To open a business meeting in English, use four short parts: welcome people, state the purpose, share the agenda, and give the time limit. The whole opening can take about one minute. Each part needs only one or two simple sentences, so you can say it clearly and calmly, even if English is your second language.

What Should You Say in the First Minute of a Business Meeting?

Say four things in the same order every time: welcome, purpose, agenda and time. A fixed order means you do not need to think about what comes next, which helps when you feel nervous.

1. Welcome: “Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining.”
2. Purpose: “The purpose of today’s meeting is to decide the launch date.”
3. Agenda: “We have three items to discuss.”
4. Time: “We have 30 minutes, so we will finish at 10.30.”

Short sentences work best here. Your colleagues need to know why they are in the room and when they can leave, and they do not need long or clever language to understand that.

For the phrases you need after the opening, such as asking for opinions or closing the discussion, see our guide on how to run a business meeting in English.

How Do You Welcome People and Start a Business Meeting?

Start with a little friendly conversation if appropriate, then welcome everyone and move into the meeting. Keep small talk brief so you have enough time for the agenda.

Before the meeting: Make a little small talk

Good questions are easy to answer and help people feel comfortable:

• “How was your weekend?”
• “Did you have a good trip in this morning?”
• “How is the week going so far?”

After one or two answers, bring the conversation to an end with a polite transition:

• “Shall we make a start?”
• “Thanks, everyone. Let’s begin.”
• “I know we’re all busy, so let’s get going.”

Starting the meeting: Welcome everyone

Greet the group, thank them for coming, and then start. A simple welcome tells everyone that the meeting has begun.

Less Effective:

Okay, so, I think everybody is here maybe, so we can start, if it is okay for you?

More Effective:

Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining. Let’s get started.

The first version has many small pauses and questions, so it sounds unsure. The second version is short and confident. It’s also easier to say calmly because there’s very little to remember.

Here are some other useful welcome phrases:

• “Good afternoon, everyone, and thank you for making time.”
• “Welcome, everybody. Let’s make a start.”
• “Thanks for being here. I’d like to begin now.”

If someone is late, you can say, “We’ll start now, and I’ll update anyone who joins later.” This is polite to the people who are on time and avoids making everyone wait.

How Do You State the Purpose of the Meeting Clearly?

Use one sentence that starts with “The purpose of today’s meeting is to” and ends with a clear verb. People listen better when they know what the meeting aims to achieve.

Less Effective:

Today we will talk about the project and some other things.

More Effective:

The purpose of today’s meeting is to decide the launch date for the new website.

The first sentence does not tell people what to do. “Talk about” is vague, and “some other things” makes the meeting sound unplanned. The second sentence names one result: a decision.

These verbs are useful after “is to”:

• decide: “…is to decide who will lead the training.”
• review: “…is to review last month’s sales figures.”
• agree: “…is to agree on the next steps for the client.”
• share: “…is to share an update on the budget.”
• plan: “…is to plan the work for the next two weeks.”

Choose one verb. If your meeting has two purposes, say both in two short sentences instead of one long one.

How Do You Share the Agenda and the Time Limit?

Say how many items you have, name them in a short list, and then give the finish time. This tells people what to expect and helps you control the discussion later.

Less Effective:

We have many things to talk about, so I hope we have enough time, but we will see.

More Effective:

We have three items today. First, the launch date. Second, the budget. Third, the client feedback. We have 30 minutes, so we will finish at 10.30.

The weaker version creates worry and gives no information. The stronger version gives a number, a list and a clear end time. If your meeting runs long, you can point back to it: “We have five minutes left, so let’s move to the last item.”

Finish the agenda with a quick check:

• “Does that work for everyone?”
• “Is there anything you would like to add?”
• “Are you happy with this plan?”

Wait for a moment after you ask. A short silence is normal, and it gives people time to speak.

How Do You Open an Online Meeting When the Technology Is Not Ready?

Check the basics out loud, allow a little time for people to join, and then begin. Problems with sound and screen sharing are common in online meetings, and a calm sentence stops them from taking over the first minutes.

Use these phrases:

• “Can everyone hear me?”
• “Could you check your microphone, please?”
• “I can’t see the slides yet. Can you see my screen?”
• “Let’s wait one more minute for everyone to join.”
• “If the sound is not clear, please write in the chat.”

Less Effective:

Sorry, sorry, my computer is very bad today, I am so sorry for the problem, sorry.

More Effective:

Sorry about that. Let me fix the sound, and we will start in one minute.

One short apology is enough. After that, tell people what you are doing and when the meeting will begin. This keeps your colleagues calm, and it keeps you calm as well.

If you still have a problem after the time you gave, you can change the plan: “I’ll share the slides by email, and we can continue without the screen.”

What Opening Mistakes Should You Avoid?

The most common opening mistakes are long apologies, vague purposes and missing time limits. Each one is easy to fix once you can recognise it.

• Too many apologies. One “sorry” is polite, but several can make people doubt the meeting.
• A vague purpose. Phrases like “talk about things” or “discuss the situation” do not tell people what to decide.
• No finish time. Without a time limit, people may start to check their phones or ask when the meeting will end.
• Filler words at the start. Beginning with “So, um, okay, yes” often makes the first sentence unclear. Pause for a second and begin with “Good morning, everyone.”
• Speaking too fast. Nervous speakers often speed up. Take a slow breath before the first sentence, and speak a little slower than feels natural.
• Long small talk. A friendly chat is useful, but it can take over the time you need for the agenda.

A few small grammar mistakes are usually less important than making your message clear. Your colleagues can often understand a simple sentence with a small error, but they may find it difficult to follow a meeting without a clear structure.

Can You Copy a Full Opening Script for Your Next Meeting?

Yes. Here is a complete opening you can copy, change and use. It has all four parts and takes about one minute to say.

Good morning, everyone, and thank you for joining. Let’s get started.

The purpose of today’s meeting is to decide the launch date for the new website.

We have three items. First, the current progress. Second, the budget. Third, the final launch date. We have 30 minutes, so we will finish at 10.30. Does that work for everyone?

Here is a version for online meetings:

Hello, everyone. Thank you for joining. Can everyone hear me clearly?

Great. The purpose of this call is to agree on the next steps for the client.

We have two items: the delivery date and the final price. We have 20 minutes, so we will finish at 2.20.

If you have a question, please write it in the chat, and I will answer it at the end of each item.

Change the words in the purpose, the agenda items and the time. Keep the structure the same, because the structure is what makes the opening easy to say.

Your Next Step

Before your next meeting, write your own four-part opening using the script above. Say it aloud twice before you join, so the words feel natural when your colleagues are listening.

To build more natural phrases for work, try the free Business English Booster Daily Idiom Course, which has over 700 idioms with examples and short quizzes.

Want live speaking practice with a real tutor? See our list of the best online English tutor websites.