Meetings: Making and using an agenda in a meeting

This ESL lesson plan is designed to equip learners with the essential vocabulary and phrases needed to create and navigate a meeting agenda in professional or group settings. Tailored for beginner to intermediate English learners, the lesson focuses on practical, high-frequency terms like “agenda,” “action item,” and “time slot,” alongside versatile phrases for discussing and managing meetings.

Through engaging activities such as role-plays, personalized dialogues, and visual aids like sample agendas, learners will build confidence in using English to plan and participate in meetings. The lesson incorporates real-world contexts, pronunciation practice, and interactive tasks to ensure learners can apply their skills in professional or academic environments.

By the end, students will be able to discuss meeting agendas fluently, assign tasks, and ask relevant questions, fostering both language proficiency and workplace communication skills.

Also see: Meetings: Making a proposal

Basic vocabulary

Start with essential words related to creating and using an agenda in a meeting. These terms should be straightforward and commonly used in professional contexts.

Vocabulary list

• Agenda: A list of topics or tasks to discuss in a meeting.
• Meeting: A gathering of people to discuss or plan something.
• Topic: A subject or issue to talk about (e.g., budget, project update).
• Schedule: The planned timing for a meeting or its parts.
• Item: A single point or topic on the agenda.
• Chair/chairperson: The person leading the meeting.
• Participant: A person attending the meeting.
• Minutes: Written notes summarizing the meeting.
• Action item: A task assigned to someone during the meeting.
• Time slot: A specific time allocated for a topic.
• Discussion: Talking about a topic with others.
• Priority: Something important that needs attention first.
• Follow-up: Actions or meetings planned after the current one.
• Deadline: The date or time by which a task must be completed.
• Update: New information about a project or topic.

Vocabulary for extension

• Objective: The goal or purpose of the meeting (e.g., to make a decision).
• Attendees: People who attend the meeting.
• Proposal: A suggested plan or idea to discuss.
• Consensus: Agreement among participants on a topic.
• Brainstorm: To share and generate new ideas in a group.
• Minutes-taker: The person responsible for writing the minutes.
• Venue: The location of the meeting (e.g., conference room, online).
• Handout: Printed materials shared during the meeting.
• Feedback: Comments or suggestions about a topic.
• Wrap-up: The conclusion or summary at the end of the meeting.

Teaching tips

• Use visuals like a sample agenda document or a meeting screenshot to connect vocabulary to real contexts.
• Practice pronunciation of terms like “agenda” (uh-JEN-duh) or “priority” (pry-OR-uh-tee).
• Create flashcards with words on one side and definitions or examples on the other for quick recall.

Useful phrases

Teach simple sentence structures for discussing making and using an agenda in a meeting. These phrases should be versatile and applicable to various meeting scenarios.

Key phrases

1. Talking about making an agenda
   • “I’m preparing the agenda for the meeting.”
   • “The agenda includes [number] topics.”
   • “We need to add [topic] to the agenda.”
   • “Each topic has a [time slot] of [minutes].”
2. Using the agenda in a meeting
   • “Let’s start with the first agenda item.”
   • “We’re now on [topic/item].”
   • “We have [time] for this discussion.”
   • “Can we move to the next item?”
3. Assigning tasks and follow-up
   • “The action item for [person] is [task].”
   • “Please provide an update by [deadline].”
   • “We’ll follow up on this in the next meeting.”
   • “Who’s taking the minutes today?”
4. Asking questions
   • “What’s on the agenda today?”
   • “How much time do we have for [topic]?”
   • “Can we add another topic to the agenda?”
   • “Who’s responsible for this action item?”

Teaching tips

• Write phrases on a board or handout and model their use (e.g., “I’m preparing the agenda for our team meeting. It includes three topics.”).
• Have learners substitute their own meeting details (e.g., topics or time slots) into the phrases.
• Practice question forms to encourage interactive dialogue in a meeting context.

Example conversations

Provide short, realistic dialogues to model how to discuss making and using an agenda in a meeting. These examples progress from basic to more detailed.

Conversation 1: Basic exchange

Chair (Anna): Good morning, everyone. Let’s start the meeting. What’s on the agenda today?
Participant (Tom): We have three topics: budget, project update, and new hires.
Anna: Great. How much time for each?
Tom: About 10 minutes per topic.
Anna: Okay, let’s begin with the budget.
Tom: I’ll take the minutes.

Conversation 2: Adding details

Chair (Sara): Hi, team. I prepared the agenda for today’s meeting. It has four items.
Participant (Juan): Can you share the topics?
Sara: Sure. We’ll discuss sales, marketing plans, staff training, and action items.
Juan: How long is the meeting?
Sara: One hour, with 15 minutes per topic.
Juan: Can I add a quick topic about scheduling?
Sara: Yes, let’s add it at the end.

Conversation 3: More advanced

Chair (Mark): Welcome, everyone. Let’s review the agenda. We have project updates, budget approval, and team feedback.
Participant (Lisa): How much time do we have for each item?
Mark: About 20 minutes per topic, so we stay on schedule. Lisa, can you take the minutes?
Lisa: Sure. Are there any action items from last time?
Mark: Yes, Juan will give an update on the marketing plan. We’ll also assign new action items today.
Lisa: Got it. Can we add a follow-up on the client meeting?
Mark: Good idea. Let’s include it as the last item.

Teaching tips

• Role-play these dialogues with the learner, switching roles to practice both chair and participant perspectives.
• Encourage learners to adapt the dialogues using their own meeting scenarios (e.g., a school or work meeting).
• In group settings, pair students to practice, prompting them to ask at least one follow-up question.

Teaching strategy

Here’s a step-by-step lesson plan to teach this topic effectively (approximately 45 minutes).

Step 1: Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Ask: “Have you been in a meeting? What was it about?” to spark interest.
• Show a sample agenda (e.g., a printed or digital template) and point out features like topics, time slots, or action items to introduce the topic.

Step 2: Vocabulary introduction (10 minutes)

• Present the vocabulary list using visuals or a slideshow of a meeting agenda.
• Practice pronunciation, especially for terms like “agenda” or “action item.”
• Play a quick game: Say a word (e.g., “minutes”), and learners explain what it means or use it in a sentence.

Step 3: Phrase Practice (10 minutes)

• Display key phrases and model them with your own example (e.g., “The agenda includes two topics: sales and training.”).
• Have learners practice by filling in the blanks (e.g., “The agenda includes ____ topics.” or “Let’s start with ____.”).
• Correct pronunciation and grammar gently, emphasizing a professional tone.

Step 4: Conversation practice (15 minutes)

• Read one example conversation aloud, emphasizing natural tone and clarity.
• Pair learners (or role-play with them) to practice the dialogues, encouraging personalization.
• Ask learners to create their own short dialogue about preparing or using an agenda for a meeting.

Step 5: Wrap-up and personalization (5 minutes)

• Have each learner share one or two sentences about a meeting agenda (e.g., “My agenda has three topics. I’ll take the minutes.”).
• Provide feedback on their use of vocabulary and phrases.
• Assign homework: Write 3-5 sentences about a meeting agenda or practice a dialogue with a friend.

Additional tips

• Cultural sensitivity: Be aware that meeting styles vary by culture (e.g., formal vs. informal). Discuss differences if relevant to the learners’ backgrounds.
• Visual aids: Use a sample agenda template or a video of a meeting (e.g., from YouTube or ESL resources) to make the lesson engaging.
• Listening practice: Play a short audio or video clip of a meeting where an agenda is discussed to expose learners to different accents.
• Adapt for level: For beginners, focus on simple phrases (e.g., “What’s on the agenda?”). For intermediate learners, encourage details (e.g., “We need to assign action items for the project.”).
• Incorporate technology: If teaching online, share a screen with a sample agenda or use a virtual whiteboard to highlight vocabulary.

Common mistakes to address

• Grammar: Learners may say “The agenda have” instead of “The agenda has.” Emphasize singular verb agreement with “agenda.”
• Pronunciation: Terms like “schedule” (SKED-jool) or “priority” may be mispronounced. Practice these explicitly.
• Word choice: Clarify differences like “action item” (task to do) vs. “item” (topic on the agenda).

Example activity: “Plan a meeting”

For group classes, try this interactive activity.

• Give each learner a blank agenda template and ask them to fill it with 3-4 topics for a fictional meeting (e.g., a team project or school event).
• Learners take turns presenting their agenda, explaining the topics and time slots, while others ask questions (e.g., “What’s the first item?” or “Who’s taking the minutes?”).
• Alternatively, create a “Find Someone Who” game (e.g., “Find someone who has led a meeting”).

Homework or follow-up

• Writing: Write a short paragraph (5 sentences) about preparing an agenda for a meeting or a recent meeting you attended.
• Speaking: Record a 30-second audio or video acting out a meeting where you discuss the agenda.
• Research: Look at a sample agenda online (e.g., for a business or school meeting) and write down three new related words (e.g., “objective,” “attendees,” “summary”).