| Word Part of speech
| Meaning
| Example Sentence
|
| absent adj
| not present
| The vice president is absent due to unforeseen circumstances.
|
| accomplish verb
| succeed in doing
| We have a lot to accomplish today, so let's begin.
|
| address verb
| deal with; speak on
| I hope we do not have to address this matter again in the future.
|
| adjourn verb
| close a meeting
| If there are no further comments, we will adjourn the meeting here.
|
| agenda noun
| list of objectives to cover in a meeting
| Please forward the agenda to anyone who is speaking at the meeting.
|
| AGM noun(abbr.)
| Annual (yearly) General Meeting
| We always vote for a new chairperson at the AGM.
|
| allocate verb
| assign roles/tasks to certain people
| I forgot to allocate someone to bring refreshments.
|
| AOB noun(abbr.)
| Any Other Business (unspecified item on agenda)
| The last item on the agenda is AOB.
|
| apologies noun
| item on agenda announcing people who are absent; apologies for absence
| Everyone is present today, so we can skip the apologies.
|
| ballot noun
| a type of vote, usually in writing and usually secret
| Please fold your ballot in half before you place it in the box.
|
| board of directors noun
| group of elected members of an organization/company who meet to make decisions
| The board of directors meets once a month to discuss the budget.
|
| boardroom noun
| a large meeting room, often has one long table and many chairs
| The boardroom is reserved for a managers' meeting, so we'll have to meet in the lounge.
|
| brainstorm verb
| thinking to gather ideas
| Let's take a few minutes andbrainstorm some ways that we can cut costs.
|
| casting vote noun
| deciding vote (usually by the chairman) when the votes are otherwise equal
| The role of treasurer was decided based on the chairman's casting vote.
|
| chairperson/chair noun
| the person who leads or presides at a meeting
| As chair, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, Mr. Allan Davis.
|
| clarification/verification noun
| explanation/proof that something is true/understood
| Before we address this matter, I'll need some clarification as to who was involved.
|
| closing remarks noun
| last thoughts spoken in a meeting (i.e. reminders, thank yous)
| I just have a few closing remarks and then you will all be free to go.
|
| collaborate verb
| work together as a pair/group
| The board fell apart because the members had difficulty collaborating.
|
| commence verb
| begin
| We will commence as soon as the last person signs the attendance sheet.
|
| comment verb or noun
| express one's opinions or thoughts
| If you have a comment, please raise your hand rather than speak out.
|
| conference noun
| formal meeting for discussion, esp. a regular one held by an organisation
| Before the conference there will be a private meeting for board members only.
|
| conference call noun
| telephone meeting between three or more people in different locations
| Please make sure I have no interruptions while I'm on theconference call.
|
| confidential adjective
| private; not to be shared
| Any financial information shared during this meeting should be keptconfidential.
|
| consensus noun
| general agreement
| If we cannot come to a consensus by the end of the meeting we will put it to a vote.
|
| deadline noun
| due date for completion
| The deadline for buying tickets to the conference is May 25th.
|
| designate verb
| assign
| If no one volunteers to take the minutes I will be forced to designatesomeone.
|
| formality noun
| a procedure (often unnecessary) that has to be followed due to a rule
| Everyone knows who is going to be the next vice president, so this vote is really just a formality.
|
| grievance noun
| complaint
| The first item on the agenda relates to a grievance reported by the interns.
|
| guest speaker noun
| person who joins the group in order to share information or deliver a speech
| I am delighted to welcome our guest speaker Holly, who is going to be offering some sales pitch tips.
|
| implement verb
| make something happen; follow through
| It's not a question of whether or not we're going to use this idea, it's whether or not we know how toimplement it.
|
| mandatory adjective
| required
| It is mandatory that all supervisors attend Friday's meeting.
|
| minutes noun
| a written record of everything said at a meeting
| Before we begin with today's meeting, let's quickly review the minutes from last month.
|
| motion noun
| a suggestion put to a vote
| The motion to extend store hours has been passed.
|
| objectives noun
| goals to accomplish
| I'm pleased that we were able to cover all of the objectives today within the designated time.
|
| opening remarks noun
| chairperson or leader's first words at a meeting (i.e. welcome, introductions)
| As I mentioned in my opening remarks, we have to clear this room before the end of the hour.
|
| overhead projector noun
| machine with a special light that projects a document onto a screen or wall so that all can see
| I'm going to put a pie chart on theoverhead projector so that everyone can visualize how our profits have declined.
|
| participant noun
| person who attends and joins in on an event
| Can I have a show of hands of all of those who were participants in last year's conference?
|
| proxy vote noun
| a vote cast by one person for or in place of another
| There must have been one proxy votebecause I count twelve ballots but only eleven attendees.
|
| punctual adjective
| on time (not late)
| Firstly, I want to thank you all for beingpunctual despite this early meeting.
|
| recommend verb
| suggest
| I recommend that you sit closer to the front if you have trouble hearing.
|
| show of hands noun
| raised hands to express an opinion in a vote
| From the show of hands it appears that everyone is in favour of taking a short break.
|
| strategy noun
| plan to make something work
| We need to come up with a strategythat will allow us to have meetings less frequently.
|
| unanimous adj
| in complete agreement; united in opinion
| The vote was unanimous to cut work hours on Fridays.
|
| vote verb or noun
| to express (the expression of) an opinion in a group by voice or hand etc
| We need to vote for a new vice chairperson now that Jerry is retiring.
|
| wrap up verb
| finish
| Let's wrap up here so that we can get back to our desks.
|
| Word
| Meaning
|
| A.G.M.
| Annual General Meeting
|
| absentee
| Person not at the meeting, not present.
|
| agenda
| Written list of points to be discussed at a meeting.
|
| alternative
| Choice of two or more possibilities.
|
| attendee
| Participant or person attending a meeting.
|
| ballot
| System of secret voting; voters place their ballot-papers in a ballot-box;
|
| casting vote
| Deciding vote, usually by the Chairman, when votes are in equal number.
|
| chariman / chairperson
| The person who conducts the meeting.
|
| clarify
| Make something clearer by giving more information.
|
| conference
| Formal meeting for discussion or exchange of views.
|
| conference call
| Telephone call between three or more people in different places.
|
| consensus
| General agreement.
|
| deadline
| Future date at which something must be done.
|
| decision
| Reach a conclusion or resolution concerning future action.
|
| i-conference
| A meeting or discussion between two or more people via the internet.
|
| interrupt
| Stop a person who is speaking in order to say or do something.
|
| item
| A separate point for discussion on an agenda.
|
| main point
| What is most essential.
|
| minutes
| A written summary of the proceedings at a meeting.
|
| objective
| What is aimed at, what one wants to achieve or obtain.
|
| point out
| Draw attention to something e.g. point out an increase in demand.
|
| proposal
| A course of action put forward for consideration; to make a proposal.
|
| proxy vote
| A vote cast by one person for another.
|
| recommend
| Advise a course of action; make a recommendation.
|
| show of hands
| Raised hands to express agreement or disagreement in a vote.
|
| summary
| A brief statement of the main points.
|
| task
| A piece of work to be done; to assign a task to someone.
|
| unanimous
| In complete agreement.
|
| video conference
| Conference linking people in different locations by satellite, TV, etc.
|
| vote
| Express one's agreement or disagreement; to cast a vote.
|
