Meetings in English by Lisa Foerster, Annette Joyce Page B
Authors: Lisa Foerster, Annette Joyce
Tags: Sachbuch
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afraid it is necessary to cancel our meeting of next week until further notice.
Due to unforeseen complications with the draft contract we are obliged to cancel next week's meeting.
I very much regret to inform you that we have no other option but to cancel our meeting in Salzburg on Friday.
Confirming a meeting
It is a good idea to confirm an arrangement – especially one made by telephone – in writing. This also provides a good opportunity to give visitors travel directions if necessary.
When you write or email to confirm a meeting, it is recommended to send out travel directions and/or a map for reaching the meeting destination, so as to give your business partner plenty of time to make travel arrangements. See „Hands-on organisation“ (p. 22) for tips on giving directions.
Examples
Example 1: confirming a meeting by email
Subject: marketing proposal meeting on 25 November
Dear Mr Smith
Following our telephone conversation of this afternoon, I am pleased to confirm our meeting at our offices on 25 November. The meeting is scheduled to take place from 3.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Please find attached directions to our offices.
I very much look forward to meeting you on 25 November. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information in the meantime.
Yours sincerely
David Braun
Example 2: confirming a meeting (email to a colleague)
Subject: meeting of 25 March – Peter Smith ok
Wanda
Just to let you know that Peter Smith can make the meeting on 25 Nov after all. I made a reservation for the Arctic meeting room from 3 to 4.30. Hope you can still make it!
Best
David
Useful phrases
As a participant invited to a meeting, you can also confirm by phone:
Hello. My name is Sarah Hughes and I'm calling from XYZ Com. I am due to attend a meeting at your company on 14 May and I would just like to
check the best way to reach your offices by car/public transport?
confirm the time of the meeting.
check whether there is an overhead projector in the meeting room?
find out if there any suitable hotels near to your offices?
Useful vocabulary
at short notice: kurzfristig
to bring it forward: vorverlegen
to decline: (von vornherein) ablehnen
to reschedule: verlegen, neu anberaumen
inconvenience: Unannehmlichkeit
directions: Wegbeschreibung
to postpone a meeting: (nach hinten) verschieben
to attend a meeting: dabei sein, teilnehmen
to make the meeting: schaffen
Making the agenda
All well-structured meetings should have an agenda, which is usually prepared by the chairperson. Depending on the type of meeting, agendas can be formal or informal, but all should start by stating the date, time and location of the meeting.
It is useful to include the name of the person who will be presenting a specific agenda item. You may also find it helpful to include a note of the time allocated to each point. Some more detailed agendas also state objectives for individual agenda items, for example: „Agree on product design“.
Formal agendas differ from informal agendas in that they start with routine items, which always appear in a specific order. In addition, each point on the agenda is clearly numbered. Nowadays, agendas for all but the most important company meetings (board meetings, annual general meetings) tend to use an informal style.
Catchwords and abbreviations
Note how both informal and formal agendas have a concise style and tend to be written in note-like form, often omitting articles before nouns and using abbreviations. For example, AOB stands for „any other business“, which refers to topics that are not covered by other agenda items or which have arisen after the agenda was distributed.
Examples
Example 1: informal agenda (eg customer or team meetings)
Agenda for end-of-year sales meeting
5 January, 9.00–10.30 a.m., Meeting room 2A
Presentation of last year's sales figures (Andreas) – 15 mins
Forecasts and targets for the coming year (Sally) – 15 mins
Analysis of last year's
Due to unforeseen complications with the draft contract we are obliged to cancel next week's meeting.
I very much regret to inform you that we have no other option but to cancel our meeting in Salzburg on Friday.
Confirming a meeting
It is a good idea to confirm an arrangement – especially one made by telephone – in writing. This also provides a good opportunity to give visitors travel directions if necessary.
When you write or email to confirm a meeting, it is recommended to send out travel directions and/or a map for reaching the meeting destination, so as to give your business partner plenty of time to make travel arrangements. See „Hands-on organisation“ (p. 22) for tips on giving directions.
Examples
Example 1: confirming a meeting by email
Subject: marketing proposal meeting on 25 November
Dear Mr Smith
Following our telephone conversation of this afternoon, I am pleased to confirm our meeting at our offices on 25 November. The meeting is scheduled to take place from 3.00 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. Please find attached directions to our offices.
I very much look forward to meeting you on 25 November. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you require any further information in the meantime.
Yours sincerely
David Braun
Example 2: confirming a meeting (email to a colleague)
Subject: meeting of 25 March – Peter Smith ok
Wanda
Just to let you know that Peter Smith can make the meeting on 25 Nov after all. I made a reservation for the Arctic meeting room from 3 to 4.30. Hope you can still make it!
Best
David
Useful phrases
As a participant invited to a meeting, you can also confirm by phone:
Hello. My name is Sarah Hughes and I'm calling from XYZ Com. I am due to attend a meeting at your company on 14 May and I would just like to
check the best way to reach your offices by car/public transport?
confirm the time of the meeting.
check whether there is an overhead projector in the meeting room?
find out if there any suitable hotels near to your offices?
Useful vocabulary
at short notice: kurzfristig
to bring it forward: vorverlegen
to decline: (von vornherein) ablehnen
to reschedule: verlegen, neu anberaumen
inconvenience: Unannehmlichkeit
directions: Wegbeschreibung
to postpone a meeting: (nach hinten) verschieben
to attend a meeting: dabei sein, teilnehmen
to make the meeting: schaffen
Making the agenda
All well-structured meetings should have an agenda, which is usually prepared by the chairperson. Depending on the type of meeting, agendas can be formal or informal, but all should start by stating the date, time and location of the meeting.
It is useful to include the name of the person who will be presenting a specific agenda item. You may also find it helpful to include a note of the time allocated to each point. Some more detailed agendas also state objectives for individual agenda items, for example: „Agree on product design“.
Formal agendas differ from informal agendas in that they start with routine items, which always appear in a specific order. In addition, each point on the agenda is clearly numbered. Nowadays, agendas for all but the most important company meetings (board meetings, annual general meetings) tend to use an informal style.
Catchwords and abbreviations
Note how both informal and formal agendas have a concise style and tend to be written in note-like form, often omitting articles before nouns and using abbreviations. For example, AOB stands for „any other business“, which refers to topics that are not covered by other agenda items or which have arisen after the agenda was distributed.
Examples
Example 1: informal agenda (eg customer or team meetings)
Agenda for end-of-year sales meeting
5 January, 9.00–10.30 a.m., Meeting room 2A
Presentation of last year's sales figures (Andreas) – 15 mins
Forecasts and targets for the coming year (Sally) – 15 mins
Analysis of last year's
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