BUSINESS ENGLISH for learners
MEETING and CONFERENCE VOCABULARY
The meaning of words relating to meetings and conferences.
| WORD | MEANING |
| A.G.M. | Annual General Meeting |
| Absentee | Person not at the meeting, not present. |
| Agenda | Written list of points to be discussed at a meeting. |
| Alternative | Choice of two or more possibilities. |
| Attendee | Participant or person attending a meeting. |
| Ballot | System of secret voting: voters place their ballot-papers in a ballot-box. |
| Casting vote | Deciding vote, usually by the Chairman, when votes are in equal number. |
| Chairman Chairperson |
The person who conducts the meeting. |
| Clarify | Make something clearer by giving more information. |
| Conference | Formal meeting for discussion or exchange of views among people with a shared interest. A conference typically lasts several days. (Example: a conference on climate change). |
| Conference call | Telephone call linking three or more people in
different places so that they can communicate simultaneously. |
| Consensus | General agreement. |
| Deadline | Future date by which something must be done. |
| Decision | Reach a conclusion or resolution concerning future action. |
| I-conference | A meeting or discussion between two or more people via the Internet. |
| Interrupt | Stop a person who is speaking in order to say or do something. |
| Item | A separate point for discussion on an agenda. |
| Main point | What is most essential. |
| Minutes | A written summary of the proceedings at a meeting. |
| Objective | What is aimed at, what one wants to achieve or obtain. |
| Point out | Draw attention to something e.g. point out an increase in demand. |
| Proposal | A course of action put forward for consideration: to make a proposal. |
| Proxy vote | A vote cast by one person for another. |
| Recommend | Advise a course of action: to make a recommendation. |
| Show of hands | Raised hands to express agreement or disagreement in a vote. |
| Summary | A brief statement of the main points. |
| Task | A piece of work to be done: to assign a task to someone. |
| Unanimous | In complete agreement. |
| Video conference | Conference linking people in different locations by satellite, TV, etc. |
| Vote | Express one's agreement or disagreement: to cast a vote. |