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Business English Podcast · Meetings & Status Updates · Episode 17

Redirecting a Meeting That Has Gone Off Topic

The meeting is drifting? How to bring it back to the agenda in English — friendly, firm, and without cutting anyone off.

B2 · Dialogue · 4 Min. · free

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Editorially reviewed by James Simmonds – English teacher since 2004Published

Redirecting an Off-Topic Meeting

SceneTobias chairs a 30-minute meeting on the website relaunch. Anna brings good ideas — and topics that are not on the agenda. Tobias has to redirect without shutting her down.
0:00 / 4 Min.

Tip: listen to the episode twice before you start the test.

✓ To the comprehension test
Tobias — Project lead, website relaunchAnna — Marketing manager

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Transcript

The full transcript opens after the comprehension test — so you train real listening instead of reading along.

Key phrases

agenda
the list of topics for a meeting
Please send the agenda the day before the meeting.
to park something
to set a topic aside for later, deliberately
Let us park the pricing discussion until the figures arrive.
to run out of time
to use up the available time
We ran out of time before reaching the last agenda item.
objection
a reason against a proposal
Are there any objections to moving the launch to May?
to quote
to state a price for a piece of work
The agency quoted three thousand euros for the redesign.
to take something offline
to discuss a topic after the meeting, in a smaller group
Good question — let us take the technical details offline.
to sum up
to repeat the key decisions briefly
To sum up: two decisions made, one topic postponed.
urgent
needing attention immediately
Is anything urgent before we close the call?

Language notes

In this episode a project lead steers a 30-minute meeting back to the agenda: acknowledge, park, take offline, sum up. You learn the four phrases of polite redirecting — "a fair point", "park it", "take it offline", "to sum up" — and why "Wir sehen uns" is not "we see us" (level B2).

Acknowledge, then redirect

Tobias’s pattern always has two parts: appreciation first ("That is a fair point"), then the boundary ("but can we park it for now?") with a reason ("I want a homepage decision before we run out of time"). The point is not lost — it gets a new home: a note, a follow-up meeting, a "take it offline". Chairs who only block lose the good ideas along with the digressions.

When a digression may stay

Not every digression should be parked. Anna’s second aside — the combined photo shoot — changes exactly the budget being decided today. Tobias recognises this and gives the topic a tight window: "let us spend two minutes on it — but only the budget question". That is the craft of chairing in English: defend the decisions, not the agenda.

"Wir sehen uns" is not "we see us"

Anna’s goodbye "Then we see us on Thursday" is the literal translation of the German reflexive — the construction does not exist in English. Correct is simply "See you on Thursday", or more formally "I will see you on Thursday". Related patterns break too: "Wir treffen uns um zehn" becomes "We are meeting at ten", not "we meet us". Rule of thumb: the German "uns" after verbs of meeting disappears in English without replacement.

Keep practising: Learn business English online — with real teachers from Simmonds, since 2004.

Frequently asked questions

What language level is this episode for?

Level B2 (CEFR). The dialogue uses natural meeting English with idiomatic phrases; the vocabulary list explains all eight key terms bilingually.

How do I politely bring a meeting back on topic in English?

In two steps: acknowledge ("That is a fair point"), then redirect with a reason ("but can we park it for now? I want a decision before we run out of time"). For later: "Let us take that offline."

What does "to take something offline" mean?

To discuss a topic after the meeting in a smaller group. The phrase parks detail questions without rejecting them.

Is there a transcript to read along?

Yes, the full transcript with German support notes is on this page — listen first, then take the test, then read along.

Where can I practise chairing meetings in English live?

In the online business English courses from Simmonds Language Services (englisch-lehrer.com/online): live lessons with real teachers on Zoom, for companies and individuals across Germany. It starts with a free consultation.

Want to practise these phrases in a real conversation?

The podcast trains your ear — in our online lessons you practise the conversation yourself, with real teachers. For companies across Germany since 2004.

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