Business English
English for Online Meetings: How to Sound Clear on Zoom and Teams
Online meetings are harder than in person: worse audio, no body language, people talking over each other. For non-native speakers the pressure doubles. Here are the phrases and tactics that keep you clear and in control.
Joining and taking the floor
Online, you must actively claim your turn. Learn the openers: 'Can I jump in here?', 'Just to add to that…', 'Sorry, you go first'. These stop you from being talked over.
Handling 'sorry, you cut out'
Audio drops happen to everyone — do not panic. Keep three phrases ready: 'You cut out for a second, could you repeat?', 'Can everyone hear me okay?', 'Let me rephrase that'.
Screen sharing and presenting
Guide viewers explicitly: 'Let me share my screen', 'As you can see here…', 'I'll walk you through this'. Signposting compensates for the lack of a shared physical space.
Closing with clear next steps
End every online meeting by confirming actions: 'So the next steps are…', 'I'll send a recap', 'Who owns this?'. This prevents the misunderstandings that online formats amplify.
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