Express opinions, summarise results, lead discussions – in English, without hesitation. With native-speaking trainers and AI avatar exercises for daily speaking practice.
€95–105 / 90 min · VAT-exempt
AI notice: narrator voice and some scenes AI-generated
English for Meetings: Open, Chair and Recap
Six meeting situations, vocabulary, James in his own words – in 94 seconds.
Magical thinking is this strange belief that somehow it'll all happen by itself. Confident English in meetings. Open, chair and recap.
Live training with native-speaking trainers, online, since 2004. Hi, my name is James Simmonds and I'm an English teacher based in Germany with over 20 years of experience. International team syncs.
Client project meetings. Board meetings. Virtual meetings.
Opening and chairing. Summarising and closing. Practise these situations in realistic role-plays.
Agenda. Minutes. Action items.
Contribute clearly, keep the discussion on time and close the meeting with clear next steps. One-to-one training or team training from three people, online or in person. Practise real meetings with your native-speaking trainer and receive personal feedback.
So to start with, we need to differentiate between passive understanding and active learning. Remember, the brain is not a sponge, it's a muscle, and it needs exercising. Practise expressing opinions, disagreeing diplomatically and summarising outcomes.
Personal feedback helps you work on pronunciation and confidence. Start with your free needs analysis at Simmonds.
International meetings are part of everyday working life in many companies. Whether weekly team catch-ups with colleagues from different countries, project meetings with external partners, or board meetings in English – the demands on your language skills are high. At Simmonds Language Services, you practise exactly the situations you actually encounter in your meeting routine: opening agenda items, moderating discussions, summarising outcomes, and assigning actions. Our English for Meetings prepares you for any type of meeting.
Many professionals have a good level of English – but stumble when it really matters: How do I phrase a diplomatic counterargument? How do I summarise complex results concisely? How do I handle interruptions? Our training addresses precisely these challenges. With native-speaking trainers from the UK and USA, you practise the subtleties of meeting communication in realistic role-plays. We work on your vocabulary, your pronunciation, and your confidence.
In live sessions, you practise real meeting situations with our trainers and receive personal feedback. Between sessions, you can continue practising these scenarios with the AI avatar and receive feedback on grammar, word choice and fluency.
Open and moderate meetings professionally. Express opinions clearly and diplomatically. Summarise results and actions precisely.
Disagree diplomatically and propose compromises. Run virtual meetings via Zoom, Teams & Meet with confidence.
Phrases
From opening the meeting to agreeing actions and next steps: these phrases cover the five phases of a meeting in English. Compiled by the native-speaking trainers at Simmonds Sprachtraining – including the polite softeners that make all the difference in international meetings.
The first two minutes set the tone – welcome, state the purpose, announce the agenda:
“Right, shall we get started?”
Open the meeting (collegial)
“Thanks for joining, everyone. I know diaries are tight, so let's keep this to thirty minutes.”
Thank people and set the time frame
“The purpose of today's meeting is to agree the launch date.”
State the purpose of the meeting
“You've all seen the agenda – there are three items to cover.”
Announce the agenda
“Sandra sends her apologies; she'll catch up on the minutes.”
Explain an absence (formal)
“Before we start, could someone take the minutes?”
Sort out who takes the minutes
Invite contributions, handle interruptions, and keep an eye on the clock:
“Klaus, would you like to kick us off?”
Invite someone to start
“What are your thoughts on this, Maria?”
Invite a specific opinion
“Sorry, could I just finish my point?”
Politely fend off an interruption
“Let's hear Tom out and then come straight back to you.”
Manage the speaking order
“We're running short on time – can we park this for now?”
Keep the discussion on time
“Let's stick to the agenda and come back to that later if we have time.”
Steer back to the agenda
Take a position, disagree diplomatically, and make sure you have understood correctly:
“From where I stand, the bigger risk is doing nothing.”
State your position clearly
“I'd go along with that, up to a point.”
Agree with reservations
“I see it slightly differently, if I'm honest.”
Disagree diplomatically
“Could you talk us through the cost implications?”
Ask for detail
“Just so I've understood you correctly – you're suggesting we delay?”
Check your understanding
“Can we come back to what that actually means for the team?”
Follow up on a point
From proposal to firm decision – without letting the discussion drift:
“Why don't we run a pilot in one region first?”
Make a proposal
“I'd suggest we hold off until the figures are in.”
Make a cautious proposal
“Shall we take that offline and decide by Friday?”
Take it offline and set a deadline
“Are we all agreed on option B?”
Test for consensus
“Let's put it to a vote.”
Call for a vote
“Right, we'll go with the revised timeline then.”
Record the decision
Record actions, owners, and next steps – so the meeting leads to concrete outcomes:
“So, to recap the actions: Anna will draft the brief, and I'll speak to Legal.”
Summarise the action items
“Just to be clear on who's doing what by when.”
Clarify owners and deadlines
“I'll circulate the minutes by tomorrow morning.”
Announce the minutes
“Is there any other business?”
Ask for any other business
“Let's pencil in the follow-up for the 14th.”
Provisionally set the follow-up
“Thanks, everyone – that was a productive session.”
Close on a positive note
Click on a section for more details
Weekly stand-ups and project updates with colleagues across time zones. Learn to structure information clearly and avoid misunderstandings.
Present status reports, manage client expectations, and agree next steps – in English, professionally and persuasively.
Discuss strategic topics, interpret figures, and prepare decisions. Training for the linguistic demands at C-level.
Share screens, use chat functions, and maintain a professional presence despite technical hurdles. Specific techniques for Zoom, Teams, and Meet.
| Format | Duration | Price (approx.) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Online private lessons | 60 min | €65–70 | 1:1, Zoom / Teams / Meet |
| Online private lessons | 90 min | €95–105 | 1:1, Zoom / Teams / Meet |
| In person, Hanover | 90 min | €110 | At our Hanover office |
| In person, Berlin | 90 min | €120 | At our Berlin office |
| In-house at your company | by arrangement | on request | Travel included in the quote |
| Groups / corporate courses | by arrangement | on request | Priced per group, not per person |
Free online lessons twice a week, vocabulary trainer with 600 words, and a placement test – all without signing up.
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