Speak Business English Like an American Lesson 12 Idioms and Expressions Test
LESSON 12 – Running a Meeting
RUNNING A MEETING
Julia is running a meeting. When Larry and Sally start arguing, Julia has to bring the meeting back under control.
Julia: Let’s get down to business. We need to cover a lot of ground. Our first agenda item is to figure out how we’re going to respond to all the complaints we’ve been getting about our new website.
Larry: Just so we’re all on the same page, please give us an overview of the problem.
Julia: In a nutshell, our customers are complaining that it’s very difficult to place orders through the new website.
Sally: I think we jumped the gun by not conducting focus groups with our customers before we launched our new website.
Larry: More focus groups? Every time I turn around we’re running focus groups! It’s gotten out of hand.
Sally: I beg to differ. Focus groups are very important. They help us better understand our customer.
Julia: Well, clearly you two don’t see eye to eye on this issue.
Larry: Ha! That’s putting it lightly! Focus groups are a waste of time and they…
Julia: Excuse me, let’s not get off track here. Does anybody else want to weigh in on the issue at hand?
Carl: If I can put in you two cents, I agree with Sally that focus groups would’ve been a good idea.
Julia: Well, enough about focus groups for now. Let’s move on to our next agenda item —. planning for our company offsite.
Larry: Wait, I’m not finished talking about the website!
Julia: We can circle back to that at the end of our meeting if we have time. I want to keep us on schedule since I know many of us have another meeting at 11 o’clock.
IDIOMS
- (to) get down to business
→ to start work; to begin discussing the important issues
EXAMPLE: We could talk about last night’s baseball game for hours, but let’s get down to business and start the negotiation.
- (to) cover a lot of ground
→ to discuss many topics; to have a productive discussion
EXAMPLE: That was an excellent meeting. We covered a lot of ground.
- (to be) on the same page
→ to be in agreement; when everybody has the latest information on what’s going on
EXAMPLE: Before we start on the next phase of this project, let’s have a meeting and make sure everybody’s on the same page.
NOTE: This expression is overused. You will likely hear it, but you may not want to use it.
- in a nutshell
→ in summary; in short
EXAMPLE: I won’t go into the details now. In a nutshell, our sales are down 50 percent versus one year ago.
- (to) jump the gun
→ to start doing something too soon or ahead of everybody else
EXAMPLE: The company jumped the gun by releasing a new product before the results of the consumer testing were in.
ORIGIN: A runner “jumps the gun” if he or she starts running before the starter’s pistol has been fired.
- every time I turn around
→ frequently; too often
EXAMPLE: Every time I turn around, Lisa is checking her stock portfolio on Yahoo. No wonder she never gets any work done.
- (to be or to get) out of hand
→ to be too much; to be out of control
EXAMPLE: Ed has called in sick 10 times this month. The situation is getting out of hand.
- I beg to differ
→ I don’t agree (a formal way of telling somebody you don’t agree with them)
EXAMPLE: You think Tim has the leadership skills required to run this division? I beg to differ!
- (to) see eye to eye
→ to be in agreement; to have the same opinion
EXAMPLE: Our manufacturing and our marketing people fight with each other all the time. They don’t see eye to eye on anything.
- that’s putting it lightly
→ that’s definitely true; that’s for sure; that’s an understatement
EXAMPLE: “You were upset when your husband lost his job?” — “That’s putting it lightly!”
- (to) get off track
→ to get off the subject; to lose focus; to digress
EXAMPLE: We’ve gotten off track. This meeting was supposed to be about our new sales strategy, but we ended up talking about Erin’s vacation in Spain!
- (to) weigh in on
→ to say something about; to comment on; to express an opinion
EXAMPLE: We’d like you to weigh in on some ideas we have for new products.
- the issue at hand
→ the topic under discussion; what’s being talked about now
EXAMPLE: We’ve somehow gotten off the topic. Let’s return to the issue at hand.
- (to) put in one’s two cents
→ to offer one’s opinion; to give an opinion without being asked
EXAMPLE: Let me just put in my two cents and say that I think we should definitely move our manufacturing to China.
- (to) move on
→ to proceed, to leave a job and do something else
EXAMPLE1: It’s time we move on to our next topic.
EXAMPLE2: Don’t feel too bad that you were fired. It was probably time for you to move on anyway.
- (to) circle back to
→ to return to
EXAMPLE: I’d like to circle back to something Maria said earlier in the meeting.
