1. BUSINESS MEETINGS

2. WHICH WORD IS MISSING?
'There are three things you can predict in life: tax, death and more m_____________.‘
Mike Moore,
Sydney Morning Herald

3. POSITIVE OR NEGATIVE ATTITUDE TOWARDS MEETINGS?

4. TYPES OF BUSINESS MEETINGS?
C_____________
B_____________
P_____________ MEETING /TEAM MEETING
D_____________ MEETING
MEETING WITH S_____________ /C_____________
B_____________ MEETING
A_____________ G_____________ MEETING (AGM)
ANNUAL S_____________ MEETING
E_____________ GENERAL MEETING (EGM)
ONE-TO-ONE MEETING (F______________ -TO-FACE,
T______________, V______________)
S______________ MEETING
M______________ MEETING

5. TYPES OF BUSINESS MEETINGS
CHAT
BRAINSTORMING
PROJECT MEETING /TEAM MEETING
DEPARTMENT MEETING
MEETING WITH SUPPLIERS/CUSTOMERS
BOARD MEETING
ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING (AGM)
ANNUAL SALES MEETING
EXTRAORDINARY GENERAL MEETING (EGM)
ONE-TO-ONE MEETING (FACE-TO-FACE, TELECONFERENCE, VIDECONFERENCE)
STAFF MEETING
MANAGEMENT MEETING

6. WHICH TYPES OF MEETINGS ARE ILLUSTRATED BY THESE PICTURES?

7. READING - EFFECTIVE BUSINESS MEETINGS – RB, p. 6
I Discuss these questions before reading the text in
the RB.
Why are business meetings usually held?
What are the typical problems associated with meetings?
What makes meetings effective?
What is the role of the chairperson in a meeting?
II Read the text and find out.

8. VOCABULARY - Match these words to their definitions below:
CHAIRPERSON, AGENDA, ITEM, MINUTES, AOB, CONSENSUS,
VENUE, MINUTE TAKER
the last item on the agenda, an abbreviation for “any other business”; the time during a meeting when people can discuss things that were not on the agenda
a place where the meeting is held
one of the subjects or issues discussed in the meeting, written on the agenda
a person who writes down the things said and decided at the meeting
a list of subjects to be discussed in the meeting
a person who is in charge of the meeting
an official written record of what is said and decided at the meeting
agreement between all the people at a meeting

9. VOCABULARY - Match these nouns with the verbs below:
VENUE, AGENDA, MEETING, MINUTE-TAKER,
MINUTES, CONSENSUS
CIRCULATE THE _______________
DRAW UP
TAKE THE _______________
CALL
PUT OFF
CANCEL THE _______________
ATTEND
CHAIR
REACH _______________
APPOINT THE _______________
CHECK THE _______________

10. VOCABULARY- Read this dialogue and replace the Croatian words with their English translation.
A: Hi, John. Do you know that Louise wants to sazvati sastanak for tomorrow?
B: Really? What’s on the dnevni red?
A: Staff lateness again, I’m afraid. And the second točka je razno, of course.
B: What is the mjesto održavanja sastanka?
A: Your office, believe it or not. 9 a.m.
B: Oops. Will she predsjedati sastankom?
A: Yes, as usual. But she told me you would be the zapisničar.
B: Me? Voditi zapisnik?
A: Yes, Sandy is on a sick leave, so she had to odrediti novog zapisničara.
B: All right then. I just hope there will be a konsenzus on what needs to be done.
A: Me too. And I hope she won’t odgoditi sastanak like last week.
B: You never know. See you then.
A: See you.

11. ☺ GOOD OR BAD ☹ MEETINGS? ___ clear objectives
___ participants talk among themselves
___ meeting starts punctually and runs to time
___ participants well-prepared
___ meeting goes on far too long
___ constructive discussions
___ all points on the agenda covered
___ the chairperson talks too much
___ discussion dominated by a few participants
___ participants unprepared
___ clear action points agreed
___ discussion deviates from the agenda
___ discussion gets heated and personal

12. THE STRUCTURE OF MEETINGS – AT THE BEGINNING, DURING THE MEETING or AT THE END?
emphasise action points
comment on opinion
go through the agenda
say when the meeting will finish
vote
conclude the main points
start the meeting
close the meeting
ask for clarification
express doubt
keep to the agenda
state an opinion
welcome the participants
(dis)agree
interrupt
state the objective of the meeting
make a suggestion
check understanding
introduce everyone if necessary
summarize
ask for opinion

13. What are the functions of the chaiperson, participants, or both
What are the functions of the chaiperson, participants, or both? – RB, p.8
FUNCTION
CHAIRPERSON
PARTICIPANTS
...

14. MEETINGS (Dos and Don’ts)
Call a meeting if you are clear about its purpose.
Circulate a memo several days in advance.
Hold a meeting on a Friday afternoon.
Hold a meeting in the morning.
Come unprepared.
Invite the whole department (as many people as possible).
Memorise your notes or read them out to other participants.
Circulate the minutes after the meeting.
Circulate the minutes before the next meeting.
Draw out quieter members of the group.
Sneak in if you are late.
Make a constructive contribution to the discussion. (Do not speak if there is nothing new to say.)
Call a meeting on a routine basis.
Single out individuals for personal criticism.
Arrive late.
Be afraid to say “I don't know”.
Save critical comments for a private occasion.
Dominate the meeting.
Apologise and find a seat quickly and quietly (if late).

15. HOW DOES THIS CARTOON COMMENT ON DOs AND DON’Ts?

16. HOW ABOUT THIS ONE?

17. TIPS FOR EFFECTIVE MEETINGS
I Can you predict the answers?
DON’T _________ ALLOCATE _________
SET ________ START _________
PROVIDE _________ END _________
KEEP _________ CAPTURE _________
II Watch the video, take notes and compare your answers.

18. THE ROLE OF THE CHAIRPERSON
prepare the a _____________
c _____________ the agenda
check the v _____________
make sure the meeting starts on t _____________
a _____________ a minute-taker who will take the m_________
a _____________ enough time to each point on the agenda and keep time
decide when to m _____________ on to another point
allow all p _____________ to make their point
deal tactfully with d _____________
avoid d _____________ (where people get off the point)
ensure the meeting e _____________ on time
circulate the m _____________
at the next meeting, c _____________ the accuracy of the minutes and see if there are matters arising

19. THE ROLE OF THE CHAIRPERSON
prepare the agenda
circulate the agenda
check the venue
make sure the meeting starts on time
appoint a minute-taker who will take the minutes
allocate enough time to each point on the agenda and keep time
decide when to move on to another point
allow all participants to make their point
deal tactfully with disagreements
avoid digressions (where people get off the point)
ensure the meeting ends on time
circulate the minutes
at the next meeting, check the accuracy of the minutes and see if there are matters arising

20. VIDEO – HOW DO YOU CHAIR A MEETING?
HANDOUT - Watch the video and fill in the missing words or phrases.

21. HOW MANY WORD PARTNERSHIPS DO YOU REMEMBER?
TAKE
A MINUTE-TAKER
APPOINT
THE MINUTES
CIRCULATE
TIME
ALLOCATE
THE AGENDA
MOVE ON
TO THE NEXT POINT
AVOID
ON TIME
FINISH
DIGRESSIONS

22. VOCABULARY - THE LANGUAGE OF MEETINGS - RB, p. 9
Do the exercises in the RB, p. 9 & 10.
HANDOUT – do the additional exercises.

23. MEETINGS – DOWNTONING ways of making your point firmly but politely
softening your points by avoiding aggressive and confrontational language
Avoid: “You must reduce the price!” Use:
“Why don’t we consider reducing the price?”
“Let’s see what happens if the price is reduced.”
“Perhaps we should consider reducing the price.”
“Maybe you could reduce the price.”
“The price is a little too high for us.”
“The price is slightly too high for us.”
“The price is a bit too high for us.”
“The price is just too high for us.”
“The price may be too high for us.”
“The price might be too high for us.”
“I wonder if you could reduce the price.”
“Would you be prepared to reduce the price?”
“I’m afraid the price is too high for us.”
“It won’t be bad if the price is lower.”

24. SOFTENING We must… → I think we should…
There’s no way we can... → I’m afraid we can’t…
I want… → Could you give me…?
I won’t… → Unfortunately I can’t…
Can you…? → I wonder if you could…?
Your…is far too… → Your… seems rather…
TASK 2
Soften the following
sentences so that they sound
more diplomatic.
a We must talk about the price first.
b Your price is far too high.
c There is no way we can give you any credit.
d Can you alter the specifications?
e I won’t lower my price.
f I want a discount.

25. MAKING SUGGESTIONS AND PROPOSALS
I advise you to read the report first.
I suggest reading the report first.
I suggest (that) we should read the report first.
I suggest (that) we read the report first.
Why don’t we read the report first?
Shall we read the report first?
TASK 1
Downtone the following sentences (use as many softeners as
possible) or make polite suggestions:
a That's a bad idea.
b We want you to listen to our proposal again.

26. MEMO, AGENDA & MINUTES – RB, pp. 15 & 16
Study the examples in the RB, and do the tasks on pp. 15 & 16.

27. MEETINGS - INSTRUCTIONS FOR ROLE PLAYS
MAXIMUM 5 STUDENTS PER TEAMS
SIGN UP (CHOOSE A DATE AND TIME)
PREPARE A CASE OR GET ONE FROM THE TEACHER (DURING THE OFFICE HOURS)
ASSIGN ROLES (CHAIRPERSON, MINUTE-TAKER, PARTICIPANTS)
PREPARE AND REHEARSE THE MEETING WELL (YOU DON’T HAVE TO LEARN THE ROLES BY HEART)
USE A VARIETY OF USEFUL PHRASES DEALT WITH IN CLASS
HAND IN: AGENDA AND MINUTES
DURATION OF A MEETING: AROUND 20 MINUTES
TEACHER’S FEEDBACK