1. Meetings
Brainstorm terms related to meetings

2. Meetings

3. verb + meeting How many can you think of?
+ a meeting
call
arrange
schedule
hold
cancel
postpone (put off)
reschedule
attend
moderate
chair

4. DISCUSS in teams: Importance of meetings today
Reasons for holding meetings
Size and duration of meetings
People in a meeting
Drawbacks of meetings
Discuss in teams (brainstorm), prepare a short ad hoc presentation.
What do you know about these aspects of meetings?
1. Are meetings important? Why is that?
a) importance of sharing ideas
b) team work
c) effective project coordination
What types of meetings are there?
formal
informal one-to-one meetings
face-to-face
tele/videoconferences
What are the reasons for holding meetings?
reaching decisions in a meeting > all participans feel more committed
more information available
different and unexpected ideas may arise
more informed, imaginative and courageous decisions might ensue than if only one person made them alone
What are the drawbacks of meetings?
more time is required than if one person made the decisions
more talk, sometimes irrelevant and repetitive
group pressure may also affect the flow and outcome of a meeting

5. People involved the chairperson chairman, chairwoman, chair (n., v.)
Jim will chair (v.) the meeting next week.
And who is chair (n.) today?
the participants
the secretary (?)

6. The role of the chairperson
Handout:
The Role of the Chairperson (listening), p 1
RB pp 6-7 (read, do tasks)
HW: Watch the video again and complete p 2

7. The structure of meetings
the beginning, during the meeting and at the end – different things to do FUNCTIONS
Can you tell when:
Express doubt
State the objectives of the meeting
Ask for opinion
Say when the meeting will finish
Summarize
→ RB, p 8
Handout: p 2, taks 5 & 6

8. The language of meetings
→ RB, p 9: Read and fill in!
Handout: Practice interrupting, asking for repetition, clarifying
HW: Do the exercises in RB, p 10 & exercise III on p 11

9. Read aloud, please! → RB, p 11: Tasks I & II. Sort out the phrases...
“Finish the report by tomorrow!”
“You cannot take a day off!”
“You must come to work earlier.”
“Prepare the report by 2 pm!”
“Come to work on Saturday!”
“Assignments must be done!”
“You cannot take a company laptop home.”
“That’s out of the question!”
“That’s absurd!”
→ RB, p 11: Tasks I & II. Sort out the phrases...

10. Is this appropriate in meetings?
“Finish the report by tomorrow!”
“You cannot take a day off!”
“You must come to work earlier.”
“Prepare the report by 2 pm!”
“Come to work on Saturday!”
“Assignments must be done!”
“You cannot take a company laptop home.”
Or can we make it more polite?
1 use softeners (downtone)
2 propose / suggest rather than order

11. MAKE YOUR POINT FIRMLY BUT POLITELY
1. How to downtone our statements?
“we” / “let’s” (rather than “you”)
perhaps / maybe
a bit / just / a little / slightly
would / could / may / might
I’m afraid...
please
“not” as a modifier (use negatives)
→ Study the table on p 12
→ Do task V

12. 2. Making suggestions/proposals
Avoid: “Contact Berlin!”
→ RB, p 13: Task VI
I advise we contact...
I suggest that we should relocate...
I suggest putting it off...
I suggest we read...
I propose that we wait for ...
You propose waiting...
I suggest relocation...
I propose Tom. ??? STUDY TABLE, p 13

13. 2. Making suggestions/proposals
Avoid: “Read the report!”
advise, suggest, propose...
I advise __________ the report.
I advise you _______ the report.
I advise that you ______ the report.
I suggest ________ the report first.
I suggest ____ ___ _____ ____ the report first.
I suggest _____ ___ _____ the report first.
I suggest to read the report first.
reading
to read
read
reading
that we
should
read
that we
read

14. 2. Making suggestions/proposals (cont.)
Avoid: “Read the report!”
advise, suggest, why don’t we... shall we...
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.
I suggest to read the report first.
Why don’t we read the report first?
Shall we read the report first?
→ RB, p 13 Task VII

15. 1) Do the exercises in RB: p 10 , p 11 (III) and 13 (VII)
HW:
1) Do the exercises in RB:
p 10 , p 11 (III) and 13 (VII)
2) Rewrite the following sentences using strategies from pp (provide 3 different solutions for each sentence):
“You cannot take a day off!”
“You must come to work earlier.”
“Prepare the report by 2 pm!”
“We want you to research the matter first.”