange their staff's regular work activity
15
to allow them regular attendance of the courses. These arrangements
VW FEB
should be sent to the HR Manager in a written form.

Next meeting: 8 February, 10 a.m.

Venue: To be confirmed
REVISION

Adapted from Kiss Kulenović, B., Planinšek Čikara, I., Linčir Lumezi M. i Lekaj Lubina B: English for Business: Coursebook for Undergraduate
Professional Degree Programmes in Economics and Business, Ekonomski fakultet Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, 2015.
https://www.usingenglish.com/articles/100-most-useful-phrases-for-business-meetings.html

I Match the halves of the sentences:

BEGINNING
1 Could you please take
 discuss three different issues.
2 I’d like to go through
 the minutes?
3 We’re here to
 the agenda first.
BODY
1 Can I just finish
 to the third item now.
2 Excuse me, but I can’t
 what I was saying
3 Let’s move on
 agree with you there.
END
1 Ok, to sum
 the Marketing Department should cut costs.
2 Let’s go
 up, we’ve discussed John’s case today.
3 So, we’ve agreed that
 over the main points again.

II Complete these dialogues with suitable words.

A: So what do you __________about that, John?
B: Well, if you _____________ me, we should expand.
A: I ____________with you completely!

A: I _____________we should expand into the Swedish market…

B. That’s out of the _____________! Do you know how much that would cost?
B: Please let me just __________what I was saying…

A: I think we should put it to a __________!

B: You’re right! All those in _____________? All those against?

III Correct the following expressions:

1. Let’s started. 7. Let’s move up to the next item on

2. Let’s get up to business. the agenda.
3. Shall we started? 8. Let John finishes.
4. Thank you for come here today. 9. I agree completely.
5. The object of this meeting is... 10. I’m afraid I can’t disagree with you
6. We’ll come to that later... there.

IV DOWNTONE the following sentences:

1. We won’t give you a discount. 6. We can’t deliver the goods in two

2. You must finish the report! weeks.
3. Your prices are way too high. 7. I can’t agree and that’s it.
4. These figures are false! 8. You must sign the contract today!
5. He is not available. 9. So, we’ll find another buyer!
10. We’ll sue you!

V Match those phrases with their polite versions.

1. John, kick off. a. What are your feelings on this?
2. Kay, open the discussion. b. What are your views on this?
3. Len, let’s get the ball rolling. c. Would you like to open the
4. Monica, tell us what you think. discussion?
5. Nigel, give us your views. d. What about you?
6. Olive, what do you feel? e. Perhaps you’d like to fet the ball
rolling.
f. Would you like to kick off?

VI Match the sentences beginnings with the correct endings.

a. Personally, 1. I think that if the design people think they are from another
b. It looks to me planet.
c. It’s clear to 2. I see it, you should be looking at what we produce.
d. In my 3. opinion, we have to think of the needs of each department.
4. me that they set a very bad example to the other departments
5. the prizes will help us.
VII Solve the puzzle by translating the Croatian terms to English

Across
1. predsjedati sastankom
7. zapisničar
8. odrediti zapisničara
9. razni (na dnevnom redu)
10. sazvati sastanak
11. dnevni red

Down
2. voditi zapisnik
3. konsenzus
4. odgoditi sastanak
5. mjesto održavanje sastanka
6. točka (na dnevnom redu)

VIII Fill in the gaps in this conversation from a meeting. The first letters will help
you.

Chair: Ok, everyone. Let’s get s_____________. Does everybody have a copy of the
a____________? …
All right then. We are here today to d___________ the problem of sales. For
three months in a row we have seen a steady fall. So, I’d like us to focus on three
issues today.
First of all, we’ll look at our sales figures in the last quarter. After t__________,
Mary will give her projection for the next quarter on the basis of current trends.
F____________, I’d like to hear your proposals for reversing this negative trend.
Ann: Sorry to i____________, but I think we should discuss the performance of sales
force as well (…)
Chair: I’m sure Mary will mention that as she gives us the sales report. Right Mary?
Could you please take the m___________, Ann? (…)

Chair: (…) So, we’ve seen the sales figures. Let’s now m___________on to projections.
Mary: Thank you, well, as you can see from this g____________, sales will continue to
fall. I have to insist that my sales force are doing all they can …
Ann: E_________ me, but they are the most responsible…
Mary: In my o____________, we should blame the falling demand and not my sales
force (…)
Chair: So to s_________up, the negative trend, I’m a___________, is going to
continue. We all a___________that we should focus on marketing more and
perhaps consider cutting the sales force.
So, if there are no more q____________, I’d like us to meet in 10 days’ time.