Clarifying, Summarising & Closing a Meeting
This week we are coming to the end of our series on participating in meetings. I hope you have enjoyed the series over the last few weeks.
Firstly, today we are going to be looking at how to clarify, summarise and close a meeting. I have put together a list of 11 expressions that you can use and have categorised them accordingly.
In the first part of the episode I will be covering some expressions for clarifying what was agreed in the meeting. As always you will have a sample sentence to help with context.
In the second part, we will be looking at ways to summarise, so that everything is clear before we finish the meeting.
Finally, we will go over some expressions that you can use to signal that the meeting is coming to a close, as well as actually close the meeting.
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Let's dive in.
Watch the episode here
Clarifying
Go over something
Let me go over what was agreed
It has become evident to me that we should be paying more attention to our competitors if we are to stay in the game.
To have something clear
Does everyone have the main points clear?
We have ten minutes until time. Does everyone have the main points clear? I can list them out if you like.
To elaborate
Would anyone like me to elaborate on any of the points discussed?
Before we finish today, would anyone like me to elaborate on any of the points discussed? We have covered a lot and I want to make sure you all understand.
Summarising
To summarise
Just to summarise
Before we go, just to summarise, John you have agreed to give us a report on the sales forecasts next week and Maria you will be helping the team collect relevant data.
To agree on something
Let me go over what was agreed
Right, let me go over what was agreed on. Paul, you will contact our supplier in China and negotiate a new price. Mark, you will be responsible for contacting our domestic suppliers to see if you can get a better deal on transport costs.
To recap/Agree on
I’ll just recap what we agreed on
Now, before we finish, I'll just recap what was agreed on. Next week we are all meeting at the same time to discuss the project and each of you will bring me a status report on your department's progress.
Need help in your business meetings?
A Step-By-Step Guide To Participating Confidently in English in Your Next Business Meeting.
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Closing
Any other business
Is there any other business before we finish?
Is there any there business before we finish? Yes, Andrew, what would you like to add?
To write something up
Paul has agreed to write up the minutes
I would like to thank Paul, who has agreed to write up the minutes. Everyone should receive a copy by tomorrow.
To cover something
It looks as though we have covered the main points
OK, this is great, it looks as though we have covered the main points. Is there anything else?
I'm afraid
I’m afraid we will have to finish here.
Oh dear, we have run out of time. I am afraid we will have to finish here.
To declare something
I declare the meeting closed
Well, thank you everyone for coming, I now declare the meeting closed.
Final thoughts
Well, that brings us to the end of this episode of The Art of Business English. I hope that you have found the content inspiring and useful.
Meetings need not be stressful. With a bit of planning and preparation you can have productive and results orientated outcomes.
If you follow all the advice in this series and implement all of the language you have learnt, then I am sure you will have engaging, productive and enjoyable meetings.
Let me know what you think, leave a comment below and tell me about your meetings.
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Andrew Ambrosius