Loading…
Teaching or studying this?
All lesson plans
Lesson planB260 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
Sorry to Interrupt: agreeing, disagreeing and interrupting
Students learn the language for running and taking part in a meeting (agreeing, disagreeing and interrupting politely) and write a follow-up email with action points.
Skills · Business · Meetings · Work · Communication
Or download everything as a ZIP (4 PDFs)This lesson plan and its PDFs are free.
Plan at a glance
Aims
- Practise agreeing, disagreeing and interrupting
- Learn and use 21 words and phrases in 3 sets: Meeting words, Agreeing and disagreeing, Interrupting and chairing
- Read for detail: the minutes
- Writing task: a follow-up email
Stages · 60 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs talk about business and share ideas with the class.
- 5 minVocabulary: Ex. 1
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes together and check understanding.
- 15 minControlled practice: Ex. 2–4
- 10 minAccuracy practice: Ex. 5–6
- 10 minReading: Ex. 7
- 10 minWriting: Ex. 8
Printables
Click a page to preview it, download it or open it in a new tab.
Download all (ZIP, 4 PDFs)Grammar notes
Agreeing and disagreeing
- Agreeing: I couldn't agree more. · That's exactly what I was thinking. · Fair enough.
- Partly agreeing: I see your point, but… · I take your point, but…
- Disagreeing politely: I'm afraid I don't really agree. · I'm not sure that's quite right.
- Avoid sounding too direct: not You're wrong, but I'm not sure I agree with you.
Interrupting and chairing
- Interrupting: Sorry to interrupt, but… · Can I just come in here?
- Keeping your turn: Could I just finish my point?
- Chairing: Let's move on to item two. · Let's postpone this until next week.
- Ending: To sum up… · Let me summarise what we've decided.
Study tips
- Learn the phrases in groups (agreeing, disagreeing, interrupting) and practise them in your next real meeting or class discussion.
- Softeners like I'm afraid, perhaps and not quite make a disagreement sound professional, not rude.
Glossary
- Meeting words8 items
- Agreeing and disagreeing7 items
- Interrupting and chairing6 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Meeting words
Match each word with its meaning. There is one extra meaning.
Tap an item…
…then its match
2
What is the speaker doing?
Read what people say in a meeting. Put each sentence in the right group.
- a
I couldn't agree more.
- b
Sorry to interrupt, but can I add something?
- c
I see your point, but I'm not sure it would work.
- d
So, to sum up, we've agreed on three things.
- e
That's exactly what I was thinking.
- f
Can I just come in here for a second?
- g
I'm afraid I don't really agree with that.
- h
Let me go over the main points again.
- i
Fair enough, that makes sense to me.
- j
I take your point, but the cost is a problem.
3
Diplomatic or too direct?
Which sentences sound polite and professional in a meeting, and which sound too direct? Put each one in the right group.
- a
You're wrong about the budget.
- b
I'm not sure that's quite right.
- c
Could I just finish my point?
- d
Stop talking, it's my turn.
- e
That idea will never work.
- f
Perhaps we could look at another option.
- g
I see what you mean, but I have some doubts.
- h
We're not doing that.
4
Chairing the meeting
Complete what the chair says with the words in the box. There is one extra word.
Word box
Tap a gap, then a word, or type the answer.
- a
Right, shall we start? Has everyone got a copy of the ?
- b
Maria, could you take the today, please?
- c
Thanks, Tom. Let's on to item two, the new website.
- d
Sorry, Ben, let Aisha what she was saying first.
- e
We haven't got enough information, so let's this decision until next week.
- f
Neither plan is perfect. Could we find a that works for both teams?
- g
Before we finish, let me what we've decided.
- h
Finally, the points: Jo will call the printer and Sam will update the budget.
5
Say it more diplomatically
Complete the second sentence so that it means the same as the first but sounds more polite. Use the word given and between two and five words, including that word.
- a
You're wrong about the budget.
AGREE
I'm not sure about the budget.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- b
Stop! I want to say something.
INTERRUPT
Sorry , but could I say something?
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- c
Don't talk while I'm talking!
JUST
Could I , please?
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- d
We'll talk about it next week instead.
POSTPONE
Let's next week.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- e
I understand your idea, but it's too expensive.
POINT
I see , but I think it's too expensive.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- f
So, the main points are these three.
SUM
So, to , there are three main points.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
6
Find and correct the mistake
Each sentence from a meeting has one mistake. Write the correction.
- a
I'm agree with Paula about the new prices.
- b
Can I make a question about the budget?
- c
Let's discuss about the timetable first.
- d
Sorry for interrupt, but the client is on the phone.
- e
Can everyone see the agenda? Let's start with the point one.
- f
Let me resume the main points before we finish.
7
Read: the minutes
Read the minutes of a team meeting. Are the sentences true, false or not given?
Minutes: Product team meeting, Harbour Lane Foods Present: Nadia Okafor (chair), Leo Brandt, Sunita Rao, Marco Bellini 1. New packaging. Leo presented his proposal to switch to paper packaging for the snack range. Sunita agreed that customers wanted greener packaging, but she was worried about the cost. Marco interrupted to say that the supplier had offered a discount for large orders. After some discussion, the team agreed on a compromise: paper packaging for two products first, and the rest next year if sales stay strong. 2. Summer campaign. Nadia suggested postponing the summer campaign until the new packaging was ready. Leo disagreed, because the advertising space had already been booked. The team decided to keep the original date. Action points - Leo: ask the supplier for a written quote by Friday. - Sunita: check the new costs against this year's budget. - Marco: send the campaign timetable to the agency. Next meeting: Thursday 14 May, 10.00.
- a
Leo suggested changing the packaging for the snack range.
- b
Sunita disagreed that customers wanted greener packaging.
- c
The supplier's discount is only for large orders.
- d
All the snack products will have paper packaging from next month.
- e
The summer campaign will start later than planned.
- f
Marco has worked with the advertising agency before.
8
Write: a follow-up email
Write a follow-up email.
You chaired a team meeting about moving your office's weekly meeting online. Write a follow-up email to the team (130–160 words). Thank them for coming, summarise what was discussed, say where people agreed and disagreed, and list the action points with names and deadlines. Use at least five words from the box. Word box: agenda · minutes · action point · proposal · postpone · compromise · summarise · interrupt Example: Thanks to everyone for coming to Tuesday's meeting. To summarise, most of us liked the proposal, but…
Suggested minimum: 130 words
0 words · aim for at least 130
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Fix ItFind the mistake in each sentence, then correct it.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 21 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 3 sets.
Meeting words
- agenda
- a list of the things to discuss at a meeting
- minutes
- a written record of what was said and decided at a meeting
- action point
- a task someone agrees to do after a meeting
- proposal
- a plan or idea that you suggest to other people
- postpone
- to move an event to a later time
- compromise
- an agreement where each side accepts less than it wanted
- summarise
- to give the main points of something in a few words
- interrupt
- to start speaking while someone else is still talking
Agreeing and disagreeing
- I couldn't agree more
- agrees completely
- That's exactly what I was thinking
- agrees strongly with someone's idea
- Fair enough
- accepts that what someone says is reasonable
- I see your point, but
- disagrees politely by first accepting the other view
- I take your point, but
- accepts part of an idea before giving a problem
- I'm afraid I don't really agree
- disagrees in a soft, polite way
- I'm not sure that's quite right
- questions an idea without saying it is wrong
Interrupting and chairing
- Sorry to interrupt, but
- starts speaking politely while someone else is talking
- Can I just come in here
- asks politely to join the discussion
- Could I just finish my point?
- asks politely not to be interrupted
- Let's move on to
- starts the next item on the agenda
- to sum up
- introduces a short summary
- Let me go over the main points
- repeats the important ideas at the end
How was this lesson plan?
One tap helps other teachers find the best lessons, and helps us improve them.