Meetings — Running & Participating

Language for chairing, contributing, and following up on meetings

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Introduction

Business Meetings: Running & Participating

Meetings are where decisions are made and relationships are built. The right language helps you lead, contribute, and follow up effectively.

Before the Meeting

Setting the agenda:

"Please find attached the agenda for tomorrow's meeting. We will cover three items: Q1 budget review, staffing updates, and upcoming client pitches. The meeting will run from 10:00 to 11:30 AM."

Confirming attendance:

"Could you please confirm whether you will be attending Thursday's team meeting?"

Opening the Meeting (Chairperson Language)

PurposePhrase
Welcome everyone"Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us."
State the objective"The purpose of today's meeting is to…"
Introduce the agenda"We have three items on the agenda today."
Set ground rules"Please hold questions until the end of each section."
Start the discussion"Let's begin with the first item — the Q2 budget."

During the Meeting

Contributing:

  • "I'd like to add to that point…"
  • "From my experience, I've found that…"
  • "Could I just raise a concern here?"
  • "Building on what [Name] said…"

Asking for opinions:

  • "What are your thoughts on this?"
  • "Does anyone have a different perspective?"
  • "Would you like to weigh in, [Name]?"

Agreeing:

  • "I completely agree with that approach."
  • "That's a valid point."
  • "Absolutely — I think that's the right way forward."

Disagreeing politely:

  • "I see your point, but I'd like to suggest an alternative…"
  • "With respect, I think we should consider…"
  • "I understand the rationale, however…"

Interrupting politely:

  • "Sorry to interrupt, but could I just clarify…?"
  • "If I may, I'd like to bring up a related point."

Delaying / Parking an issue:

  • "Let's put a pin in that and come back to it."
  • "That's an important point — can we add it to the agenda for next time?"

Managing time:

  • "We're running a little over time — let's move on."
  • "We have about five minutes left on this item."
  • "I'd like to keep us on track — can we table that for now?"

Closing the Meeting

PurposePhrase
Summarize decisions"To summarize the key decisions made today…"
Assign action items"Chidi, you will send the contract by Wednesday."
Confirm next steps"Our next meeting will be on the 10th at 2 PM."
Thank participants"Thank you all for your contributions today."
Close formally"If there's nothing else, I'll call the meeting to a close."

Meeting Minutes Template

MEETING MINUTES
Date: [Date]         Time: [Start – End]
Location: [Room / Platform]
Chairperson: [Name]
Attendees: [Names]

AGENDA ITEMS DISCUSSED:
1. [Item] — [Summary of discussion and outcome]
2. [Item] — [Summary of discussion and outcome]

DECISIONS MADE:
- [Decision 1]
- [Decision 2]

ACTION ITEMS:
| Action          | Owner    | Deadline   |
|-----------------|----------|------------|
| [Task 1]        | [Name]   | [Date]     |
| [Task 2]        | [Name]   | [Date]     |

NEXT MEETING: [Date, Time, Location]

Nigerian Meeting Culture Notes

  • Respect for hierarchy: Allow the most senior person to speak first or open the meeting.
  • Starting times: Be mindful that meetings in some Nigerian contexts do not always start on time — "African time." However, global and corporate Nigeria increasingly follows strict schedules.
  • Greetings matter: Always greet elders and seniors formally at the start of a meeting.
  • Prayer or opening remarks: Some Nigerian meetings — especially in government or religious contexts — open with a prayer or brief formal remarks.
  • Expressing disagreement: Disagreeing with a senior is done very carefully — frame it as "seeking clarification" or "raising a concern" rather than direct contradiction.