Read Meetings in English for Free Online Page B

have your attention again, please? I didn't mention that …
If you could all return your chairs to the room next door that would be much appreciated.
Useful vocabulary
    to adjourn a meeting: vertagen
    to call it a day: beenden, Schluss machen
    to wrap sth up: abschließen
    to follow sth up: an etwas dranbleiben

The meeting itself
    There are different roles and goals in a meeting. The chair is in charge of smooth and efficient „housekeeping“. However, participating also has its pitfalls and requires particular types of language for achieving one's aims, above all when it comes to politeness and expressing oneself diplomatically.
    On the following pages you will find information on
distributing and accepting roles (page 62),
active listening and asking questions (page 64),
expressing agreement and disagreement (page 69),
making suggestions and giving your opinion (page 78),
enquiring and resolving misunderstandings (page 81),
diplomacy and politeness (page 85),
what to do in case of language problems (page 90),
voting (page 91).
    Roles at a meeting
    Whether your meeting is formal or informal, it will run more smoothly if one of the participants assumes the role of chair („Conducting a meeting“, p. 47).
    Other important players at the meeting are the minute-taker and the participants. The minute-taker writes the minutes, i.e. he or she records the meeting and keeps track of what has been said. One could also say that the minute-taker is the administrator for the meeting.
    The participants can take various roles, such as the role of the presenter, who provides information, or the role of a task owner, meaning that an individual is in charge of a certain topic. Participants are also thinking resources – they contribute ideas, help to solve problems and shed light on issues from different perspectives.
    Assigning and accepting roles
    For formal meetings, the above roles will usually be allocated before the meeting itself. At more informal meetings, one of the chair's first tasks during the meeting may be to assign these roles to other participants.
    If this role has not been assigned yet – which usually happens in the run-up to the meeting, as the minute-taker should prepare in advance (writing equipment, preliminary information, etc) – perhaps the easiest way is to ask for volunteers.
    Example: asking for a minute-taker
    Chair: Do I have any volunteers for minute-taker today? Don't all jump at once! No volunteers? Okay. Peter, could I ask you to take the minutes today?
    Peter: I'm afraid I'm pretty tied up this week – I don't think I'd be able to turn them around in time for the next meeting.
    Chair: No problem. How about Sarah?
    Sarah: I'm sorry, but I'm on a training course in the Manchester office all next week.
    Chair: I see. Jack, do you have time to do the minutes?
    Jack: Yes, certainly.
    In the above example, two participants use the following polite formulations to decline the chair's request: „I'm afraid“, „I'm sorry, but …“ Notice how the chair continues to ask around the group until this important role has been assigned.
Useful phrases
Do I have any volunteers for taking the minutes today?
Who would like to be our minute-taker this morning?
Bill, could I ask you to be minute-taker today?
Jane, would you be so kind as to take the minutes for us?
Useful vocabulary
    minute-taker: Protokollführer
    to assume (informal: to take on) the role of: Rolle übernehmen
    to be tied up with sth: viel zu tun haben
    to turn sth around: etwas fertig machen und zurücksenden
    Active participation and asking for more information
    While it is the chair's job to manage the meeting, meeting participants also have an active role to play to aid communication and make the meeting as effective as possible. Asking questions is an effective method of obtaining more in-depth information, while active listening shows the person you are talking to that you are paying attention and have understood what they are