Starting Sentences in Business Meetings

The first sentence of a meeting holds an unusually high amount of influence, and therefore is often a source of panic for beginners. It sets the tone, shows that you prepared, and immediately conveys whether or not you’re qualified to be in the meeting. Avoid trying to use some sort of elaborate greeting or to sound too formal, and stick to one goal: tell everyone why you are there, and what you’ll be discussing for the next few minutes. Example: “Today we need to align on the Q3 budget proposal and decide next actions.”

This is better than anything resembling “Sorry if I’m not very good at this, but I think we should probably start”. Opening a meeting with an apology or some filler sentence will weaken your authority, so avoid these at all costs. Instead, the night before a meeting write down exactly one sentence that is a strong opening sentence. Read it out loud three times, and go to sleep. When it’s your turn to talk, take one deep breath, look at the camera or everyone in the room, and say your one sentence.

Don’t rush, and remember that the pause before you start speaking actually adds to your presence rather than takes away from it. Now that you’ve started the meeting, you should treat every sentence you say as a mini-drill rather than an all-or-nothing performance. Listen to the first response, take a mental pause, and then open your mouth with a sentence like: “Building on what was just mentioned about timelines….” Or, “To add another perspective on [related word]…”.

Use this pattern to ensure you don’t blurt out some sentence that isn’t connected to the conversation. If you get confused because you’re moving too fast, simply hold up your hand and say “One quick point of clarification,” followed by a single, well-worded question. This will ensure everyone is still on the same page without breaking up the flow of the meeting. Allocate 15 minutes every morning to deliberately practicing your speaking in a way that directly improves your ability to contribute in meetings. Get in front of a mirror, or use your phone to record yourself.

Pick one topic from your meeting schedule, write down a three sentence introduction that includes a purpose and agenda, and practice saying it out loud. Repeat the process five times, changing the words slightly each time while still delivering the same content. Then, think about what the most common first response to your introduction might be, and craft a bridging sentence. Finally, record yourself saying both your introduction and bridging sentence, and listen to the recording without stopping. Your goal is to practice quietly until the words start flowing more easily in real calls.

Don’t skip this even on days where you don’t have meetings, because the best results come from daily practice that compounds instead of long practice sessions that are spread out. And if you don’t see improvement, or if the sentences still feel awkward, don’t give up. Shorten the exercise down to ten minutes, and focus solely on your opening sentence until you can say it fluently. Repeated daily practice will gradually enable you to start meetings in a comfortable, professional way, and ultimately help you make more effective contributions throughout the rest of the meeting.