Use agenda, facilitate, minutes, action point accurately in context
Read and discuss a topic-specific article at B1 level
Practise speaking fluently on business communication
Complete written exercises with vocabulary in context
Teaching Notes
Warm-up: allow 8-10 min, let personal answers develop
Article: read together or have students read silently first
Vocabulary match: good for pair work
Speaking: encourage full sentences, not one-word answers
Exit questions: 5-min closer, no prep needed
Timing Guide
Warm-up: 8 min
Article + comprehension: 12 min
Vocabulary + match: 10 min
Exercises: 10 min
Speaking + discussion: 15 min
Exit + recap: 5 min
Teacher Question Bank
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B1 · Lesson 21 · Business Communication
Running Meetings
Business Communicationagendafacilitateminutes
Getting started
Warm-Up Questions
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Read & Understand
Article
Running Meetings
Running an effective meeting is a skill. Before the meeting, send the agenda so everyone can prepare. Start on time — waiting for latecomers is disrespectful to those who arrived punctually. As chair, your job is to keep the discussion on track and ensure everyone has a chance to contribute. If someone goes off topic, politely redirect: 'That is an interesting point — can we put it under Any Other Business?' At the end, summarise the key decisions and action points clearly, with names and deadlines. Send the minutes within twenty-four hours while everything is fresh. A well-run meeting respects everyone's time.
💡 Did you know? The average office worker attends 62 meetings per month and considers more than half of them a waste of time. That amounts to roughly 31 hours of unproductive meetings every month.
Topic: Business Communication
Key words
Vocabulary
01
agenda
a list of items to be discussed in a meeting
02
facilitate
to make a process easier or help it run smoothly
03
minutes
the official written record of what was discussed in a meeting
04
action point
a specific task assigned to someone after a meeting
05
adjourn
to officially end or pause a meeting
06
quorum
the minimum number of people needed to make a meeting official
07
Any Other Business
AOB — the final section of a meeting agenda for additional topics
08
chair
the person who runs or leads a meeting
09
clarify
to make something clearer or easier to understand
010
summarise
to give the main points briefly
Match the Words
Click a word on the left, then click its definition on the right.
agenda
facilitate
minutes
action point
adjourn
quorum
Any Other Business
chair
clarify
summarise
the person who runs or leads a meeting
a specific task assigned to someone after a meeting
the official written record of what was discussed in a meeting
to make something clearer or easier to understand
the minimum number of people needed to make a meeting official
AOB — the final section of a meeting agenda for additional topics
to give the main points briefly
to officially end or pause a meeting
a list of items to be discussed in a meeting
to make a process easier or help it run smoothly
Say it right
Pronunciation
agenda
AGE-nda
facilitate
FAC-ili-tate
minutes
MIN-utes
action point
ACTION point
adjourn
ADJ-ourn
quorum
QUO-rum
Read & Discuss
Short Dialogue
A:
I've been thinking a lot about agenda recently.
B:
Really? What's your take on it?
A:
I think the issue of facilitate is often misunderstood.
B:
I agree. Most people don't consider the impact of minutes.
A:
Exactly. And when you add action point into the mix, it gets complicated.
B:
So what do you think the solution is?
A:
Honestly? It requires both individual action and systemic change.
B:
That's a fair point. It's never just one or the other.
Comprehension
What topic are they discussing?
What does person B agree with?
What does person A say the solution requires?
Practice
Exercises
Gap Fill
Complete each sentence using vocabulary from today's lesson.
1. Please review the before tomorrow's meeting.
2. Her job is to the weekly team meeting.
3. Can you take the today?
4. The main from today is to send the revised proposal.
5. The chair ed the meeting at five o'clock.
Error Correction
Find and correct the mistake in each sentence.
She is very experience in facilitate.
The minutes of the project were not meet.
He gave us many advices about action point.
Despite of the pressure, she succeeded.
Speaking practice
Speaking Prompts
Discuss with your partner
Roleplay: one person chairs a five-minute meeting about a workplace issue. Others participate.
What makes meetings ineffective in your experience? What one change would most improve them?
How do you politely interrupt or ask for clarification in a meeting? Practise the phrases.
Summarise today's topic in 3 sentences using vocabulary from this lesson.
Grammar focus: Formal meeting language: moving forward (Let's move on to item three), interrupt... — can you give an example?
Open discussion
Discussion Generator
More Questions
Use with pairs or whole class · Encourage full answers
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End of lesson
Exit Questions
Discuss in pairs — 5 minutes
Recap
Vocabulary
agenda, facilitate, minutes, action point, adjourn, quorum, any other business, chair, clarify, summarise
Article
Running Meetings — reading & comprehension
Practice
Gap fill, error correction, vocabulary matching
Speaking
Prompts, discussion generator
Homework
Write an agenda (6-8 items) for a team meeting at your company. Include: time, attendees, items for discussion, and space for AOB and action points.
