Business meetings, functional language.
Boring?
It doesn’t have to be.
Agreeing, disagreeing, giving opinion, clarifying, interrupting etc. are typical communication functions in meetings.
It may be less attractive to have to learn functional language than other conversational expressions used when chatting about sports, travelling or movies.
Take for instance learning expressions for chairing a meeting, like
1) The purpose of the meeting is to …
2) Today we need to discuss the plan.
3) There’s a lot we need to cover today.
and others.
How can you fix them in you memory?
For example, you can rote memorize them. A bit old school …
Or, you can pick them up as you go, using and practising them in real meetings.
Either way, you must make sure you get the right way of intonation and rhythm. 🎵
The reason is: as they have become standardized expressions in business, the way they are intonated has also become kind of standardized.
That is, it’s a good idea to learn not only the expressions, but also the way they are pronounced.
1-Minute Tip ⏳
When learning English for business, we can sometimes have moments of fun on the way. Why not?
It doesn’t mean we’re not doing serious language learning.
It simply means, having fun while learning.
Having fun helps learning because fun creates emotion. 💡
Emotion is like glue for lasting learning.
Here’s a video with 10 expressions from chairing a meeting, spiced up with music to help you get the rhythm and intonation right. 😀
The full list of expressions 👇
1) The purpose of the meeting is to …
2) Today we need to discuss the plan.
3) There’s a lot we need to cover today.
4) Did everyone receive the email?
5) Can we move on to the next issue?
6) So let’s get started.
7) Well, let’s get down to business.
8) The first point is … / The next point is …
9) Can we come back to this point later?
10) Please feel free to interrupt to ask any questions.
Hi, my name’s Gábor. I specialize in pronunciation and fluency training.
My method has helped hundreds of company staff gain confidence in speaking.
If you think your business deserves more opportunities abroad, don’t let poor English fluency hold you back.
DM me on LinkedIn when you’re ready for a free chat to see how we can work together to remove your roadblocks in speaking English.
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Talk to you next time.
Gábor 🙂
Connect | Gábor Légrádi | MA, RSA/CTEFLA