Arranging a meeting with someone

This lesson plan is designed to equip learners with the essential vocabulary and phrases needed to confidently arrange meetings in English. Tailored for beginner to intermediate learners, it focuses on practical, real-world communication skills for both formal and informal contexts. By mastering key words like “schedule,” “available,” and “confirm,” along with polite sentence structures such as “Are you free on Monday?” or “Let’s meet at the café,” learners will gain the tools to schedule meetings effectively.

Through engaging activities like role-plays, dialogues, and interactive games, this lesson fosters speaking, listening, and writing skills, while visual aids like calendars and flashcards make concepts accessible and memorable.

By the end, learners will be able to arrange meetings with clarity, politeness, and cultural sensitivity, preparing them for real-life scenarios like planning a business meeting or a casual coffee with a friend.

Basic vocabulary

Introduce essential words and phrases related to arranging a meeting. These should be simple, commonly used, and relevant to scheduling and communication.

Vocabulary list

• Meeting: A planned gathering with others (e.g., a business meeting, a coffee meeting).
• Appointment: A formal or specific time to meet (e.g., a doctor’s appointment).
• Schedule: A plan of times and events (e.g., my schedule is busy).
• Time: The hour or period for the meeting (e.g., 2 p.m., morning).
• Date: The day of the meeting (e.g., Monday, June 15).
• Place/location: Where the meeting will happen (e.g., office, café).
• Available/free: Having time to meet (e.g., I’m free on Tuesday).
• Busy: Not available (e.g., I’m busy in the morning).
• Confirm: To agree on the details (e.g., Can you confirm the time?).
• Cancel: To stop a planned meeting (e.g., I need to cancel our meeting).
• Morning/afternoon/evening: Times of day (e.g., Let’s meet in the afternoon).
• Day: Days of the week (e.g., Monday, Friday).
• In-person/online: Meeting format (e.g., an in-person meeting, an online call).
• Phone/video: Types of remote meetings (e.g., a video call via Zoom).
• Agenda: The purpose or topics of the meeting (e.g., Let’s discuss the project).

Vocabulary words for extension

• Reschedule: To change the time or date of a meeting (e.g., Can we reschedule for tomorrow?).
• Convenient: Suitable or easy for someone (e.g., Is 3 p.m. convenient for you?).
• Duration: How long the meeting will last (e.g., The meeting is one hour long).
• Calendar: A tool to track dates and times (e.g., Let me check my calendar).
• Urgent: Needing immediate attention (e.g., This is an urgent meeting).
• Venue: The specific place for a meeting (e.g., The venue is a conference room).
• Postpone: To delay a meeting to a later time (e.g., We need to postpone the meeting).
• Reminder: A message to remember the meeting (e.g., I’ll send you a reminder).
• Conflict: When two events are scheduled at the same time (e.g., I have a conflict at 2 p.m.).
• Follow-up

Teaching tips

• Use a calendar or clock visual to teach “time” and “date” concepts.
• Practice pronunciation of days (e.g., “Wednesday” as WENZ-day) and time phrases (e.g., “two p.m.” vs. “two a.m.”).
• Create flashcards with words like “available” and “confirm” on one side and example sentences on the other.

Useful phrases

Teach simple, polite sentence structures for arranging a meeting. These phrases should be versatile and appropriate for both formal and informal contexts.

Key phrases

1. Suggesting a meeting
   • “Can we meet to discuss [topic]?”
   • “I’d like to arrange a meeting with you.”
   • “Are you free to meet on [day/time]?”
   • “How about a meeting at [time] on [day]?”
2. Checking availability
   • “Are you available on [day/time]?”
   • “When are you free?”
   • “What time works for you?”
   • “Does [day/time] work for you?”
3. Proposing a place
   • “Let’s meet at [place].”
   • “Can we meet in [place]?”
   • “Should we have an in-person or online meeting?”
   • “I suggest meeting at [café/office/Zoom].”
4. Confirming the meeting
   • “That works for me!”
   • “I can meet at [time] on [day].”
   • “Let’s confirm: [day], [time], at [place].”
   • “I’ll see you at [place] at [time].”
5. Changing or canceling
   • “Can we reschedule the meeting?”
   • “I’m sorry, I’m not free at that time.”
   • “I need to cancel our meeting.”
   • “Can we meet another day?”
6. Asking for clarification
   • “What’s the meeting about?”
   • “Where are we meeting?”
   • “Is this an in-person or online meeting?”
   • “Can you confirm the time and place?”

Teaching tips

• Write phrases on a board or handout, highlighting polite forms like “Can we…” or “I’d like to…”.
• Model phrases in both formal (e.g., business meeting) and informal (e.g., meeting a friend) contexts.
• Have learners practice by substituting their own times, days, or places (e.g., “Are you free on Friday?”).

Example conversations

Provide realistic dialogues to model arranging a meeting. These examples progress from basic to more detailed exchanges, incorporating both formal and informal scenarios.

Conversation 1: Basic informal meeting

Anna: Hi, Mark! Can we meet to talk about the school project?
Mark: Sure! Are you free on Saturday?
Anna: Yes, Saturday works. How about 2 p.m.?
Mark: That’s good. Let’s meet at the café near school.
Anna: Perfect! See you at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
Mark: Great, confirmed!

Conversation 2: Formal business meeting

Sara: Hello, Mr. Lee. I’d like to arrange a meeting to discuss the new project.
Mr. Lee: Hello, Sara. When are you available?
Sara: How about Monday at 10 a.m.?
Mr. Lee: I’m busy then. Can we meet on Tuesday at 3 p.m.?
Sara: That works for me. Should we meet in your office or online?
Mr. Lee: Let’s do a video call. I’ll send you a Zoom link.
Sara: Great. I’ll confirm: Tuesday, 3 p.m., online.

Conversation 3: Rescheduling a meeting

John: Hi, Lisa! Are you free to meet tomorrow at 1 p.m.?
Lisa: Hi, John. I’m sorry, I’m busy tomorrow afternoon. Can we meet on Wednesday?
John: Let me check… Yes, Wednesday at 11 a.m. is good.
Lisa: Perfect. Where should we meet?
John: How about the park near the library?
Lisa: Sounds good! Let’s confirm: Wednesday, 11 a.m., at the park.
John: See you then!

Teaching tips

• Role-play these dialogues with the learner, switching roles to practice both suggesting and responding.
• Encourage learners to adapt the dialogues with their own details (e.g., their preferred time or place).
• In group settings, pair students to practice, prompting them to ask follow-up questions like “What’s the meeting about?”

Teaching strategy

Here’s a step-by-step lesson plan to teach arranging a meeting (approximately 45 minutes):

Step 1: Warm-up (5 minutes)

• Ask: “When was the last time you planned to meet someone?” to spark discussion.
• Show a calendar and point to a day/time, saying, “Let’s plan a meeting for Monday at 10 a.m.” Ask learners to suggest other times or places.

Step 2: Vocabulary introduction (10 minutes)

• Present the vocabulary list using a calendar, clock, or images of meeting places (e.g., an office or café).
• Practice pronunciation, especially for days of the week and time phrases.
• Play a quick game: Say a word (e.g., “available”), and learners respond with a sentence (e.g., “I’m available on Friday.”).

Step 3: Phrase practice (10 minutes)

• Display key phrases and model them (e.g., “Are you free on Monday at 2 p.m.?”).
• Have learners practice by filling in blanks (e.g., “Let’s meet at ____ on ____.”).
• Correct pronunciation and grammar, emphasizing polite forms like “Can we…” or “Would you like to…”.

Step 4: Conversation practice (15 minutes)

• Read one example conversation aloud, using natural intonation.
• Pair learners (or role-play with them) to practice the dialogues, encouraging them to use their own times/places.
• Ask learners to create their own dialogue for a specific scenario (e.g., planning a coffee meeting with a friend).

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

• Have each learner share a short plan (e.g., “I want to meet my friend at a café on Saturday at 3 p.m.”).
• Provide feedback on vocabulary use and politeness.
• Assign homework: Write a short dialogue arranging a meeting or practice one with a friend.

Additional tips

• Politeness: Emphasize polite phrases like “Can we…” or “Would you mind…” for formal settings.
• Cultural sensitivity: Some cultures prefer direct or indirect communication. Teach both formal (e.g., business) and informal (e.g., friends) styles to suit different contexts.
• Visual aids: Use a calendar app or physical calendar to practice scheduling. Show images of meeting places like offices or cafés.
• Listening Practice: Play a short audio/video clip (e.g., from ESL resources or YouTube) of people arranging a meeting to expose learners to different accents.
• Adapt for level: For beginners, focus on simple phrases like “Let’s meet at 2 p.m.” For intermediate learners, include rescheduling or discussing the agenda.
• Incorporate technology: Use a virtual whiteboard to write phrases or share a calendar for scheduling practice.

Common mistakes to address

• Grammar: Learners may say “We meet at Monday” instead of “on Monday.” Emphasize prepositions (on, at, in).
• Pronunciation: Practice time phrases (e.g., “two p.m.” as “two pee-em”) and days (e.g., “Tuesday” as TOOZ-day).
• Politeness: Some learners may sound too direct (e.g., “Meet me at 3”). Teach softer phrases like “Are you free at 3?”
• Word choice: Clarify “meeting” (general) vs. “appointment” (formal/specific) and “available” vs. “busy.”

Example activity: “Schedule a Meeting” game

For group classes, try this interactive activity:

• Give each learner a pretend “schedule” with some free and busy times (e.g., Monday 10 a.m.: free, Tuesday 2 p.m.: busy).
• Learners pair up and arrange a meeting, finding a time/place both are available for.
• Encourage follow-up questions like “Where should we meet?” or “What’s the meeting about?”

Homework or follow-up

• Writing: Write a short email or message arranging a meeting (e.g., time, place, purpose).
• Speaking: Record a 30-second audio or video arranging a meeting with a friend or colleague.
• Practice: Plan a real or imaginary meeting with someone and describe it in 3-5 sentences.

Teacher’s Toolkit

• Classroom Tech: Webcams (Logitech C920), ring lights, noise-canceling headsets.
• Stationery: Post-it notes, dry-erase markers (Expo), and portable whiteboards.
• Reference books: English Grammar in Use by Raymond Murphy or Oxford Word Skills.