Business English- Moving on & Changing Topic in Meetings Jigsaw

Moving on and changing topic in meetings jigsaw games

 

Instructions for teachers

Cut up and give out one pack of cards per group of two to four students (not giving out the headings yet). Ask students to put the cards together to make different phrases for moving on/ changing topic in a meeting. Tell them that many different combinations are possible. If they get stuck

• tell them that the phrases can fit into a five-by-five table (including the “so” strip) with phrases with the same function in the same column
• give out the table headings

and/ or

• give out a blank grid.

Students check their answers as a class or with the answer key, with the teacher pointing out any things which need to go together like “Let’s…, shall we?”, and things which sound less natural together.  

You could then get them to write the same or similar phrases into a copy of the blank grid as further practice, perhaps using the key words to help.

Students can then test each other on the phrases by:

• choosing a function and reading out all but one phrase to see if their partner can come up with one more (with other acceptable phrases not in the table also fine)
• reading out a row with one part missing for their partner to fill in (with anything that feels natural, not necessarily the actual phrase that is in that row in the table)
• helping their partner brainstorm all of the phrases with one function (helping with key words, gapped phrases, first letters, etc if they get stuck)
• reading out a phrase with a key word missing for their partner to complete
• reading out a key word and helping their partner make a phrase from it
• reading out a whole phrase and seeing if their partner can respond to it

For speaking practice, they can practise smoothly moving through five or six agenda points as quickly as possible. As they do so, they can:

• discard the jigsaw cards (after having dealt them out) when they use those phrases to (successfully) move on
• discard the key word cards when they use phrases that no one has used yet including those words to move on
• discard the “So” cards as they use that word in the right way with a phrase no one has used yet
• discard the function cards when they use phrases that no one has used yet in that activity to do that thing/ those things

To save cutting up, they could also do the same by crossing the words or functions off of a copy of the worksheet.

 

Cards to cut up/ Suggested answers

Transitions language for smoothly changing topic	Giving reasons for changing topic		Suggesting changing topic	Softening language/ Language to get a response
so	I think we have covered that	,so	shall we look at the next item on the agenda	if you don’t mind
right	we all seem to be in agreement		let’s have a look at the next topic	shall we
anyway	we don’t seem to be getting anywhere on that		I think we should talk about the next subject	don’t you think
well (then)	we still have a few more things to discuss		it’s time to turn our attention to the next point	if that’s okay
okay (then)	we can talk about this again in the next meeting		we can move onto the next point on the agenda	can’t we

 

Blank grid

Use this grid to put the jigsaw cards onto and/ or to brainstorm suitable phrases.

Transitions language for smoothly changing topic	Giving reasons for changing topic		Suggesting changing topic	Softening language/ Language to get a response

Without looking at the cards for now, fill boxes in the table above with suitable expressions. 

If your teacher tells you to, use the key words below to help with the task above. Not all the boxes above have key words.

Check with the original cards and then an un-cut-up copy of the whole jigsaw. Many other phrases and combinations are possible, so please check if you wrote something different.

Key words for moving on/ changing topic in meetings

Perhaps after doing the jigsaw and/ or the brainstorming above, use the words below to help brainstorm phrases for smoothly changing topic in meeting and/ or while you roleplay moving through the agenda of a meeting.

again	agreement	anywhere
covered	discuss	guess
item	look	mind
move	next	okay
subject	then	turn

While you work your way (quickly) through the agenda of a meeting, try to use key words from above and/ or below, crossing them off or discarding your cards as you do so. 

again	agreement	anywhere
covered	discuss	guess
item	look	mind
move	next	okay
subject	then	turn

 

Changing topic/ Moving on in meetings error correction

Find and correct one error in each line below.

So, I think we covered that, so shall we look at the next item on the agenda, if you don’t mind?

Right, we all seem to be in agreement, so let’s have a look the next topic, shall we?

Anyway, we don’t seem to be getting anywhere on that, so I think we should talk about the next agenda, don’t you think?

Then, we still have a few more things to discuss, so it’s time to turn our attention to the next point, if that’s okay.

Okay then, we can talk about this again in the next meeting, so we can move on the next point on the agenda, can’t we?

Compare with the original phrases. Other corrections may be possible, so please check if you wrote something different.

 

So for moving on in meetings card game

Perhaps after doing the jigsaw and/ or using the key words above, discard or cross off the “so” cards below as you use phrases with that word to change topics in a roleplay meeting. You have to take the card back if your partner thinks that you didn’t change topic smoothly or that you used exactly the same words as someone has already used.

 

Cards to cut up

so	so	so	so
so	so	so	so
so	so	so	so
so	so	so	so
so	so	so	so
so	so	so	so

 

Moving on in meetings functions card game

Perhaps after doing the jigsaw task above, cross off the squares below or discard your cards as you do each thing as you roleplay moving through the topics of a meeting. 

Transitions language for smoothly changing topic	Giving reasons for changing topic	Suggesting changing topic	Softening language/ Language to get a response
Transitions language for smoothly changing topic	Giving reasons for changing topic	Suggesting changing topic	Softening language/ Language to get a response
Transitions language for smoothly changing topic	Giving reasons for changing topic	Suggesting changing topic	Softening language/ Language to get a response
Transitions language for smoothly changing topic	Giving reasons for changing topic	Suggesting changing topic	Softening language/ Language to get a response
Transitions language for smoothly changing topic	Giving reasons for changing topic	Suggesting changing topic	Softening language/ Language to get a response
Transitions language for smoothly changing topic	Giving reasons for changing topic	Suggesting changing topic	Softening language/ Language to get a response
Transitions language for smoothly changing topic	Giving reasons for changing topic	Suggesting changing topic	Softening language/ Language to get a response

Possible meeting agenda points

Hold a meeting on as many of the topics below as you can, smoothly moving on as soon as you agree or as soon as it is clear that you can’t agree.

• Admin(istration)/ Documents/ Paperwork
• Auditing/ Being audited
• Borrowing/ Debt
• Branches/ Subsidiaries
• Changes in the economy
• Competitiveness
• Compliance
• Conflicts (e.g. between partner companies or different departments)
• Contract(s)
• Cooperating/ Working together (joint ventures etc)
• Costs
• Customer feedback/ Market research
• Customer support/ Customer service
• Efficiency
• Freelance staff/ Agency staff
• HR/ Personnel (staffing/ recruitment, job satisfaction, staff development, training, etc)
• Investment(s)
• (New) laws/ regulations
• M&A
• Market share
• Marketing (advertising, sponsorships, etc)
• New markets/ Expanding (abroad)
• Outsourcing
• Pay and conditions (performance-related bonuses, overtime, work-life balance, etc)
• Pensions/ Retirement
• (Short-term/ Long-term) planning/ strategy
• PR (= public relations)/ Media relations
• Property/ Premises
• Problems/ Complaints
• Product launch
• Profit (margins)
• Projects (action plans, progress, etc)
• R&D (= research and investment)/ New products/ Innovation
• Reorganisation/ Restructuring/ Downsizing
• (Re-)scheduling
• Social media
• Staff turnover
• Stock market/ Shareholders
• Supplies/ Suppliers
• Tax and social security
• Technology (IT etc)

Ask about any topics above you didn’t understand, discuss which come up in your own real (English) meetings, then roleplay a realistic meeting for you with a different partner.