Meetings Vocabulary

Absent - not present The vice president is absent due to unforeseen circumstances

Accomplish - succeed in doing We have a lot to accomplish today, so let's begin.

Address - deal with; speak on I hope we do not have to address this matter again in the future.

Adjourn - close a meeting If there are no further comments, we will adjourn the meeting here.

Agenda - list of objectives to cover in a meeting Please forward the agenda to anyone who is speaking at the meeting.

AGM (abbr.) - Annual (yearly) General Meeting We always vote for a new chairperson at the AGM.

Allocate - assign roles/tasks to certain people. I forgot to allocate someone to bring refreshments.

Apologies - item on agenda announcing people who are absent; apologies for absence. Everyone is present today, so we can skip the apologies.

Board of directors - 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 - 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 - to gather ideas Let's take a few minutes and brainstorm some ways that we can cut costs.

casting vote - 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 - the person who leads or presides at a meeting. As chair, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, Mr. Allan Davis.

clarification/ verification - explanation/proof that something is true/understood. Before we address this matter, I'll need some clarification as to who was involved.

closing remarks - last thoughts spoken in a meeting (i.e. reminders) I just have a few closing remarks and then you will all be free to go.

commence - begin, start We will commence as soon as the last person signs the attendance sheet.

comment - express one's opinions or thoughts. If you have a comment, please raise your hand rather than speak out.

conference - 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 - telephone meeting between three or more people in different locations. Please make sure I have no interruptions while I'm on the conference call.

implement - 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 to implement it.

mandatory -required. It is mandatory that all supervisors attend Friday's meeting.

minutes - 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.

opening remarks - chairperson or leader's first words at a meeting (i.e. welcome, introductions)

proxy vote - a vote cast by one person for or in place of another . There must have been one proxy vote because I count twelve ballots but only eleven attendees.

punctual - on time (not late). Firstly, I want to thank you all for being punctual despite this early meeting.

recommend - suggest. I recommend that you sit closer to the front if you have trouble hearing.

show of hands - 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.

vote - 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.