(Good morning, afternoon, evening)
I'm happy to be here.
I'm glad to have this opportunity to . . .
Today, I'd like to talk (to you) about . . .
My topic today is . . .
The focus of my remarks is . . .
I'd like to share some thoughts on (topic)
Main points
Let me start by . . .
First, let me tell you about . . .
I've divided my topic into (three) parts: (They are . . .)
Giving examples
For instance,
Let me illustrate,
To illustrate,
Conclusion
In conclusion,
To conclude,
To summarize,
To sum up,
Checking for Understanding
(Do you) know what I mean?
Do you know what I'm saying?
Do you understand?
Are you following me?
Are you with me (so far)?
Have you got it?
Any questions?
Got it?
Showing Understanding
I see.
I understand.
I get it./I got it.
Gotcha. (Informal)
Expressing Lack of Understanding
I don't get it.
(I'm sorry.) I don't understand.
What do you mean?
I'm not following you.
I don't quite follow you.
I'm not sure I get what you mean.
What was that again?
Conceding to Make a Point
That may be true, but . . .
I may be wrong, but . . .
You might be right, but . . .
You have a good point, but . . .
You could say that, but . . .
Correct me if I'm wrong, but . . .
I don't mean to be rude, but . . .
I hate to bring this up, but . . .
I don't mean to be negative, but . . .
This may sound strange, but . . .
Analyzing Problems
Focusing on the main problem/issue
What is the main problem?
What is the real issue (here)?
(I think) the major problem is . . .
Our primary concern is . . .
The crux of the matter is . . .
(As I see it), the most important thing is . . .
The main problem we need to solve is . . .
We really need to take care of . . .
It all comes down to this:
Asking for input
What should we do about it?
What needs to be done?
What do you think we should do?
What are we going to do about it?
Do you have any suggestions?
Any ideas?
Making Recommendations
I recommend that . . .
I suggest that . . .
I would like to propose that . . .
Why don't we . . .
Commenting
That's interesting. I think that...
Interesting point. I would add...
Hmmm. I hadn't thought of that before.
Questions can also be a useful way of bringing new ideas into a conversation:
What do you think about . . .
Have you considered . . .
What about . . .
Sometimes a more direct approach is appropriate:
Can I add something here?
(Do you) mind if I interject something here?
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing involves restating someone else's ideas in your own words. There are several phrases that can be used to introduce paraphrasing:
So . . . (rephrase the other person's ideas)
In other words . . . (paraphrase)
I understand. (You're saying that . . .)
Oh. I see. (You want to say that . . . )
I get it. (You mean . . .)
So, what you mean is . . .
Let me see if I understand you correctly. . .
What I think you're saying is . . .
If I'm hearing you correctly . . .
Meetings and Discussions
Getting started
Let's get started.
We need to discuss . . .
We need to talk about . . .
Talking about discussion items
The first thing we need to discuss is . . .
The first item on the agenda is . . .
The first thing on the list is . . .
First, we need to talk about . . .
Presenting Options
We have several alternatives:
We have two options:
We could either . . . or . . .
Moving on
Let's move on to Item 2.
Let's move on to the next topic.
We need to move on.
The next item (of business) is . . .
We need to go on to the next item.
Shall/Should we move on?
Stalling the Discussion
Before we move on, I think we should . . .
Wait a minute. We haven't discussed . . .
Don't you think we need to . . .
Not so fast. We haven't (yet) . . .
Asking for Clarification
What do you mean by . . . .
I don't quite follow you.
I didn't get what you meant by . . .
Could you clarify that?
Could you elaborate on that?
Making a Suggestion/Proposal
I think we should . . .
Maybe we should . . .
I suggest . . .
Why don't we . . .
How about . . .
We could . . .
Giving Feedback
(I think) that's a good idea.
You have a good point.
Good idea/point.
I agree.
I disagree. I think . . .
Sorry. I don't agree with you.
You have a good point, but . . .
That's not such a good idea.
I don't think that's a good idea.
Asking for Opinions
What do you think, George?
What's your opinion on that, Martha?
Any thoughts on that?
Any ideas?
Checking for Consensus
Do we all agree (on that)?
Does everyone agree?
Summarizing
In summary,
The conclusion is . . .
So, we've decided to . . .
We're going to . . . (then)
Closing the meeting
That's all for today.
That's it then. (informal)
The meeting is adjourned. (very formal)
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