Keywords that are used in Office/Business

During this English lesson you will learn about the keywords that are used in business. 

The word is followed by the meaning then an example

Try making some sentences of your own using the examples!!

HAPPY LEARNING!

Word		Meaning of the word	Examples of how to use in a brief sentence
absent                        adj		not present	The manager is absent due to being away on other business.
accomplish verb		succeed in reaching a required stage	We have a lot to accomplish this week to meet the targets.
address verb		Deal with a problem or a task	We better not have to address this problem again this is you last chance.
adjourn verb		bring a close to a meeting	If there are no further things on the agenda, we will adjourn the meeting for this month.
agenda noun		list of objectives to be covered at the meeting	Pass a copy of the agenda to anyone who is attending meeting in advance please.
AGM noun(abbr.)		Annual (once a year) General Meeting	At the next AGM we will need to vote for a new chairperson.
allocate verb		assign roles/tasks to certain people	The new manger will allocate someone to order the new company cars.
AOB noun(abbr.)		Any Other Business (unspecified item on agenda)	The last item on the agenda as anyone got AOB (Any Other Business).
apologies noun		telling who is absent and have left there apologies for their absence	Only one person is absent and they send their apologies.
ballot noun		a way of voting, usually in writing and should be secret	Please put your ballot slip in the box.
board of directors noun		group of elected members of an organization/company who meet to make decisions	The board of directors met last night to discuss the latest budget.
boardroom noun		a large meeting room, with one long table and chairs	The boardroom is busy tomorrow, but Friday will be fine to have a meeting then.
brainstorm verb		thinking to gather ideas	Let's get together and have a brainstorming session on ways that to increase profit.
casting vote noun		deciding vote normally made by the chairman when the votes have ended equal	The ruling on overtime pay was decided on the chairman's casting vote.
chairperson and chair noun		a person who leads the meeting	As chair/chairperson, it is my pleasure to introduce to you, our new sales manager Mr Bean
clarification and verification noun		explanation or proof that something is true and understood	We will need some clarification as to what's involved with the planning permission for the new offices.
closing remarks noun		last spoken words in a meeting examples reminders, thank you ext	In is closing remarks he thanked everyone for attending the meeting.
collaborate verb		work together as a pair/group	The workers had difficulty collaborating with the managers as a result the deadline was not met .
commence verb		begin. start the meeting	We will commence the meeting as soon as the everyone as arrived and signed the Register.
comment verb or noun		express one's opinions or thoughts	If you have a comment, please raise your hand rather than speak out.
conference noun		formal meeting for discussion, esp. a regular one held by an organisation	Before the conference there will be a private meeting for board members only.
conference call noun		telephone/video conference (Skype) meeting between three or more people in different locations	Today the chairman from all the overseas branches had a conference meeting using video call.
confidential adjective		private; must not be shared only with those with permission.	The company stated that all financial information must be confidential.
consensus noun		general agreement	We must reach a consensus by the end of the meeting which will then be put to vote to decided.
deadline noun		the date when something is due for completion	The deadline for the order is June 10th.
designate verb		assign to someone or a team	If no one volunteers to work at weekend I will designate someone.
formality noun		a procedure (often unnecessary) that has to be followed due to a rule	Everyone knows who is going to be the next vice president, so this vote is really just a formality.
grievance noun		complaint made by a worker or customer	A grievance has been reported by one of the managers about one of is staff.
guest speaker noun		person who joins the group in order to share information or deliver a speech	today am delighted to introduce our guest speaker Mr Bean who is giving us some tips on social networking
implement verb		it must happen and be followed through	We must implement the new guide lines set out by the board of directors.
mandatory adjective		required	It is mandatory that all workers start at 8am and finish at 5pm .
minutes noun		a written record of everything said at a meeting	Let's review the minutes from last month and see what as been resolved since then.
motion noun		a suggestion put to a vote	The motion to extend weekend hours for the staff has been passed.
objectives noun		goals that need to be accomplish	I'm pleased that we were able to cover all of the objectives today within the designated time.
opening remarks noun		chairperson or leader's first words at a meeting (i.e.. welcome, introductions)	As Mentioned in my opening remarks, we I thank you all for attending.
overhead projector noun		machine with a special light that projects a document onto a screen or wall so that all can see	Using the overhead projector I was able to show the sales team what targets we need to achieve.
participant noun		person who attends and joins in at an event	Thank you to all the participants in the firms charity event
proxy vote noun		a vote cast by one person for or in place of another	There must have been one proxy vote  I have counted twelve ballots but there are only eleven attendees present.
punctual adjective		on time and must not be late	Anyone that is not punctual will be asked to explain to the manager why they are not on time.
recommend verb		suggest	I recommend that you lower the price of the old stock.
show of hands noun		raised hands to show an opinion in a vote	From the show of hands it appears that everyone is in favour of taking a short break.
strategy noun		plan to make something work	We need to come up with a strategy that will allow us to increase work output.
unanimous adj		Everyone is in complete agreement or united in opinion	The vote was unanimous to cut working hours from 46 to 39 hours .
vote verb or noun		to express an opinion by group or voice down by a show of hands or by ballot box.	We need to vote for all those in favour of the new changes.
wrap up verb		finish	Let's wrap up it up so that we can start on the next project .