Online Meetings in English: 50+ Phrases You Need to Know

Zoom, Google Meet, Teams – you've probably used one if not all of these platforms, either as a host or a participant. How confident are you communicating in an online meeting? Hi, I'm Jennifer, and in this lesson, we'll go over 50 essential phrases you need to host or participate in online meetings. The first thing participants commonly address is the tech. We ask about the audio and the video because unless they work, we can't get much done. We ask, Can you hear me well? Can you see my video? Can you hear and see me well? We can quickly inform someone if things are working or not. Yes, I can hear you. Loud and clear. I can hear you, but the volume is really low. Can you try turning it up? I can see you, but you're muted. Okay, now I can hear you. Muted means their microphone is not turned on. We might need to say, You're on mute. Can you turn on your mic? Your mic doesn't seem to be working. You might need to select your mic to turn it on. We all know we should join an online meeting from a quiet location, but life happens, especially in a busy household. You may need to say, Sorry for the background noise. I'll mute myself when I'm not talking. You can also type that in the chat when you're already on mute. If someone else has background noise, you may need to tell them that it's distracting. How? Paula, there's some background noise. Can you mute your mic? One problem can be not knowing who has joined the group because some cameras are turned off. As the host, you can make a request. Can everyone please turn their cameras on, if possible? You can also rename yourself if your device is your display name. It helps everyone if we see real names rather than My iPhone. Thank you. The tech check should be quick, and if you're lucky, all the cameras and mics are working from the start. There can be a brief wait until everyone is present. The host may say something like this. Hello everyone, we'll just wait another minute to give people time to enter. We're waiting for just a few more people to join us and then we'll start. In large groups where not everyone knows each other, it's common for the host to invite people to say hi in the chat. While we're waiting for others to join us, feel free to say hello in the chat and tell us where you're from. With smaller groups, it's okay to do other tasks while you're waiting. This is especially true if you arrived five minutes early. You can also say, I'm going to leave my computer for just a moment. I'll be right back. This is also something you can type in the chat. Another option, if the group isn't too big, is to make small talk while you're waiting. I know small talk can sound superficial, but it's a way to fill awkward silence and break the ice, as we say. Through light chitchat, we start creating connections and some warmth. So how's the weather out there in California? James, you're in Dallas, right? How's life there? Gilda, how's the family? Alan, didn't you take a vacation recently? How was it? What's new, Susanna? Have you been traveling much? Has anyone seen The Odyssey yet? Who's following the news about the wildfires? What's the latest? Once it's time to start the meeting, as the host, you have a choice to be more formal or more casual. Okay, everyone. Time to start. All right. Let's get started. Welcome, everyone. Let's begin. In large groups, it's not uncommon for everyone to be muted and then raise your virtual hand when you have something to say or ask. In small groups, mics are usually on the whole time, and just like an in-person conversation, we sometimes interrupt each other. When this happens, be nice. If someone interrupts you, you can say, Oh, sorry. Let me just finish my thought. Sorry. I'll be done in a second. I was just saying that. Oh. Go ahead. No. Please. If you did the interrupting, you can say, I didn't mean to interrupt you. So sorry. Go ahead. My apologies. Please finish. No, no. Please continue. Sorry. I didn't mean to cut you off. As the host, you want to be sure that everyone is clear about everything. These phrases will come in handy. You can use one or a combination of two. Is everything clear? Did I lose anyone? Are we all on the same page? Does that all make sense? Any questions? If you have doubts, here's how you can voice them. I just wanted to ask about the timeline. I had one question about the timeline. Could I clarify one thing about the timeline? I just wanted to confirm the timeline. If you need to leave the meeting early, one option is to tell the host in advance. But even if you did ask for permission, many people type an apology with an excuse and a goodbye in the chat. So this is something you can write, not really say. Sorry. Must leave now. Bye, everyone. Apologies. Must go to another meeting. Thanks, everyone. If it's a very small group, it's okay to speak up and announce your departure. I'm very sorry. I have a hard stop at 3. I need to leave now. I have to go. I apologize. It was good meeting with everyone. As the host, you can call an end to the meeting. Okay. Let's end here. I'll send a follow-up email later today. Thanks, everyone. All right. Our meeting is ending. I'll stay around for another minute or two to see if there are questions. But if you need to leave, that's fine. Thank you, everyone. Bonus challenge time. Choose the appropriate phrases. One. As a participant, how would you ask for permission to share your screen? A or B? Well, between the two, choose A. You can say, Jennifer, I send a request to share my screen. You could also make it a question. Could I share my screen with you? Could I share my screen with everyone? Two. As the host, what would you say when it's time to share your screen? A or B? B, right? I'm going to share my screen. Or you can use something with let me. Let me share my screen. Let me share my file, my window, the document. Some people use the phrasal verbs pull up or bring up. Let me pull up my screen. Let me bring up the file. Three. What would you say when someone is talking and then suddenly their video is still and silent? A or B? A. Your video is frozen. Or you could say, your screen froze. Breaking up, by the way, is for audio issues only. Four. What's another way to say your audio is breaking up? A or B? B. You're cutting in and out. In plain English, you could say, there seems to be a bad connection. I can't hear you well. Five. As the host, what might you say when a participant unexpectedly leaves in the middle of the meeting? A or B? A. Looks like we lost Benjamin. If you found this useful, please like, subscribe, and turn on notifications. That's all for now. If you'd like more interaction and feedback, then join the English with Jennifer community on Patreon, where we practice all skills for confident, effective communication. The link is in the video description. Thanks for watching and happy studies!