Most meetings in English run on the same 40 or so phrases: “Let’s kick off” to start, “I’d like to weigh in” to give your view, “Let’s take it offline” to protect the agenda, and “So, next steps” to close. Learn them by stage of the meeting, not alphabetically, and you’ll always have the next line ready.
You don’t need a bigger vocabulary to sound confident in meetings. You need the right forty phrases, and you need them at the right moment. Below they’re grouped by the stage of the meeting where you’ll use them, so you always know the next line.
Opening the meeting
The first minute sets the tone. Thank people, say why you’re there, and confirm the agenda (the list of topics, not your calendar).
| Phrase | When to use it | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Let’s kick off | Starting on time | “Let’s kick off. Thanks, everyone, for joining.” |
| The goal today is… | Stating the purpose in one line | “The goal today is to agree on the launch date.” |
| Can you send the agenda? | Before the call | “Can you send the agenda before the call so we know what to prep?” |
| To get the ball rolling… | Starting the discussion | “To get the ball rolling, let’s each share one priority for the quarter.” |
| Who’s taking the minutes? | Assigning notes | “I’ll take the minutes and share them by end of day.” |
“Minutes” here is always plural and means the written record of the meeting. It has nothing to do with time.
Giving your opinion and inviting others
These are the phrases non-native speakers say they miss most. They let you enter the conversation without sounding abrupt, and they help you bring quieter people in.
weigh in
To give your opinion on something being discussed.
“Priya, do you want to weigh in on the timeline?”
How to use it: “Weigh in on” a topic. It invites someone’s view without putting them on the spot.
- “I’d like to weigh in here.” Your turn to give an opinion.
- “Feel free to chime in.” A friendly invitation for anyone to add a comment.
- “Sorry to jump in, but…” A polite way to interrupt.
- “Just to build on what Ana said…” Adding to someone’s point instead of competing with it.
- “Let me play devil’s advocate.” Raising a risk as a stress test, not as real opposition.
- “Correct me if I’m wrong, but…” Stating your understanding while inviting correction.
If you need to disagree, there’s a full guide on how to disagree politely at work.
Keeping the meeting on track
Good meetings protect the agenda. These phrases let you move a topic aside without dismissing it.
| Phrase | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Let’s take it offline | Discuss it outside this meeting | “This is a rabbit hole. Let’s take it offline with the two of you.” |
| Let’s park that | Set it aside for later | “Let’s park that idea and add it to the parking lot.” |
| Put a pin in it | Pause it, come back soon | “Let’s put a pin in the hiring question and come back after lunch.” |
| Let’s circle back | Return to it later | “Good point. Let’s circle back on that after the demo.” |
| Table it (US) | Postpone the discussion | “Let’s table the pricing debate until we have the numbers.” |
| Quick time check | Remind everyone of time left | “Quick time check: we have fifteen minutes left.” |
Careful with “table”: in American English it means postpone; in British English it means put on the agenda now. On international calls, just say “postpone”.
Checking understanding and alignment
- “Are we all on the same page?” A soft way to check for agreement.
- “Let’s align on scope before we bring in engineering.” Reach agreement first.
- “Sanity check: are we all seeing the same numbers?” A quick check that something makes sense.
- “Just give me a ballpark.” Ask for a rough estimate, not an exact number.
- “Can we drill down into which region is driving the drop?” Go one level deeper into the data.
- “Let me loop in Legal before we commit.” Include someone so they have the information.
Talking about tasks, owners and blockers
Every decision needs an owner and a date, or it won’t happen. This is the vocabulary of standups and project meetings.
action item
A specific task assigned to someone as a result of a meeting.
“Let’s capture that as an action item. Ana, can you own it?”
How to use it: Every action item should have an owner and a due date. “Own it” means take responsibility for it.
- “Who wants to take ownership of the launch checklist?”
- “My only blocker is access from IT.” A blocker stops work until it’s solved.
- “If we’re still blocked tomorrow, I’ll escalate to the director.” Escalate is neutral: it just means routing upward.
- “The deliverable for this sprint is a working prototype.”
- “The deadline is Thursday EOD. Is that realistic?”
- “We agree in principle; we just need to iron out the details.”
Closing the meeting
The last two minutes are where meetings succeed or fail. Recap, confirm next steps, and say who will follow up.
| Phrase | Example |
|---|---|
| Let’s wrap up | “We’re at time, so let’s wrap up.” |
| Quick recap | “Quick recap: we ship Friday, Ana owns QA, and Legal signs off Monday.” |
| Next steps | “Let’s agree on next steps before we drop off.” |
| I’ll follow up | “I’ll follow up with the client and confirm the date.” |
| Close the loop | “I’ll close the loop with the client once Legal approves.” |
| Anything for AOB? | “Anything for AOB before we close?” (any other business, common in UK agendas) |
Video-call lines you’ll need every week
- “Can everyone see my screen?”
- “Sorry, you’re on mute.”
- “You froze for a second. Could you say that again?”
- “I’ll drop off now, but I’ll catch up on the notes.”
- “Let’s set up a quick sync tomorrow to align on the deck.”
How to make these phrases stick
Reading a list once won’t help you in the moment. Pick three phrases for your next meeting, say them out loud before the call, and use at least one. Then review them a day later and again a few days after that. That spacing is what moves a phrase from “I know it” to “I say it”. We explain the method in how to learn business English vocabulary that sticks.
The free Meetings deck in WorkWords has 45 of these phrases with audio, a workplace example and a usage note for each, and it schedules the reviews for you.
Frequently asked questions
How do you start a meeting in English?
Thank people and state the goal in one line: “Thanks for joining, everyone. Let’s kick off. The goal today is to agree on the launch date.” Then share or confirm the agenda.
How do I politely interrupt in an English meeting?
Signal first, then speak: “Sorry to jump in, but…”, “Can I add something here?” or “Just to build on that…”. On video calls, raising your hand or saying the person’s name before you speak also works.
What does “take it offline” mean in a meeting?
It means discussing a topic outside the current meeting, usually with fewer people, so the meeting can stay on its agenda. It doesn’t mean the follow-up has to be in person.
How do you end a meeting in English?
Recap and assign: “Let’s wrap up. Quick recap: we ship Friday, Ana owns QA. Next steps: I’ll send the notes by end of day.” Then thank everyone.
The team behind WorkWords, the vocabulary app for English at work. Every phrase is checked against real workplace use and written with a usage note.
