In most cases, particularly with some of the more informal idioms, I recommend that you avoid them when you are writing for business. Often when we write something for business we are writing for someone whose native tongue is not English, and idioms can be a barrier to them understanding what we mean.
That said, there are some idioms which are used so often in business that they have become quite acceptable. In this tip we will look at some of the idioms and expressions that are in common use when we talk about meetings.
[col 10 first] [table format=1]
| To adjourn a meeting | To end a meeting |
| To call a meeting to order | To start a meeting |
| To call on someone to speak | To invite someone to speak, to give a meeting participant permission to speak |
| To carry a motion | To win acceptance for a proposal or idea in a meeting, usually through voting |
| To circulate the agenda | To distribute the programme of the meeting to participants before the meeting so they know what will be discussed |
| To defeat a motion | This happens when a proposal or idea does not get enough votes to pass. When a motion is defeated the proposed action will not take place |
| Follow-up meeting | A meeting where participants discuss business that wasn’t completed at a previous meeting, or discuss new business related to an agenda item |
| To have the floor | To have permission to speak, without interruption, during a meeting |
| To hold a meeting | To conduct a meeting |
| To put (or lay) something on the table | To present a matter for discussion at the meeting |
| To make (or table) a motion | To make a suggestion at a meeting that will be voted on by the participants |
| To move to do something | Another way of saying to table a motion |
| To open a meeting | To begin the meeting proceedings |
| To be out of order | Used when someone does not obey the speaking rules of the meeting. For example, someone may speak when someone else has the floor |
