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How you begin a meeting matters. Explore the dos and don’ts of meeting introductions, and learn how you can use the IEEF framework to begin each meeting the right way.

What do a flustered host, the lack of a meeting agenda , and confused employees all have in common? They all indicate that a meeting is off to a bad start. 

We’ve all attended meetings where we knew from the start that our time would be wasted. For a meeting to be productive , it must be organized, have a clear purpose, and have a prepared agenda. 

If you regularly lead team sessions or one-on-ones, or you may need to host a meeting sometime soon, it’s important to learn how to introduce yourself in meetings. Read on to explore why the beginning of a meeting is important, learn the do’s and don’ts of meeting introductions, view examples of how you can begin a meeting on the right foot, and see some creative examples of how you can begin each meeting meaningfully. 

• Why is the start of a meeting so important?

Dos and don’ts of meeting introductions

• Meeting introduction steps and examples

Ways to start a meeting

How to start a meeting using the ieei framework, start meetings off on the right foot with fellow, why is the start of a meeting so important .

The beginning of a meeting sets the tone and introduces the major themes for the entire session. On one hand, if a meeting host makes it clear at the beginning that they’re unprepared, attendees may take it as a clear sign that the meeting won’t be valuable. An organized host, on the other hand, shows employees that their attendance and efforts are valued and that the session will run smoothly. 

Meeting introductions can transform the effectiveness of your meetings

How a meeting begins can significantly influence engagement. Meeting introductions should briefly outline the meeting’s purpose and objectives, ensuring everyone is on the same page. With AI-generated meeting agendas, you get custom recommendations for impactful introductions based on meeting type, tone, and participants. Save time on preparation and get inspired with Fellow today!

If you want ideas on how to open a meeting, here are a few creative and engaging ways you can begin a meeting the right way:

• Celebrate wins
• Surprise your team with a fact or statistic
• Share a memorable quote
• Tell a personal anecdote

1 Celebrate wins

Set a positive tone for your meeting by encouraging attendees to celebrate big and small wins. For example, the host could begin by congratulating the group on the recent success of a project, acknowledging a new hire, or giving an individual praise for leading a specific task. Alternatively, the meeting host can ask that each person give a shoutout to another member of the team. In doing so, the meeting host may lead attendees to begin associating group sessions with good news and team progress instead of boredom and mundane status updates. 

2 Surprise your team with a fact or statistic

An interesting way to begin each meeting is by offering the group a surprising statistic or fun fact to get everyone’s attention. The stat can be relevant to the meeting topic or completely irrelevant, depending on what tone you want to set. For example, if you want to captivate the group and make them smile, you can offer up a random fun fact like, “Did you know that avocados are a fruit, not a vegetable?” and ask that everyone else does the same. If you want to make the group feel motivated or get them thinking about the meeting topic, you can tell the group a statistic about your industry or organization. 

3 Share a memorable quote

Everyone loves a good quote! Quotes represent everything that people want to say but don’t know how. At the beginning of your next meeting , offer up a motivational or positive quote to deliver wisdom and provide a quick morale boost through well-worded thoughts. If you’re a “to the point” kind of leader, something quick-witted like, “The only place where success comes before work is in the dictionary” might work. Alternatively, if your team is facing any kind of adversity, a quote like, “Do not judge me by my success, judge me by how many times I fell and got back up again” might work well. 

4 Tell a personal anecdote

You can use the start of a meeting as an exercise in storytelling. If you want to grasp your attendees’ attention, share a real-life experience about a personal success, professional roadblock, or anticipated event. Discuss an experience that relates to the meeting topic, the group’s interests, or the team’s values. For instance, you can share a story about how a recent news event relates to your meeting topic, discuss new and exciting developments in your field, or tell a story about a recent professional success of yours. 

Consider these dos and don’ts when kickstarting a meeting. Keeping these in mind will help you get things off to a productive and meaningful start.

• Don’t take too long. Remember to be respectful of attendees’ time and keep in mind that some may have a meeting after the one you’re leading. Keep the introduction short and sweet.
• Do include attendees. Try using the word “you” to get people excited about participating and having a conversation. Doing so will also highlight what’s in the discussion for them.
• Don’t overpromise or exaggerate. Be as transparent as you can regarding the state of the project and don’t promise unrealistic results by the end of the meeting.
• Do get creative. Done well, the introduction can be a time for you to have some fun and get attendees comfortable around one another. 
• Do use Fellow for your introduction meeting agenda . 

Meeting introduction steps and examples 

Ready to kickstart the meeting with an introduction that sets the tone? Here are four steps for leading a meeting introduction, plus how to apply them to both informal and formal settings.

• Start with an introduction
• Announce the subject and duration of the meeting
• Explain the purpose
• Explain why the participants were chosen to be there

1 Start with an introduction

It’s a good idea to start a virtual or in-person meeting by greeting everyone and introducing yourself. This can be especially helpful if there are attendees who may not know you because they’re new to the organization, or if you’re stepping in for someone else as the meeting facilitator . 

• Informal: Hi everybody, I’m [your name], [your role] at [company name]. Thanks for joining the call today! I know most of you, but there are a few new faces! I’m excited to get started.
• Formal: Hello everyone, and thanks for joining. My name is [your name], and I’m the [your role] at [company name]. I appreciate everyone’s punctuality at this meeting. Let’s get started.

2 Announce the subject and duration of the meeting

Next, you’ll want to make sure everyone is aware of the subject of the meeting so they have an understanding of what’s about to be discussed. You should also mention how long the meeting will last.

• Informal: We’re all here to discuss our very exciting upcoming product launch! This meeting should last about an hour.
• Formal: Today, we’re going to talk about our new product launch. The meeting will last an hour.

3 Explain the purpose

Once the subject matter and duration have been established, touch on the purpose of the meeting . The last thing you’ll want is for attendees to be unsure why the meeting is taking place. Even though you should have had a clear purpose outlined in the agenda sent out before, it’s a good idea to remind everyone before the meeting gets started.

• Informal: When we’re done here today, we will have outlined a product launch schedule and assigned roles to everyone.
• Formal: Before this meeting concludes, a product launch schedule will have been established, in addition to everyone’s roles to make the launch a success.

4 Explain why the participants were chosen to be there

Finally, go over why all of the meeting participants were chosen to be there. You don’t necessarily need to go person by person, especially if the meeting has a high number of attendees, but a brief comment about who is meeting will suffice.

• Informal: You’re all here because everyone in this room/on this call will play a huge part in ensuring the product launch is a success!
• Formal: Everyone in attendance today will play an integral part in launching the product on time to our customers. 

You’re not limited to the IEEI framework, as there are other ways to start a meeting that can be considered. Consider these six alternatives if you’re looking for other ways to start a meeting. 

• Make use of meeting templates
• Leverage small talk
• Use icebreakers
• Reiterate ground rules
• Outline the objectives
• Share quick status updates

1 Make use of meeting templates

Get your meetings off to the right start by leveraging Fellow’s extensive library of expert-approved meeting templates , with pre-loaded meeting introduction sections for icebreakers or introductions. Check out our Remote Team Meeting Template or Hybrid Team Meeting Template to help you set a positive tone from the get-go.

2 Leverage small talk

People often roll their eyes when conversations veer into small talk—there are only so many times you can chat about the weather or your weekend plans. But small talk doesn’t have to be boring! Leveraging it the right way can help attendees know one another better.

Consider these outside-the-box small talk questions :

• Are you reading any good books right now?
• What’s your go-to comfort food?
• Would you rather have four ten-hour work days or five eight-hour work days?

Similar to an icebreaker, small talk is a great way to share a short conversation with attendees. 

3 Roll call

If the meeting you’re introducing is with a smaller group, taking attendance out loud is probably unnecessary. It’s likely that the person taking the meeting minutes will know everyone on a first-name basis and can note who is present and who isn’t in attendance.

If you’re leading a larger meeting that’s in person, you may choose to send around an attendance sheet. If someone vital to the matter being discussed is absent, it may be necessary to apologize for their absence and provide a short explanation as to why they’re not there. 

An example of this is: You’ll probably notice that [name of CEO] isn’t here today as they were called away on business.

4 Use icebreakers

You can also lean on icebreakers to start a meeting. These team-building questions can foster trust and build psychological safety with one another. There are a ton of options you can choose from! Some of our favorites are:

• What are your hobbies outside of work?
• What is your favorite thing to cook?
• What is your favorite reality TV show?
• Where is your dream vacation?
• Where is your favorite sit-down restaurant? 

You may be surprised by the attendees’ answers!

5 Reiterate ground rules

You can also start the meeting off by reminding everyone of the meeting ground rules . These are the standards or guidelines set up ahead of time that the attendees should follow for the meeting to be as productive and successful as possible. 

Some examples of meeting ground rules are:

• State your name before you begin speaking
• Stay 100% focused during the meeting by avoiding incoming emails, direct messages, and text messages
• Never interrupt the individual who is speaking or sharing a point
• Come prepared with action items to discuss with the team
• Stay on topic to allow enough time for everything on the agenda
• Have your camera on when it’s your turn to speak during a virtual meeting

6 Outline the objectives

Another alternative is to include an outline of the meeting objectives during the introduction. It’s far too common for attendees to join a meeting feeling like they have no idea what’s about to be discussed and what they’re expected to bring to the table. Establishing clear and concise objectives before a meeting starts can help avoid this confusion.

Some examples of how you can outline the objective during the meeting introduction are:

• “Thanks for joining this meeting! Today’s objective is to create a plan of action surrounding the new recruiting strategy for open positions that we’re looking to hire for this quarter.”
• “Thank you everyone for being on time for today’s meeting. The objective today is to develop a new plan to reduce customer churn in the second half of the year.”
• “Hi everyone! Thanks for joining on time. The objective today is to plan for the upcoming holiday party and discuss the theme, menu, and yearly awards.”

7 Share quick status updates

Finally, sharing quick but informative status updates is another great way to start things off. Depending on how many people are in attendance, you can have everyone share two to three sentences about where they are on a project or initiative or, for larger meetings, have the leader of each team or department share pertinent updates on a need-to-know basis. This keeps everyone informed and accountable for what is being worked on by each team.

Too often, meeting hosts start sessions by diving straight into the first meeting agenda item. An ineffective beginning can set a negative tone for the remainder of the meeting, which is why it’s so important to start the meeting on the right foot. 

At the start of each session, the host should state the purpose of the meeting, quickly review the agenda, and ask participants if they have any questions. One way leaders can learn how to address a meeting is by incorporating the IEEI framework into each group session. 

IEEI stands for Inform, Excite, Empower, and Involve. Use this abbreviation as a reminder of what to include in the opening of your meeting remarks. 

At the beginning of the meeting, the host should inform attendees of the purpose of the meeting and the objective the group is striving to achieve. Let participants know why they’re there and what the group will have once the meeting is done to keep everyone on track. The start of the meeting should help participants understand why they’re in attendance and how their contributions during the session will help the group achieve its goals. 

If helpful, you can use an opening line like, “The purpose of this meeting is to… At the end of the meeting, I want the group to have achieved…” to set the tone. 

In the second part of your meeting introduction, let attendees know why they should care about the topic at hand. Without excitement, morale and engagement may be low. in your opening remarks and meeting greetings, strive to use the words “you” and “your” multiple times in your opening remarks to indicate what’s in it for your participants. 

Here is an example of opening remarks you can give as the host to excite the attendees:

• “Hello everyone! Thank you for joining me this morning to discuss our team’s hiring process. The purpose of the meeting is to simplify our recruiting process. When the meeting ends, this group will have three key OKRs to simplify our overall hiring process, a game plan for how to speed up our hiring moving forward, and a step-by-step process to procure new recruitment software. This is exciting because if we achieve these meeting objectives, this team will walk away with a newly simplified hiring process to make our work more efficient!”

In the third step of the IEEI framework, ensure that all attendees are clear of the power they hold while in the meeting space. Empowering your teammates and stakeholders will encourage them to speak up and offer their thoughts, ideas, and insights. While you shouldn’t be corny, offering a simple, empowering statement in your opening remarks can be beneficial. 

Here are a few meeting introduction ideas you can use to empower your meeting attendees:

• “You’re all here because your manager thought you were the best employees to work on this specific project. I’m really looking forward to hearing your thoughts on how we can move forward today and reach our goals!”
• “Our team is looking to all of you for your candid feedback and expertise on how we can ensure this new initiative is a success.”
• “Senior management is looking to this group to create recommendations that will guide the company’s mission and values into the future.”

The final step of the framework is to involve attendees in the meeting conversation early so they are eager to participate throughout. At this stage, the meeting host should ask a question tied to the meeting’s objective . The goal of this step is to create an open and collaborative environment for everyone to contribute. 

Here are a few examples of involvement questions you can ask meeting attendees:

• “If we’re going to achieve the outlined objective, there are a few key issues we should address in advance. Let’s have a conversation about these. In order to be successful today, what specifically must we address first?”
• “Now that you understand what we hope to achieve today, what other outcomes would you like to see come out of today’s session?”
• “It’s been a while since we’ve had a group session. Let’s begin by going around the table and having everyone give a quick one-minute update.”
• “What would make you say, “That was an amazing meeting!” at the end of this session?” 

If you regularly lead team meetings or 1-on-1s, learning how to start a meeting impactfully is crucial. To take your meeting introductions to the next level, leverage Fellow as your all-in-one meeting management software. Fellow offers AI-generated meeting agendas and custom recommendations to help you craft thoughtful and impactful introductions.

With our extensive library of expert-approved meeting templates , complete with designated introduction sections and icebreakers, you can set an engaging tone right from the start. You can also gather insights post-meeting with the meeting feedback feature on how the introductions and the overall meeting were perceived. This allows for continuous improvement of the meeting process. Start optimizing your meeting habits today!

Cross-Functional Meetings: Best Practices to Get Them Right 6 min read

Staff Meeting Agenda Blueprint: Best Practices and Checklist 8 min read

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42 Conference Opening Remarks Examples 

By: Grace He | Updated: December 01, 2023

Here is our list of the best conference opening remarks examples.

Conference opening remarks examples are statements that introduce your meeting to attendees. Examples include serious opening conference remarks, funny opening conference remarks, and inspirational opening conference remarks. The purpose of these remarks is to set the tone for your conference while welcoming attendees to the meeting and introducing your topics for discussion.

These ideas are similar to examples of opening and closing remarks for meetings , check-in questions for team meetings , and team building programs .

This list includes:

• short opening remarks for a program
• opening remarks for a virtual conference
• serious opening conference remarks
• funny opening conference remarks
• inspirational opening conference remarks

Let’s get to it!

List of conference opening remarks examples

From short messages to inspirational remarks, here are our top opening statements for conferences.

Short opening remarks for a program

• On behalf of our hosts, welcome to our conference! We have an engaging lineup of topics and activities for the day. Without further ado, let’s jump right into it!
• Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking the time to attend our conference today. We look forward to a fun and engaging time together.
• Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to our conference. Today, we will learn about team building, company culture, and employee engagement. Let’s get started!
• Greetings! Today’s conference is all about team building, and we are so excited to have you here with us today!
• Hi, team. Thank you all for taking time out of your schedules to join our conference today! We know many of you are busy, so we truly appreciate the effort to attend.
• Hi, we’re so glad to see all of your smiling faces at our conference today. Let’s have a great time!
• Hello, team. We are so glad to have you at our event today! We have exciting news and company updates to share, and we cannot wait to get started.
• Welcome to our event! Please know that you are in for a fun and action-packed day. You can refer to the agenda to stay on track with our activities and sessions. Without further ado, let’s get started!
• Good afternoon, all! We are so thrilled to have you join us for today’s conference. Thank you for attending, and we hope to have a great event.
• Hi, everyone! Thank you for joining today’s program. Let’s have a great time together!

Opening remarks for a virtual conference

• Good morning to all of our virtual conference attendees! We are so glad you could join us today. Before we get started, we would like to thank you for clearing your schedules to attend our event. Thanks to video conferencing technology, we are able to meet with so many colleagues, regardless of location and time zones. We promise to make this event worth your while and are very excited to get started!
• Greetings to all of our online conference attendees! We are so pumped that you could join us on Zoom today from around the world. Technology plays a major role in allowing us to get together while being so far apart. We could not be more excited to get started with our event.
• We want to start our conference by giving a big virtual high-five to all of the team members joining us. Hello! You are in for an exciting and action-packed event today. First, we will discuss critical company updates. Next, we will review new HR processes that benefit all employees. Last, we will open up the virtual floor for a roundtable discussion and Q&A session where you can voice your opinions and ask questions.
• Hi, team! Thank you for your enthusiasm in joining our virtual conference today. It is so great to see you all on camera and in your home offices. Before starting today’s program, we have a few special announcements to go over. We will also have a special guest speaker joining us later in the day to talk about innovation and creativity in tech. This speaker is a well-known figure in the tech space. Can you guess our special guest’s name? Well, you will just have to wait and find out!
• Greetings, cyber crew! How great is technology? We are all here joining the same conference from different places worldwide. Remote work is the future, and we are so glad we could host this event virtually. As we go through the conference, please refer to our agenda to follow along. The agenda deck will help you remain aware of which sessions to attend. If you have any questions or are experiencing technical issues, please stop by our virtual IT helpdesk. We have a team of experts on standby, ready to help you troubleshoot any and all tech issues.
• Welcome, everyone, to our virtual conference. We would like to sincerely thank you all for joining us today from your home offices around the world. Please follow along with our event agenda, and do not hesitate to reach out to our virtual IT helpdesk with any questions or troubleshooting needs. Once again, thank you for your attendance, participation, and engagement!
• Hello, and welcome to our conference! Although our event is virtual, we have worked hard to make this year’s conference as fun and engaging as possible. We hope you find today’s program rewarding and insightful.
• Just because you are not physically near your teammates does not mean you have to give up on building real relationships. Today, I want to share with you all the secrets to team building while working in a virtual setting.

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Serious opening conference remarks

• I would like to extend a warm welcome to those who could attend our conference today. We are constantly experiencing changes and innovations in technology and strategy, so it is important to host conferences like this to keep us all in the loop. Let’s begin this meeting by reviewing our notes from the last session.
• What keeps us healthy as we go through life? If you were going to invest in your future self, where would you put your time and energy?

• So, I know the secret to getting anything you want in life.

• As all of you are aware, we are in the midst of a crisis like no other.

• Thank you all for joining us today. As one of the event organizers, I am pleased to have the opportunity to speak with each and every one of you today. Conferences like this play a critical role in bringing teams together when necessary. Although it is no easy task, we are grateful for the opportunity.
• Hi, team, and welcome to today’s conference. The purpose of this event is to get our employees engaged and active. We have invited guest speakers and professionals in the field to discuss the importance of diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. Please remain attentive throughout the event and leave any questions until the end of the presentation. Thank you in advance for your cooperation and participation.
• As I’m sure you all know, our company is undergoing some major changes. We wanted to call this conference to discuss what the future looks like for employees as well as the company as a whole. Please hold any questions for the end, as we may cover what you’re wondering about.
• Hi, everyone. We have decided to call this conference to discuss the upcoming merger and the redundancies within the new firm. We have a plan in place to keep as many of you on board as possible, and we’d like to review that with you today.
• Thank you all so much for taking the time to attend this conference. As you may be aware, our firm is facing a lawsuit. We have laid out everything we know about it along with what we plan to do moving forward. Please refer to the agenda to help us stay on track as we cover the details.
• Hi, team, and thank you for being here. We have organized this conference to discuss harassment in the workplace. This information will show you what harassment may look like and how to respond if you believe it is happening to you. If anyone needs a break at any point, please feel free to step out and rejoin the group when you are ready.

Funny opening conference remarks

• As I was getting ready for today’s meeting, I realized that there’s one thing you and I have in common: neither of us knows what I’m going to talk about today.
• I want to tell you the story of a man who started a new job at a new company. When he met his supervisor, the two hit it off immediately. The supervisor was always there to answer any questions and clear up any confusion for the new hire. In fact, the two got along so well that the supervisor said to the employee, “Don’t think of me as a boss, but rather as a friend who is always right and never wrong.”
• As I was preparing my speech for today, my partner gave me some great advice: “Don’t try to be too charming, intellectual, or funny. Just be yourself!”
• What is the top way to ruin a Friday, you ask? Remembering it’s only Thursday.
• I don’t always trust people who have squeaky clean work desks. Do you know why? Well, because a clean desk is usually a sign of messy desk drawers—or worse, a cluttered mind.
• Staring at my computer screen, I couldn’t help but say to my boss, “Wow, this show is so boring!” To which my boss responded, “That’s because this is a Zoom meeting.”
• Do you hate it when a person answers their own questions? I certainly do. Don’t worry. That’s the only time I’ll answer my own questions during today’s conference. Is it really? Yes. Maybe.
• I gave a speech last week. Afterward, my boss came up to me and said I was both original and good. However, the original parts were not good, and the good parts were not original. So, I have some work to do.
• What do you call a meeting for the Knights of the Round Table? A sir conference.
• Synergy. Collaboration. Team building. You will hear a lot of corporate buzzwords today. Throughout today’s event, just remember: don’t sweat the small stuff.

Inspirational opening conference remarks

• You may have heard the saying, “There is no ‘I’ in teamwork.” This statement holds true, especially as we gather today for our annual company conference. This team excels in working together to achieve our collective goals. Teamwork and team building are critical to our success as a company, so thank you for all of your contributions. Now, let’s build on this positive momentum and keep reaching toward success!
• One of the most inspirational quotes I can think of comes from American author and poet Maya Angelou. She said, “You can only become truly accomplished at something you love. Don’t make money your goal. Instead, pursue the things you love doing, and then do them so well that people can’t take their eyes off you.” This quote makes me think of the goals and material objects many people chase today. I want you to ask yourselves: what truly makes you happy? Money and materials, or a life well lived?
• Opportunities do not just fall into place. Many times, you have to create your own opportunities and work hard to achieve your goals. If you face obstacles along the way, then these roadblocks simply serve as tests to show how hard you are willing to work toward your goals. I advise you not to let these obstacles get in the way of your success. Think about how far you are willing to go in order to reach your goals.
• When you love what you do, you will never work a day in your life. During today’s conference, we are going to talk about how to reach a point where you feel happy and accomplished at work. We will also discuss how we, as a company, can do better to keep our employees satisfied and engaged each day.
• I would like to begin the conference by saying thank you to all of our attendees. I feel honored and privileged to be addressing you today. Before we begin, I would like to pose a question to the audience: what personal accomplishment are you most proud of? Think about your answer and reflect for a moment. Now, remember how you felt when you accomplished this action. I want each of you to save that feeling and use it as your main source of motivation when you are facing obstacles.
• “The power of one, if fearless and focused, is formidable, but the power of many working together is better.” These wise words from Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, serve as a great reminder of the importance of teamwork and persistence.
• Today, we are here to celebrate our collective accomplishments as a team. Your hard work does not go unnoticed, and we are so fortunate to have each of you on this team. Each member of this team inspires me to work hard and accomplish greatness. Today, we celebrate you all.

Conference opening remarks are crucial in setting the tone for your meeting. For example, positive remarks can motivate attendees to engage more actively with the material. Serious remarks, on the other hand, can signal to attendees that the conference’s subject matter is more somber or significant in tone.

We recommend using your opening remarks to alert attendees to your conference’s main topic or theme. You can also share your meeting agenda and encourage participants to follow along throughout the event. Opening remarks create the perfect opportunity to give team members a warm welcome and introduction to start your event on the right foot.

Next, check out team building quotes for work and team building activities for conference calls . You can also check out our team building meeting guide .

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FAQ: Conference opening remarks examples

Here are answers to common questions about conference opening remarks examples.

What are conference opening remarks?

Conference opening remarks are opening statements, introductions, and sayings to welcome attendees to your event. These remarks can add an element of organization to your event by giving participants an idea of the topics and themes you will cover.

What are good examples of conference opening remarks?

Conference opening remarks are important in setting the tone for your meeting while keeping participants engaged. The best conference opening remarks should motivate and inspire attendees to pay close attention and participate in your event.

For example, your conference opening remarks can include an overview of the event’s agenda, motivational quotes, or reasons for your meeting.

How do you write a good opening address for a conference?

Writing a good opening address for a conference can be difficult. To simplify the process, we recommend restating critical information and reminding attendees of the event’s agenda. Your opening remarks should give participants a better understanding of the goal and purpose of your event.

Author: Grace He

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com. Grace is the Director of People & Culture at teambuilding.com. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com.

Grace is the Director of People & Culture at teambuilding.com. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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So, you've been asked to give a short welcome speech for an event. Congratulations! And now you want to be doubly sure you get it right. The right content. The right tone. Plus, the right length!

You'll find everything here you need to do that easily, from start to finish. 

Jump in. You are just three steps away from a completed welcome speech. Shall we start?

The fastest and best way to get your speech done is to:

• skim read this page to get an overview of the speech writing process, ( the welcome speech template and the planner you're going to use), to  read the example welcome speech , and to find out more about the function of a welcome speech and the importance of its tone .
• then download, print and complete the welcome speech planner .
• and lastly, use the notes you made in the planner to write your welcome speech . To help with that, you can download and print the outline of my example welcome speech to use.  Edit, and add your information to make the speech your own.

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The welcome speech template

To be effective your welcome speech needs to meet expected, as well as any specific, requirements dictated by the occasion.

The 6 standard welcome speech content ingredients

There are six common or standard content items in a good welcome speech.

• Greetings to welcome everyone and thanking them for coming along.
• Acknowledgement of special guests, if there are any.
• An introduction of the event itself and a brief overview of special highlights the audience will want to know about.
• Any important housekeeping information, for instance: where the bathrooms are, where lunch will be served and when...
• An introduction for the next speaker, if there is one.
• Thanking everyone for coming once more and then concluding having made everybody feel at ease, eagerly anticipating what is to come.

Numbers 1, 3, and 6 are basic essentials you cannot do without. Numbers 2, 4 and 5 may, or may not, be applicable. Pick what you need from them to fit your occasion.

Short sample welcome speech for a conference 

Now let's put all six ingredients into an example of a short welcome speech to open a conference that you can adapt for your own speech.

* (This speech is pure fiction! I made it up to show you how it's done. You'll see its tone is formal rather than informal to fit the occasion. I don't think there is a group called Parents United. However, there are others with a similar mission: 10 Inspiring Organizations that Promote Literacy and Education .)  

Example welcome speech - "Readers by Right"

"Sue-Ellen Thomas, Jim Smith, Jane Brown and all of our guests, good morning!

My name is April Molloy, and it's my privilege and great pleasure on behalf of Parents United to welcome you all here today.

We are delighted to have you with us to participate and share in this special occasion, our 5th annual Children's Day Conference. Thank you for coming. That many of you have willingly traveled long distances to be here serves as a reminder to us all just how important our work is.

Parents United is committed to actively raising the quality of life for every child. We want all children, regardless of race, creed or circumstance to achieve their full potential. Our task is to make it possible. Our mission is to provide practical, step by step assistance.

This year our theme is literacy. We've named the day 'Readers by Right'.

Thanks to the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, we are aware of 'rights' in many spheres, including education.  Article 26 declared it should be compulsory and free for children.

That goal is as pertinent today as it was then. And it's a goal I know we all share - the full development of every child. As a body, Parents United recognizes good reading skills established in childhood as the foundation of fulfilling, and ongoing education.

We are honored to have Sue-Ellen Thomas, Jim Smith and Jane Brown with us today. All three are esteemed specialists in teaching young children to read.

Sue-Ellen has worked for a long time with educational authorities to establish programs putting in place necessary pre-reading skills. Her hard work needs no introduction. The results speak for themselves.

Jim and Jane bring their passion, and knowledge of how to reach those in our communities who are frequently overlooked or bypassed. Their work among disadvantaged English-as-a-second-language families has bridged gaps that were deep dark chasms.

Prepare yourself to be challenged, excited and inspired.

And before I handover to Lesley Watts, our coordinator for 'Readers by Right', who will outline the day's various events, I want to say once more on behalf of the Parents United organizing committee, welcome. It's wonderful to see so many of you here." 

Get your welcome speech started

To shortcut wondering, "Should I say this?" or "Maybe I should say that?" and "Then again there's also ...", I have a very simple solution for you.

Get yourself a printable welcome speech planner

Download and print my  special greeting address planner .

It covers ALL the necessary ingredients that go into preparing a successful welcome speech. It's simple to use and easily filled out. Once it's done, writing your speech will be a lot less hassle as you'll have the core content ready to work with.

Writing your welcome speech

Tips to help you get your speech right.

When you're entering information into your speech planner:

• ensure you've got all the names of individuals or special guests you need to mention specifically and, that you know how to pronounce each of them. Also check that you know and use their preferred pronouns: them/they, she/her, he/him...
• double check the remarks you're going to make about them, or anything else, are factually correct.

Use your introduction of your guests/or the event, as a "teaser" for what is going to come. It will help create anticipation in the audience. Don't ruin it by giving too much away! Just enough to tempt and no more.

Keep it brief. One to two minutes is generally sufficient.

(The word count of my sample welcome speech is 357. It will take approximately 2 minutes to say .) 

Use the S-S-S formula for success: Short, Simple and Sincere. Your listeners will appreciate it.

Get a printable welcome speech outline

If you would like to use and adapt the structure I used in my sample speech as the foundation for your welcome speech, click the link to download the printable: welcome speech outline .

Then edit; delete, amend and add, until you are done.

Get a hand with vocabulary

If you're stuck for words, here's a large selection of  adaptable welcoming phrases with example s entences.  Reading through them could help you to find exactly what you want.

What does a good welcome speech do?

An effective welcome speech has three important functions. It:

• signals the official beginning of an event . It says to the audience, hush, sit down, stop talking and listen. What you came for is starting!
• sets the tone for the occasion through the choice of language used . For example, using light-hearted and informal words to welcome guests to a dear friend's birthday party may be completely appropriate.  However, the same type of language to welcome family and friends to a memorial service is unlikely to be. In that setting, people generally expect a more solemn and formal word choice. They could be deeply offended and think the use of casual language is disrespectful.  Understanding and getting tone right is a key element in the overall success of your welcome speech.  
• unites the audience . It draws everyone together in the common purpose at the heart of the occasion. For example, at a birthday party, the welcome speech invites everyone to join in celebrating the person whose birthday it is. The welcome speech opening a specialist conference will affirm its principal purpose: the coming together of people with mutual interests to meet and share new knowledge. Or if a welcome speech is given to newcomers in a workplace, club or educational setting, its purpose is to give an introductory overview of how things work to help them feel more at ease in their new situation - to help them develop a sense of belonging.

Getting the tone right for an event

What is tone.

Tone is the combined impact of the words chosen to express something, with how they are structured and, delivered.  All three elements come together to create tone * . 

Get tone wrong, and your welcome speech is a disaster.

Get it right, and it's a triumph!

(Yes, that's hyperbole but I'm sure you get the idea. ☺)

* Tone - a mood, quality or feeling

How to choose the right words

The beginning of getting tone right is to think about your audience and the event itself. Your goal is to unite and bring them together in the main purpose at the core of the occasion. What type of language will do that most appropriately and easily?

To answer that question, think about the common interest everybody shares - the principal reason behind them getting together.  It will help guide your language choice.

Is it a fun event like a birthday party for close friends and family? If so, then informal language is likely to be the most apt.

You might hear something along the lines of: "Well, here we all are! The big day has finally arrived. Jean-Marie is 50! Half a century! How on earth did that happen?"

If it's a remembrance service for someone who has recently died, the language you're likely to hear is more formal.

For example: "Friends, family, colleagues, thank you for joining us today to celebrate and give thanks for our dear Jean-Marie. Your presence is gratefully appreciated." 

What is appropriate? What is expected?  Do spend some time thinking tone through. Misunderstanding and getting it wrong can be very embarrassing for everyone. If in doubt, ask someone whose opinion you trust.

Related helpful pages

Help rehearsing your welcome speech.

Get  step by step instructions on how to rehearse  including how to make and use cue cards.

And please do rehearse. It makes a huge difference! You'll sound, and look better. Taking the time to rehearse shows respect for yourself, the audience and the event. Truly.

Help to manage pre-speech jitters

Nervous? If you're shaking in your boots at the thought of having to speak in front of an audience, click  overcoming public speaking fear  for assistance. Take your time. The page has 14 tried and tested suggestions to consider.

Help with other types of welcome speeches

Or perhaps you need  welcome to the family speeches   or a  church welcome speech sample ? Click the links to find easily adaptable examples.

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How to Make a Welcome Speech: A Step-by-Step Guide

Welcome speeches can set the tone for any event, creating a warm and inclusive atmosphere. whether you are hosting a conference, seminar, or social gathering, crafting an engaging welcome speech is crucial. in this step-by-step guide, we will take you through the process of creating a memorable welcome speech that leaves a lasting impression on your audience..

• Step 1: Understand the Purpose of Your Welcome Speech

Before diving into the content, it is essential to understand the purpose of your welcome speech. Is it to introduce the event, welcome attendees, or build excitement? Clarifying the main objective will help you structure your speech effectively.

• Step 2: Research Your Audience

Knowing your audience is vital when crafting a welcome speech. Research their demographics, interests, and backgrounds. This will enable you to personalize your speech and connect with your listeners on a deeper level.

• Step 3: Begin with a Captivating Opener

The first few sentences of your welcome speech are critical in grabbing your audience’s attention. Consider using a compelling story, an interesting fact, or a thought-provoking question to capture their interest right from the start.

• Step 4: Express Gratitude and Appreciation

Show your gratitude towards the attendees for taking the time to join your event. Recognize any sponsors, volunteers, or team members who contributed to its success. Expressing appreciation creates a positive atmosphere and fosters a sense of community.

• Step 5: Set the Tone and Outline the Agenda

Clearly communicate the purpose of the event and what attendees can expect throughout the event. Provide a brief overview of the agenda, highlighting key activities or speakers. This helps your audience understand the event flow and builds anticipation.

• Step 6: Establish Connection and Shared Purpose

Inspire your audience by establishing a connection between the event’s purpose and the attendees. Share anecdotes, personal experiences, or examples that create a sense of unity and emphasize the significance of their presence.

• Step 7: Recognize and Introduce Key Figures

If there are notable individuals present at the event, take a moment to recognize and introduce them to the audience. This includes guest speakers, VIPs, or anyone who holds a respected position related to the event’s theme. Be sure to highlight their achievements briefly.

• Step 8: End with a Memorable Closing

Bring your welcome speech to a close with a powerful ending that leaves a lasting impact. You can summarize the key points, deliver a final inspirational message, or encourage the audience to actively participate and engage throughout the event.

• Step 9: Practice, Polish, and Time Your Speech

Rehearsing your welcome speech is essential for a smooth delivery. Practice in front of a mirror, friends, or record yourself to fine-tune your presentation. Pay attention to your tone, pace, and body language. Ensure your speech fits within the allocated time to avoid rushing or dragging the opening of your event.

• Step 10: Evaluate and Seek Feedback

Once your welcome speech is delivered, take the time to reflect and evaluate your performance. Ask for feedback from attendees or colleagues to gain insights and improve for future events. Continuous improvement is key to becoming an excellent public speaker.

By following this step-by-step guide, you’ll be well-prepared to create a captivating and engaging welcome speech. So go ahead and make a memorable first impression at your next event!

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Welcome Speech for a Business Conference

Navigating the complex business world requires skill, connections, shared knowledge, and collaboration. So, when the time comes for professionals to gather and share insights, the role of setting the tone for the entire event becomes pivotal. A welcome speech for a business conference does exactly that.

In an ever-evolving business landscape, professionals often feel isolated or overwhelmed by the rapid pace of change. This can lead to missed opportunities, outdated practices, and business failures.

By starting a conference with the right energy and focus, a well-crafted welcome speech ensures that participants are engaged, informed, and ready to collaborate toward future successes.

What is a Conference Welcome Speech?

First impressions are everything in business. There’s more to a conference welcome speech than just an introduction; it’s the bridge connecting diverse attendees. A welcome speech at a conference is the lighthouse, guiding attendees through the event’s ethos and objectives. It intertwines the themes of the gathering, ensuring participants align their focus and energy effectively. With carefully chosen words, it not only welcomes but also motivates, driving home the significance of collaboration.

The effectiveness of such a speech often sets the tone for the event’s success. It requires a fine balance of inspiration and information. Crafting this pivotal message involves understanding the audience, the conference’s goals, and the broader industry context, ensuring a lasting impact from the start.

Purpose of Business Conference

A conference plays a pivotal role in the intricate tapestry of the business world. They serve as a focal point for the exchange of ideas, collaboration, and growth. Before you attend an international business conference , it’s better if you know about the conference’s purpose. So here are the purposes of a business conference:

Knowledge Dissemination

Conferences facilitate the spread of industry-specific insights. Experts share their experiences, offering attendees a fresh perspective. This collective learning boosts overall industry standards.

Networking Opportunities

Such gatherings are a melting pot of professionals. Attendees can connect with potential partners, clients, or mentors. These relationships often lead to collaborations and business ventures.

Trend Identification

Staying updated is crucial in a dynamic business environment. Conferences highlight emerging trends and practices. Early adaptors can then leverage these insights for competitive advantage.

Skill Enhancement

Beyond just knowledge, skill-building is a key conference takeaway. Workshops and seminars offer hands-on learning experiences. Participants can directly apply these new skills in their workspaces.

Feedback and Evaluation

Presenting ideas at conferences invites feedback. Peer reviews and discussions help refine these ideas further. This iterative process aids in innovation and product development.

Business conferences are more than just meetings . They’re a catalyst for industry growth, personal development, and collective advancement.

Welcome Speech at a Business Conference

In the heart of industry evolution, international business conferences stand as beacons of learning and networking. The welcome speech of a business conference is equally important to hold the interest of its audiences. Here’s an example of a welcome speech for a business conference:

Together, we’re here to mold the future. Welcoming you all today is a profound honor. This gathering isn’t just an event; it’s a milestone in our ongoing journey of growth and achievement. Here, partnerships form, strategies evolve, and paths toward sustainable success are carved.

Our agenda is packed with enlightening sessions, each designed to challenge conventional thinking. We’re set to explore new horizons, tapping into a wealth of knowledge unprecedented in its breadth and depth. Through engaging dialogue, we’ll uncover trends, embracing the transformative power of collective wisdom.

In these halls, every conversation counts. Let’s engage, connect, and inspire. Together, we’re not just attending a conference; we’re building the business landscape of tomorrow.

Essential Elements of a Welcome Speech

Crafting a potent welcome speech involves more than just words. It’s about weaving sentiment with purpose, setting the stage for the event. Here’s a breakdown of its essential elements:

• Audience Acknowledgment : Recognizing attendees is fundamental. It creates a sense of belonging and sets an inclusive tone.
• Purpose Clarification : Every speech should clarify its intent. Clearly stating the event’s purpose ensures alignment and focus.
• Personal Connection : Injecting personal anecdotes or stories engages listeners. It makes the speech more relatable and authentic.
• Appreciation Expression : Gratitude deepens the connection with the audience. Acknowledging their time and participation fosters goodwill.
• Encouragement to Engage : Prompting active involvement enhances the event’s impact. Attendees who engage more, benefit more.

How to Structure a Welcome Speech for a Business Conference?

A compelling welcome speech for a business conference is akin to constructing a bridge between the event’s goals and its participants. This bridge ensures engagement alignment and sets the tone for the proceedings. Let’s explore a structured approach to make this bridge sturdy and impactful.

Step 1: Understand the Audience

First, gauge who’s attending the conference. Knowing their backgrounds and expectations aids in customizing the speech. Tailored content resonates deeper and creates a stronger connection.

Step 2: Highlight the Purpose

Every event has a core objective. Clearly elucidate the purpose of the conference. This sets expectations and ensures that participants align their focus right from the start.

Step 3: Introduce the Theme

Every conference usually has a central theme or topic. Introduce this theme succinctly. This provides a roadmap for the sessions and discussions that will follow.

Step 4: Incorporate Personal Touch

A speech with personal anecdotes or experiences feels authentic. Sharing a relevant story or experience captivates attention. It helps bridge the formal ambiance with a human touch.

Step 5: Express Gratitude

Acknowledgment fosters goodwill. Thank the attendees for their presence and contribution. Expressing appreciation highlights the value they bring to the conference.

With these steps as a guide, your welcome speech will not only initiate the event but also set the pace, tone, and trajectory for the entire conference.

Final Brief

In the vibrant tableau of corporate assemblies, a welcome speech for a business conference stands as a foundational pillar. These speeches, when executed adeptly, function as more than mere introductions. They represent the heartbeat of the event, encapsulating its essence and direction.

They navigate attendees through the maze of information, facilitating connections, fostering learning, and illuminating new frontiers. Beyond the spoken word, these speeches embody gratitude, purpose, and a call for active participation.

The welcome speech is their compass as professionals venture into these gatherings, pointing them towards collaborative successes, fresh insights, and industry evolution. It’s an art, and mastering it ensures a conference’s success right from its inaugural note.

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Best Sample Welcome Speech for Corporate Event

The welcome speech is the spine of any corporate event. It pulls or repels the audience to tune in or run away before any special events start. These opening remarks are what sets the tone for your special guests.

Here, learn the best practices to make your welcome speech, or future welcome speeches, for any corporate event successful. This guide will also work if you’re a special guest somewhere for a special occasion. 

Below, you will see a sample speech written under headers. Those headers serve as a guide on the order of what to say and when to say it. I did all the hard work for you so you can use this as a template.

Then, I’ll share even more beyond the best welcome speeches and get into becoming a better public speaker and what it can do for you, your brand, and your business.

But first, here is a link to one of my most talked-about speeches titled Fake News: It’s Your Fault .

Sample Welcome Speech for a Corporate Event

Don’t know where to start on a welcome speech that impresses your listeners? Use the welcome speech guide below and tweak it to make it your own to ensure you start off on the right foot and with the right tone.

This is written in a more formal language that I use personally, but feel free to take it and turn it into its own. For the sake of making the main points in a short speech, I threw in a variety of examples. So, if you’re speaking to church members, your best students, or at an annual group meeting, keep that in mind as you read.

Start with a Salutation

A very pleasant good morning friends, good afternoon gentlemen, or good evening ladies to one and all,

Welcome Speech Introduction

Thank you for being with us today. From our oldest members who’ve been diligently supporting us since the beginning as well as every new face to our 7 th annual get-together, we extend a very warm welcome.

Show Appreciation

On behalf of my staff members, I sincerely thank and acknowledge every one of you who extended help to us for making this event a grand success.

(Include names of who want to thank.)

Trust us, all of this would’ve been just a dream if not for your hard work and immense support.

The Theme of the Event

Today, I would like to point your attention to our fresh faces in the volunteer category who are part of our Sunday service (include a date).

You are here today because we share a mutual passion. We are asking for your support and contributions to our organization to realize (specify the vision/mission of the company/association/firm).

We grow and scale successfully only with your dedication toward individual and group goals. You are an integral part of our success story and we need you as much as you need us.

In the coming months, you will learn and practice initiative programs via seminars and exclusive events designed to enhance your hands-on experience and professional skills.

The Conclusion

Lastly, without taking too much more of your time and without further ado, I call (insert the name of the first speaker) to introduce himself/herself to you as well as elaborate on the core details of ongoing and upcoming projects and contracts.

If you’re on the veranda, don’t hesitate to hit me up with a ‘Hi’ if you have any doubts. You’re all most welcome here (insert company name or a church name, for example).

Speaking on the main stage with Pat Flynn at Podcast Movement, 2019

5 Speech Writing and Giving Tips

This short welcome speech sample will help you create your own great welcome speech for the start of any special event.

What you just read is suited for formal events. When planning, it’s a good idea to have an overview of the event to determine if it’s a very formal event or if it’s laid back with more familiar faces.

You also need to know who will be there – new volunteers, new members, a chief guest, government officials, young children, etc. This way, you will keep in mind the different initiatives.

1. Outline the structure.

Obviously, this post is helpful in creating a structure, but I invite you to use what’s written above as an outline. Think of it as a helpful way to show what order to put things in. Then you can fill in the details, like a speech template for a welcome message or warm greeting.

When you’re doing this, remember the purpose of your speech as well as the tone of the event.

2. Flesh out the main ideas in your outline.

The main body of your speech is going to be different for every event and audience. Again, the example above is very formal.

Feel free to crack a joke or tell a story. (Jokes aren’t just for informal events!) Storytelling is what keeps people interested and it’s what they remember most in a speech. So, while you’re brainstorming, think of story examples for three to five points that can be made in your speech.

When you flesh out the main ideas, you get away from listeners thinking that the speech takes a long time because they’re enjoying the ride. Because storytelling is so important in having huge success as a speaker, I am including more strategies on how to incorporate this in your next talk after this section.

If you are allowed cue cards on the day of the event, this is where those new ideas would go. When I did my TEDx talk mentioned above, I wasn’t allowed cue cards but I used my slides as a reminder of what to say next and keep me on track.

You could do the same for things like remembering the names of individuals, ensuring you say the right words, calling out the name of the guest speaker, and other important information.

3. Edit and polish what you’ve written until you have a cohesive first draft of your speech.

A good welcome speech draft should live in your head. Don’t think of editing and polishing as something on paper. The last thing you want to see is a speaker reading from a piece of paper. The best way is to edit and polish in your mind so it becomes so familiar to you that you can speak off the cuff.

For my TEDx Talk shared above, I used an outline for the points I wanted to make in my talk. Then, I filled in the details with stories and added images to make it a bit more entertaining.

I never wrote what I was going to say word for word. When you do that and try to memorize it, you will end up either sounding like a robot (not conversational at all) or you’ll get lost after tripping up one word.

Remember, be conversational. It’s the best way to keep the audience’s attention.

Welcoming the audience at Together with the Royal, 2018

4. Practice.

While this can get repetitive, it’s so important to practice with notes to start, then without notes. For TEDx, my practice was to accomplish two things:

• Stay within the 7-8 minute set time limit
• Memorize the order of the points I wanted to make. As mentioned above, to make this easier, I used slides to remind me what point to make next. I also shared a few numbered points, like first, second, third, etc.

I would run through my talk a few times. Then the next day, I’d do it again. Wash, rinse, and repeat was my method for weeks.

5. Ask for Feedback.

If you want to give another effective welcome speech, it’s important to know what people did and did not like about the one you just presented.

Now, I’m one who does NOT like taking advice from the cheap seats. With that said, I’m not telling you to get professional speaking advice from someone who is not a professional speaker.

Instead, learn what people liked best, what was most exciting, where you lost them because things got boring, how they left feeling, etc.

Hosting The Balancing Act on Lifetime TV

How to Incorporate Storytelling in a Speech

While this post is about the best opening speech samples, it doubles as advice on becoming a great public speaker in general.

Public speaking is an art that requires skill, confidence, and the ability to captivate an audience. As mentioned above, one of the most powerful tools at a speaker’s disposal is storytelling. Stories have the unique ability to engage emotions, connect with people on a personal level, and leave a lasting impact.

Whether you’re trying to make a good first impression, giving a business presentation, a TED talk as I did, or a motivational speech, incorporating storytelling can elevate your speech to a whole new level.

Below are seven ways to effectively incorporate storytelling in a speech and unleash the power of narrative to engage and inspire your audience.

1. Start with a compelling opening.

To grab your audience’s attention from the beginning, begin your speech with a captivating story. This could be a personal anecdote, an intriguing historical event, or a relatable fictional tale.

The key is to choose a story that sets the tone for your speech and establishes a connection with your listeners. A strong opening story will pique curiosity and create anticipation for what’s to come.

2. Use stories to illustrate key points.

Instead of relying solely on facts and data, use stories to illustrate your main points. Stories provide context, add depth to your message, and make your ideas more memorable.

Consider using real-life examples, case studies, or even fictional narratives that convey the essence of your topic. By painting a vivid picture through storytelling, you enable your audience to visualize and internalize your message.

3. Make it personal.

Sharing personal stories can be incredibly powerful in building rapport with your audience. When appropriate, open up about your own experiences, challenges, and triumphs.

Personal stories create a sense of authenticity and vulnerability, allowing your listeners to connect with you on a deeper level. It helps build trust and credibility, making your speech more relatable and impactful.

Acting as a spokesperson for a national commercial

4. Create emotional resonance.

Emotions are a fundamental aspect of storytelling. To make your speech memorable, aim to evoke emotions in your audience. Craft your stories in a way that elicits empathy, humor, or inspiration.

By tapping into the emotional landscape of your listeners, you forge a stronger bond and ensure that your message lingers in their minds long after the speech is over.

5. Maintain a narrative structure.

A well-structured narrative keeps your audience engaged and makes your speech flow smoothly. Begin by setting the stage, introducing the characters or situation, building up the tension, and concluding with a resolution or a call to action.

This storytelling framework helps maintain the audience’s interest throughout your speech and ensures a satisfying and impactful conclusion.

6. Use sensory details.

Incorporate sensory details to make your stories more vivid and engaging. Describe sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures to transport your audience into the world of your narrative.

Engaging multiple senses helps create a richer and more immersive experience, making your speech more memorable and captivating.

7. Practice and refine.

Storytelling in a speech requires practice and refinement. I’ve already mentioned this in this post, but let me get more specific about what you need to pay attention to.

Pay attention to the pacing, timing, and delivery of your stories. Practice in front of a mirror, record yourself, or seek feedback from trusted individuals. Refine your stories, eliminate unnecessary details, and ensure that each one contributes to your overall message.

With practice, your storytelling skills will improve, and you’ll become a more confident and effective speaker.

TEDx in Boca Raton, 2018

If you want to learn more about giving great speeches and speaking in public, check out this blog post about Toastmasters . It’s a great way to network and become a seasoned public speaker.

Have you heard a persuasive speech that gave you a moment of great pleasure? Is there a keynote speech that stands out to you?

Maybe it’s a specific speaker or a successful welcome speech you saw trending on TikTok. Find me on Instagram at @ChristinaAllDay and let me know.

That’s really helpful guide. Appreciated yours!

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Opening a Meeting

Whether you are holding the meeting or attending the meeting it is polite to make small talk while you wait for the meeting to start. You should discuss things unrelated to the meeting, such as weather, family, or weekend plans.

Sample Dialogue:

Once everyone has arrived, the chairperson, or whoever is in charge of the meeting should formally welcome everyone to the meeting and thank the attendees for coming.

• Well, since everyone is here, we should get started.
• Hello, everyone. Thank you for coming today.
• I think we'll begin now. First I'd like to welcome you all.
• Thank you all for coming at such short notice.
• I really appreciate you all for attending today.
• We have a lot to cover today, so we really should begin.

Sample Welcome:

Pierre : I think we'll begin now. First I'd like to welcome you all and thank everyone for coming, especially at such short notice. I know you are all very busy and it's difficult to take time away from your daily tasks for meetings.

Introductions

If anyone at the meeting is new to the group, or if there is a guest speaker, this is the time when introductions should be made. The person in charge of the meeting can introduce the new person, or ask the person to introduce him or herself.

• I'd like to take a moment to introduce our new tour coordinator.
• I know most of you, but there are a few unfamiliar faces.
• Stella, would you like to stand up and introduce yourself?
• Hi everyone. I'm Judy Strauss. I'll be acting as Amanda's assistant while Nancy is away on maternity leave.

Roll Call/Apologies

If the meeting is a small group, it is probably unnecessary to take attendance out loud. The person who is taking the minutes will know everyone personally and can indicate who is present and who is absent. In a larger meeting, it may be necessary to send around an attendance sheet or call out names. If an important figure is absent, it may be necessary for the chairperson to apologize for his or her absence and offer a brief explanation for it.

• It looks like everyone is here today.
• If you notice anyone missing, please let Jane know so that she can make a note of it.
• Unfortunately, Ken cannot join us today. He has been called away on business
• Mike will be standing in to take the minutes today, as Lisa is home with the flu.

Some people who hold meetings prefer to pass around copies of the agenda, and others will post a large copy on a wall, or use an overhead projector. No matter which format is used, attendees should be able to follow the agenda as the meeting progresses. Before beginning the first main item on the agenda, the speaker should provide a brief verbal outline the objectives.

Sample Introduction to the Agenda:

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Writing an Effective Welcome Speech

• DESCRIPTION Two businessmen delivering a welcome speech
• PERMISSION ThinkStock

It is proper etiquette to welcome an individual or group to an organization or event with a welcome speech. Although it may be considered a formality, a welcome speech can make people feel supported and motivated.

When you're put in charge of greeting a new addition to your team or receiving attendees at a conference, you have to think carefully about writing an effective welcome speech. When you take the time to write one, you will instantly win over the support and affection of a crowd, no matter the occasion.

We give you some tips below on what to include in your welcome speech as well as some sample speeches for different occasions.

Formatting Your Welcome Speech

As a short, encouraging speech is preferable, keep it under five minutes. Any longer and people's interest may start to wane. To begin, you'll want to give a warm greeting. Next, move onto some background information about why you're all together on this day and finish with what will take place after the initial greetings are done.

This basic outline works for a welcome speech at any event:

• Greet everyone
• Remind them why you've gathered together
• Amp up the crowd

Business Organizations

• If this is a welcome address for a business organization, share some goals that will motivate and excite everyone about why they've gathered together.
• If you're introducing a new team member, encourage everyone to accept the new member(s) of the group. This will initiate bonding.
• Leave everyone energized about what's to come, using your welcome speech to start everything on a positive note.

Party, Special Event, or Conference

• If this is a welcome speech for a party, a special event, or a conference, be sure to welcome all the attendees and thank them for coming.
• Use this as an opportunity to amp up the crowd and get everyone excited for what's to come.
• If you're using this opportunity to make a special announcement or introduce a guest speaker, then you can move onto pertinent details that will inform the crowd about the benefit of your special announcement.

Sample Welcome Speeches

Of course, the format of your speech will depend upon the occasion. Let's take a look at three common occurrences where you might be tasked with rousing the crowd or making someone feel very welcome.

A Conference Kickoff

One of the best opportunities for a warm welcome speech is the kickoff to a conference, retreat, or other corporate event. The best time to deliver your speech is during the opening remarks. Here's a sample:

Look at all those smiling faces! Welcome, everybody! It's with tremendous pleasure that I welcome you to our first annual corporate conference. Larry, Heather, and I decided to create this three-day event as a way to gather everyone together and bond in a way that the everyday 9-to-5 doesn't permit. Over the next few days, we'll host workshops that'll help you hone in on the skills you've been interested in learning. But, more importantly, we'll spend valuable one-on-one time with each and every one of you so that you know your voice is not only being heard, but valued. We're going to dive right in and split into our workshops in just a moment. But, be sure you don't use up all your steam already because, tonight, we're going to take over the local mini-golf course and compete for a grand prize aboard Royal Carribean cruises. Not a bad excuse for putting in a few vacation days, right? Anyway, I can't express our gratitude enough. These next few days are going to be all about you because, let's face it, without you, there'd be no ABC Company. Alright! Here's Allison with the low down on where to go and which workshop to enjoy first. Looking forward to seeing everyone out there!

A New Member of the Team

Here is a sample welcome speech in a corporate environment where a new member is being introduced to a team:

Greetings, Team! Welcome to our first team meeting of the year! I want you to know how deeply appreciative I am for all the hard work and dedication you put forth each and every day. Because of your incredible diligence, we've been able to add a new member to our work family. Today, I'd like to introduce you to Abigail Young. She comes to us from an organization we all know and love - Writers' Haven. With over 15 years in the publishing industry, we're excited to welcome her to oversee and expand our team of editors. Her area of expertise pertains to the world of finance, but I know you'll enjoy working with her in all our initiatives. Together, let's give a resounding round of applause for the newest member of our team, and a new member of our dedicated work family. Welcome, Abigail!

A Special Guest Speaker

There may come a time when you have the opportunity to welcome someone to an event or conference, such as a motivational speaker or expert in the field. Here's a sample speech:

Hello everyone! I'm so excited to see your smiling faces at this year's team retreat! We're going to have an amazing weekend together. Just wait until we get to the team building event out on the lake! In the meantime, I have a very special guest I'd like to introduce to the group. Many of you may already know her by name. Ms. Rachel Lee is one of the most prolific self-development writers out there. Her books have had a tremendous impact on a lot of people, leading to more balanced personal and professional lives. She's prepared a short presentation containing some very helpful tips that each and every one of us can benefit from. So, let's give a warm round of applause for Ms. Rachel Lee!

Making the Speech Effective

Everything in life can be a little bit smoother with research. No matter the occasion for the welcome speech, do a little research beforehand so you can prepare everyone with solid information for what is to come.

Get people's names right : If you're addressing anyone in particular, make sure you get their titles and names correct, including how to pronounce their names correctly.

Use the right tone for your audience : Is it a formal or informal gathering? The success of your speech will be dependent on striking the right tone. You're ramping up the crowd, but if it's a serious event you don't want to get too effusive. If it's a fun event you don't want to be stiff or seem like you're reading off a monotonous list of "fun facts."

Be brief : Your goal is to get everyone excited about what's to come, not explain everything that will happen in detail. It can be annoying and frustrating to listen to a long, drawn-out speech that will only spoil future events, meetings, and ideas.

What to Avoid in Your Speech

It's just as important to know what not to include in your speech if you want to leave people inspired.

Don't give too much detail : Since this is a basic, general welcome, try to steer clear of detailed information. Your speech should serve as a blanketed welcome to everyone in the crowd. Now's not the time to address specific matters but, rather, to address everyone in the audience and make them feel welcome and wanted.

Don't talk for too long : A welcome speech is short and sweet. Deliver the grand welcome, thank everyone for gathering together, and offer a few breadcrumbs that will get everyone excited.

Don't use offensive language : In the spirit of keeping everyone excited and optimistic, be sure to steer clear of any jokes or comments that could be considered profane or in poor taste .

Engage Your Audience

Deliver your speech when people will be most attentive. If you're welcoming or introducing someone to the group, do it when everything is just starting and people are gathering. This being said, you shouldn't have to work too hard to engage your audience.

Be sincere : Your sincerity should shine through and remind everyone why they should be excited to be there.

Keep a positive, upbeat attitude: Your speech should feel authentic and honest. Remain friendly and courteous to all.

Use eye contact : One of the best ways to appear welcoming is to maintain eye contact. Scan the crowd; look into as many eyes as possible. Simply stepping to the front of the room and reading off a sheet of paper will fall very flat.

End Your Speech With a Bang

Of course, the focus of your welcome address is the audience, but be sure to end your short speech with a little information on what will follow - be it a brunch, a formal lecture, or another activity. You can also share some big goals of the organization or event.

While we're on the subject of light and encouraging speeches, take a look at our tips on Birthday Speech Writing . Another crowd-pleaser could be just around your corner.

Sample Welcome Speech for a Corporate Event

If you’ve ever attended a corporate event , then you know the welcome speech gets all of the attention. The welcome speech is what allures the attendees to either listen and take interest… or not want to participate at all. Given that, welcome speeches are really important and should be long enough to address everyone properly but short enough to not bore everyone in the room.

If you’re wondering what a great welcome speech looks like, here’s a sample you can use as a guide or template to help create your very own welcome speech:

Introduction

Good Morning/Afternoon/Evening,

Thank you to each and every one of you for being here with us today. We are very pleased to be able to welcome those of you that have been with us for a long time now as well as those who are new to the (group/community/association etc.)

Today marks our 10 th annual group meeting and we are proud to be able to host it today here at this wonderful place with all of you.

Acknowledgments

Before we get started, I would like to express my sincere appreciation to all of you who generously helped us make this event come together to become a success. (Include the names of the individuals you wish to thank here) We couldn’t have done it without you!

Purpose of the Event

In today’s gathering, I would like to focus on all our new volunteers who have joined us since (January 2013, for example).

You have all been chosen to be a part of our association due to a mutual passion for (company’s vision/mission). Your passions help us all to unite and the energy we create is what allows us to achieve our individual as well as group goals. We need you as much as you need us and that why we are grateful to have you join us here at (insert the name of the company).

During the next few months, you will be learning about the different initiatives through our planned activities, seminar, and special events where you will be able to join in and get hands on experiences. I hope these will help you grow to be more productive and smart.

Well, I don’t want to take too much of your time, I need to leave some time for (insert the name of the next person) to introduce himself to all of you and fill you in on some of our up coming activities/projects. Today will be fun and full of learning.

So a very warm welcome to each and every one of you, if youhave nay questions, suggestions, clarifications, or just want to say “hi”, you can find me in the lobby.

What’s next

Thank you very much for listening and let us welcome, (insert the name of the speaker or guest). Thank you!

If you need help planning your next corporate event, give us a call at (516) 354.7797 .

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How to Start a Welcome Speech in English with a Sample

Are you going to host an event soon? You might be nervous about a lot of things including the welcome speech. The welcome speech is one of the most important parts of an anchoring script because it helps you set the tone for the rest of the event. Therefore, you have to be doubly sure that you get it right. So, read the article below to learn how to start a welcome speech in English. Besides, we have a sample in the end as well.

How to Start a Welcome Speech in English

A welcome speech is a speech given by a host at the beginning of an event, gathering, celebration, meeting, or program. The purpose of a welcome is speech is to greet everyone in the audience including the chief guest, delegates, and participants. A good welcome speech is always full of optimistic and encouraging words and feedback.

If we put it in simple words, a welcome speech is to start an event or a program and to welcome the audience. Thus, follow the steps below to learn how to write a welcome speech in English.

Comparing Script for Annual Function

Step 1: locate your guests.

Before you do anything, you need to locate your audience. So, when you are behind the podium, take a look around in the audience and check who is sitting where. Especially, you need to know where are the chief guests and the delegates are sitting because you will need to address them during your event.

This is a very simple but unavoidable step. Because knowing who is in the audience and where they are sitting may help you be more confident and aware.

Step 2: Introduction

Next, you have to set the tone for the welcome speech. So, think about how you can set the tone for the welcome speech. This usually depends upon factors such as the theme of the event, demographics, audience, and others. So, once you have the right mood, you can start the first part of your welcome speech, the introduction part. It usually consists of the following elements.

• Greeting: Greetings are similar to saltuations in a letter. For incetance, you can begin with “Good morning, laides and genetlemen”.
• A thank you to the contributors: When an event is hosted, it is always sponsered by an orgarniation or people. So, in the introduction part of your welcome speech, it is also important to thank te contirbutors for their contribution.
• A What statement: In the introduction part of your event, you also need to remind your audeince what is the purpose of your event. Besides, you can also mention how previliged you are for hosting the event.

Step 3: Acknowledgments

A thank you statement is not enough actually. The sponsors of your events deserve to be appreciated because they are the people who helped you turn this into reality. However, just reading the names of the sponsors out of a piece of paper may become boring for your audience. Therefore, we suggest you cut down the list and mention the highlights.

Here are some examples to help you with this section:

• “A special thank to …”
• “We could not have done this without …”
• “Here is a short tale of how it all came together …”

Step 4: The goal of the event

In this section, explain what your event is all about. However, you should avoid talking about the potential benefits of attending the event. Because people who are attending your event already why they should be there and what they can get from your event. Besides, you do not need to thoroughly tell the goal of every session. So, focus on one primary two objectives that may indeed help you define the objective of your event.

Step 5: Wrap-up and What’s next

The final step is to wrap up the welcome speech and tell your audience what they can expect. You can also wrap up the welcome speech by telling a joke or by adding a little touch of fun.

Next, let your audience know what they should expect coming to the event. Besides, you can also ask someone else to brief your audience about the event’s coming sections. You can do so in the following way.

“Thank you for your attention. Ladies and gentlemen, it is time to invite _____ (name of the speaker) who will brief you more about …”

Otherwise, you can briefly mention what is next and wrap up the welcome speech.

Comparing Script for Welcome Party

Welcome speech sample for chief guest.

A warm welcome to everyone to this beautiful evening, ladies and gentlemen. Today we have gathered here to celebrate the 13th annual function of ______ (name of the school). And we are pleased to have our chief guest _____ (name of the chief guest). It is an honor for me ______ (name of the chief guest) to welcome to our today’s event.

He is a well-known businessman and an accomplished writer. Several of his books are widely read across the country. His books have motivated us to not only dream big but also guide us on how to turn them into reality. This is not just that. He is also a social worker and spends his spare time solving social issues. He has been working hard day and night to put children to school and diminish child labor from our society. We can’t thank you enough, Mr. ______ (name of the chief guest).

Thus, it is a pleasure for all of us to have such an honorable personality among us today. We are excited to hear from you, sir, about your journey and success. Once again thank you, sir, for giving us your precious time and I warmly welcome you to the function on the behalf of our director, teachers, and everyone in the _____ (name of the school).

Welcome Speech Sample for College Function

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. Honorable chief guest, Mr. director, respected teachers, and my dear school fellows, I welcome you to our 25th annual college function. It has been a long and beautiful journey since 1996 and _____ (name of the college) has earned it a prestigious place in our society. Besides, ______ (name of the college) has been successful in providing young college students with quality education in the best way possible. Today we are proud to be part of ______ (name of the college).

Moving ahead, we have ____ (name of the chief guest). I warmly welcome ____ (name of the chief guest) to our today’s event on behalf of everyone in the school. He is a well-known social worker working hard day and night to beat child labor. We are honored to have you, sir.

Today I want to congratulate all the parents who have invested in their children as well as in our school. Moving forwards, I would like to call ______ (name of the speaker) who will brief you about today’s function.

Thank you all!

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Welcome Speech for Business Conference In English for Students and Children

February 8, 2024 by Prasanna

Welcome Speech for Business Conference: The word conference relates to a meeting among the employees of a particular company. It is generally considered to be a meeting of various people to discuss a specific topic.

While a conference is generally confused with a convention or a workshop, both are entirely different. A convention is generally more substantial than a conference. A conference differs from any of the two in terms of purpose and size.

A conference is meant for discussing innovative ideas and exchanging information amongst the team. Business conferences are held for people working for the same industry or company to discuss new trends, opportunities, etc.

There are other conferences for various purposes as well, such as trade conference, UN conference, etc.

Students can also find more  English Speech Writing  about Welcome Speeches, Farewell Speeches, etc

Long And Short Welcome Speeches for Business Conference In English For Students

Here, we provide the readers with a long speech on the topic consisting of approximately 500 words. It also has a short speech of about 150 words.

We also provide ten lines on the topic to better analyze the topic to our readers, along with a few frequently asked questions. A Long Welcome Speech for Business Conference is helpful to students of classes 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 and 12. A short Welcome Speech for Business Conference 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6.

Long Welcome Speech for Business Conference 500 Words In English

Good morning/ afternoon/ evening to one and all present here,

(Mention your name and your position in the company) I’ll be hosting the annual conference today. But before going right into the events, I would like to thank each one of you for being with us today. We as a team are delighted to welcome those of you who have been with our company for quite some time now and to all those of you who have recently joined our group.

Today marks our 25th annual business conference, and we are proud to be able to host it like always.

Before we get started, I would kindly appreciate the contributions of all the people who have worked hard enough to make this day a success,( name your bosses, colleagues and other staff members who have helped). It was an impossible task that we would not be able to achieve without your sheer dedication and support.

This conference has come a long way starting from the year 2000; we have completed 20 years. From having just 50 people in our first conference to hosting a thousand of you, it has been a fantastic journey for our company. It would have been an impossible task without you all.

It has not only been just a mere conference over the years but has become almost like a festival where people interact, learn, and take back with them a lot of knowledge and insights into the corporate world.

We today also have among us an exceptional chief guest (mention his name and designation) who will guide us towards our goal more decisively and open in front of us new horizons.

In today’s conference, I would like to focus on the following areas:

I want to welcome our new volunteers from the company who joined in 2018. Their overall development, well being, will be looked at by us. Discussion about the new projects that we have undertaken will also take place. We would also discuss the future strategies for the New Year and look back to our employees who will be retiring this very year.

I request all of you to have patience and bear with me for some more time. There will be various presentations and events that will make this day a success, and none of you present here will go home having doubt or second thoughts about choosing us.

Well, I will not want to take any more of your time, I need to leave some time for my co-host (mention your colleague’s name who will be taking over) to take over and introduce himself to all of you and fill you in with the rest of the events of the day.

If there are any doubts, questions, queries, or suggestions, feel free to ask me, I will be around the lobby.

As we mark the end of the conference, I would like to thank each and every one of you very much for listening and for giving me your attention. Have a lovely day!

Short Welcome Speech for Business Conference 150 Words In English

It is a perfect evening for everyone present here; I am happy to welcome each of you for the 50th annual conference (mention your company/industry’s name).

It’s with a tremendous amount of pleasure that I appreciate all our staff and seniors’ contributions to whose hard work this event has been possible.

In the near future, the business will be hosting various workshops and events to help each of you upgrade your skills. Please be sure that you do not use up all your energy on the very first day, as we have a lot of events ahead of us.

Some of you have been with us over more a few decades now; however, I would like to say that you will not be disappointed with all the new members.

Now, without much ado, I would like to end my speech with the last thank you. I can’t express my gratitude enough to each one of you who has turned up for the event. I assure you that you’ll not be bored even for a second.

10 Lines On Welcome Speech for Business Conference

• The business conference is held twice a year in most cases, but it may also vary from company to company.
• The company discusses its profits and losses, growth rate, increment, products, and services, etc. achieved during the year.
• It makes prospects perform better in the market, and according to make plans and strategies.
• It invites all its founder members, the board of directors, the company employees, and managers to be a part of the conference.
• This day is a special occasion for all the employees as they get a chance to share their thoughts and ideas with their superiors.
• The best employee is awarded the best employee award based on their performances.
• The work of the employees is reviewed and is appreciated according to their performances.
• This day also allows the employees to communicate with their seniors.
• It is a day of togetherness and interaction. It enhances the communication skills of the employees and bridges the employer-employee gap.
• This leads to a friendly workplace atmosphere, where there is no partiality, and all the employees of the company are treated equally. With equal respect and pay without any gender-biasedness.

FAQ’s On Welcome Speech for Business Conference

Question 1. What do you mean by the term business conference?

Answer: The term business conference refers to a gathering of people of a particular company or business to discuss the business’s growth.

Question 2. Who delivers the speech at a business conference?

Answer: Generally, the managing director or the CEO of the company delivers the speech.

Question 3. What is the need for a Business Conference?

Answer: A business conference is essential to evaluate the progress of a business.

Question 4. How often is a business conference held in a year?

Answer: A business conference is held at least twice a year, but it can be changed according to the will of the company directors.

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200+ Business Meeting Phrases

Face-to-face interactions are important in the world of business.

Meetings are the very reason international business travel is so popular these days. Business people are traveling the world more and more to meet their global partners in person .

So we’ve put together 20 phrases you can use to make a great impression and communicate effectively  in your next international business meeting.

Beginning the Meeting

Opening the meeting, introducing yourself, introducing others, presenting the agenda, setting objectives, during the meeting, discussing updates, moving forward, keeping the discussion on track, handing over the meeting to someone else, speaking up during meetings, sharing your perspective or opinion, agreeing during the meeting, disagreeing during the meeting, suggesting something in a meeting, interrupting the meeting, asking questions, asking for clarification, asking to hear something again, asking for others’ opinions, asking for more information, finishing the meeting, summarizing the meeting, closing the meeting, thanking attendees.

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

When starting a meeting, you’ll want to start by giving the meeting participants all the information they need to take in and enjoy the meeting. This includes things like introducing yourself and others, and setting the meeting’s agenda and objectives.

Before anything else, start on a friendly footing with a warm and friendly greeting. Try one of the following:

• Good afternoon, everyone.
• Welcome, everyone.
• Thank you all for being here today.
• I’d like to call this meeting to order.
• Let’s get started, shall we?
• I hope you’re all doing well today.
• It’s a pleasure to see everyone here.
• I’d like to extend a warm welcome to our guests.
• Before we begin, let’s take a moment to introduce ourselves.
• We have a lot to cover, so let’s dive right in.
• Shall we begin with a quick overview of the agenda?
• The purpose of today’s meeting is to discuss…
• I’ve called this meeting to address the following issues…
• We have some important matters to discuss today.
• I’d like to start by reviewing the minutes from our last meeting.
• Please feel free to chime in at any time with your thoughts or questions.
• Let’s aim to wrap up the meeting by…
• As we go through the agenda, please keep your focus on our main objectives.
• We have allotted time for each agenda item, so let’s try to stay on track.
• I encourage everyone to participate and share their perspectives.

Since you’re the one running this meeting, be sure to introduce yourself. Beyond your name, give a little more biographical information, such as your position and why you’re the one presenting this meeting.

• Good morning, everyone. My name is… and I am the regional sales manager.
• Hello, everyone. I’m… and I work as a manager in the marketing department.
• Hi, I’m… I’ve been with the company for two years and currently serve as a regional sales manager.
• Good day, everyone. Allow me to introduce myself. I am… and I lead the marketing team.
• Greetings, all. My name is… and I hold the position of sales manager.
• Hello, everyone. I’m… and I’ve recently joined the company as the new vice president of sales.
• Good morning/afternoon. I’m the manager of marketing here at the company. It’s a pleasure to be here.
• Hi, everyone. My name is… and I handle business relations here at the company.
• Greetings, colleagues. I’m… and I’ve been part of the analytics team for four years.

Sometimes you’d like the meeting participants to know about some other key people in attendance. They may be part of the project team, or you may ask them to take over later in the meeting. If this is the case, use one of these phrases:

• Allow me to introduce… who is our new CEO.
• I’d like to introduce… who is a key member of the marketing team.
• Please meet… our VP here at at the company.
• This is… who recently joined us as the new marketing manager.
• I’d like to introduce you to… a valued member of our data team.
• Meet… who handles marketing here at the firm.
• I’d like to introduce… who comes highly recommended and brings a wealth of experience in marketing.
• Please welcome… our esteemed colleague from the public relations department].
• I have the pleasure of introducing you to… who will be assisting us with data analysis.
• Say hello to… who is a vital member of our team and plays a crucial role in this new project.
• Let’s go around the table and introduce ourselves before we start.

An important part of any meeting is informing the participants what will take place during the meeting. To give this information, consider presenting your agenda with one of these phrases:

• Let’s begin by reviewing the agenda for today’s meeting.
• First on the agenda, we’ll discuss…
• The main focus of today’s meeting will be on… and…
• We have a few key topics to cover today, starting with…
• Our agenda includes… followed by… and…
• Today’s meeting will be structured around the following agenda: …
• We’ll start by addressing… which is crucial to meeting our goals.
• The first item on our agenda is… where we’ll discuss new sales strategies.
• Before we move on to the next item, are there any questions or clarifications about… ?
• Our meeting will be divided into three main sections:…

Keeping a meeting on track is important for effective organization. To state your meeting’s objectives, use these types of phrases:

• Let’s establish the main objectives for today’s meeting.
• Our goal for this meeting is to achieve the following objectives.
• The primary purpose of today’s discussion is to address the following objectives.
• We need to set clear objectives to ensure a focused and productive meeting.
• The objectives for this meeting are designed to…
• Let’s make sure our objectives are specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.
• Our main objectives are as follows:…
• By the end of this meeting, we aim to accomplish… and…
• The success of this meeting will be determined by meeting the set objectives.
• Let’s keep our objectives in mind as we proceed with the discussions.
• Our objectives should align with our long-term business goals and strategy.
• To stay on track, let’s periodically review whether we’re meeting our objectives.
• It’s crucial that we prioritize our objectives and address them in order of importance.
• As we move forward, let’s focus on achieving the set objectives efficiently.
• Before we proceed, does anyone have any additional objectives to add to the list?

When the meeting is taking place, you may need to discuss updates since the last meeting or tell the participants how the project is moving forward. You may also need to keep the discussion on topic, or hand over the meeting to someone else. Here’s a list of phrases to accomplish those goals:

When you have something new to report about a project or task, consider using one of these useful phrases to give out that new information:

• Let’s start with some updates on…
• I’d like to hear from… regarding their progress on the new project.
• We’ve made significant progress on… since our last meeting.
• Here’s a quick overview of the recent developments in…
• I’d like to share some positive updates about…
• We’ve encountered a few challenges during the past week, and I’ll provide an update on how we’re addressing them.
• Let’s open the floor for updates. Who would like to start?
• I’ll be giving an update on the… project that was assigned to me.
• Our team has achieved a lot, and we’re on track to meet our targets.
• I’ll highlight the key updates in our department and discuss their impact on our overall progress.

When one project or task is moving along well, or you’re moving onto another project, use one of these phrases to signal and you’re moving the meeting forward:

• Let’s move forward and discuss the next agenda item.
• Now that we’ve covered this topic, it’s time to address….
• With that update, we can now proceed to…
• We’ve reached a decision on the previous issue, and we can now focus on the next.
• Having discussed the first topic, we are ready to move on to the next agenda item.
• Now, let’s consider how we can implement the ideas generated during the brainstorming session.
• We’ve received valuable input, and it’s time to work on incorporating that into our action plan.
• With everyone’s agreement on the previous point, we can now proceed to the next topic.
• Let’s move the discussion forward by addressing the next key issue.

If a meeting or discussion seems like it may be getting off track, you can use one of these phrases to keep the participants focused on the topic at hand:

• Let’s stay focused on the agenda items to ensure a productive meeting.
• I’d like to remind everyone to keep our discussions relevant to the meeting objectives.
• To maintain efficiency, let’s try to keep our comments concise and to the point.
• If we could all stay on topic, it will help us make the most of our allotted time.
• We have a lot to cover, so let’s avoid going off on tangents during the discussion.
• If I may, let’s redirect the conversation back to the current agenda item.
• I understand that this is an important point, but let’s table it for now and come back to it later if time allows.
• To respect everyone’s time, let’s address any unrelated discussions outside of this meeting.
• I appreciate the enthusiasm, but let’s ensure we’re not veering too far from the main topic.
• If there are no further comments on this agenda item, let’s move on to the next one.

Sometimes, one of your colleagues knows more about a project than you do. That’s when you want to hand over the meeting to someone else. Use these phrases to do that smoothly:

• I’d like to hand over the floor to… for their insights on this matter.
• Now, I’ll pass the baton to… to share their findings from the recent research.
• I invite… to take the lead and provide an update on this project.
• Next, I’ll turn the floor over to… for their perspective on the current challenges.
• Let’s hear from… as they will be spearheading the new marketing campaign.
• I’ll hand it over to… to provide more details on the budget projections.
• Now, I’d like to give… the opportunity to present the proposal they’ve been working on.
• I’ll step back and let… guide us through the new process they’ve designed.

There are times when you need to speak up during meetings in order to have your point heard. This can include sharing your personal perspective or opinion, agreeing with others during a meeting or politely disagreeing with others. You may also need to suggest something, politely interrupt, ask a question, ask for clarification, ask for others’ opinions or ask to hear more detail. Here are some extremely useful phrases for accomplishing those meeting goals:

When you have a great idea or perspective, you should share it with the group. Consider using of these phrases to do that:

• In my view, I believe that…
• From my perspective… is worth considering.
• I’d like to share my thoughts on this.
• In my opinion… is essential for meeting our goal.
• From where I stand, I see… as a potential solution to this challenge.
• I’d like to weigh in on this matter… aligns well with our objective.
• My perspective is that… could positively impact this project.
• From my experience… has proven effective in similar situations.

When you agree with someone during a meeting, be sure to tell them. You can use one of these phrases to do that:

• I completely agree with…
• I’m on the same page as…
• I share… viewpoint on this matter.
• I couldn’t agree more with…
• That’s a valid point, and I agree.
• I’m in agreement with… suggestion.
• You’re right, and I agree with you.
• That makes sense, and I fully agree.
• I concur with… on this issue.

Sometimes, you just don’t agree with someone at a meeting. To politely disagree, consider the following phrases:

• I see where you’re coming from, but I have a different perspective.
• I respectfully disagree with that idea.
• I understand your point, but I don’t think it’s the most suitable approach.
• I have some reservations about that suggestion.
• I’m afraid I can’t fully support that proposal.
• I respectfully dissent on this matter.
• I’m not convinced that this is the right course of action.
• I have a different opinion regarding this issue.
• I’m not entirely comfortable with that proposal.
• I must disagree with the approach suggested by…

When you have a new idea or suggestion to bring up in a meeting, you can use one of these useful phrases to smoothly give that information:

• I’d like to suggest that we…
• How about we consider…?
• I have a suggestion regarding this topic. What if we…?
• It might be worth considering… as a possible solution.
• I’d like to propose that we…
• Have we thought about… to address this issue?
• One option we could explore is…
• I’d like to bring up… for consideration.
• Let’s think about… as a potential way forward.

Sometimes you have information to add that just can’t wait. When this happens, you will have to politely interrupt the meeting. You can use these phrases to do that:

• I’m sorry to interrupt, but I have an important point to add.
• Excuse me, may I interject for a moment?
• If I may, I’d like to make a quick comment on this topic.
• Can I jump in here with a relevant thought?
• Sorry for the interruption, but I believe this is pertinent to our discussion.
• Allow me to interrupt for a moment to share some insights.
• Pardon me, I’d like to add my perspective on this matter.
• May I interrupt briefly? I think this point requires clarification.

Asking questions is one of the most effective ways to learn more about a project or task. Here are some excellent question phrases for getting more information:

• Could you clarify this issue for us, please?
• I have a question about this topic.
• Can you provide more details on this proposal?
• I’d like to know how this decision will impact the project.
• What are the next steps for this initiative?
• Is there any progress on this?
• Could you share the reasoning behind this strategy?
• What are the potential challenges we might face during the implementation of this plan?
• How will this align with our long-term goals and vision?

Sometimes you like the idea, but you need more clarification or details before you can really decide if it’s the best approach. When this situation arises, use these helpful phrases:

• I’m not entirely clear on this topic. Can you please provide more details?
• Could you elaborate further on that point?
• I’m having difficulty understanding this topic. Can you simplify it for me?
• I need some clarification regarding this proposal. Can you explain it again?
• I’m not sure I follow. Can you break down the main points of this issue?
• Sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. Can you go over it one more time?

Sometimes you don’t hear or don’t fully understand something someone has said. When this comes up, use these helpful phrases:

• Could you please repeat that? I didn’t catch the last part.
• I’m sorry, could you say that again a bit more slowly?
• I didn’t quite get what you said. Could you clarify, please?
• Apologies, but I missed some of the details. Can you go over it one more time?
• If you don’t mind, could you repeat the main points you just mentioned?
• I want to make sure I understand correctly. Could you reiterate what you said about this topic?
• I’m having trouble hearing you clearly. Could you please say that again?
• I didn’t catch the details. Could you run through it once more, please?
• My apologies, but I need you to repeat what you just shared.
• I’d appreciate it if you could go back to the part where you explained [Topic].

When you want to hear what your colleagues think about a particular point or idea, ask for their opinions. Here are some useful phrases to do just that:

• I’d like to hear what everyone thinks about this topic.
• What are your thoughts on this?
• Does anyone have an opinion or perspective they’d like to share?
• We value everyone’s input. Please don’t hesitate to share your opinions.
• Let’s open the floor for any opinions or suggestions regarding this issue.
• If anyone has a different viewpoint, we’d love to hear it.
• Please feel free to express your opinions on this matter.
• I’m interested in hearing what you all have to say about this topic.
• Before we move forward, I’d like to get everyone’s opinions on this issue.

More information is often needed in business meetings and discussions. To solicit (ask for) more information, use these phrases:

• Could you provide additional information on this topic?
• I’d like to know more about this issue.
• Can you expand on this proposal, please?
• I’m interested in learning more about this issue.
• Do you have any further details on this matter?
• Could you share additional insights regarding this proposal?
• I’d appreciate it if you could provide more information on this topic.
• Are there any supporting data or statistics for this claim?

Once the main part of the meeting has ended, you’ll need to wrap it up in a satisfying way. Some great methods to use for this include summarizing the meeting and, of course, thanking the meeting’s attendees for being there. Here are some very helpful phrases for finishing up your next meeting:

It’s always a good idea to remind your busy meeting participants what you covered in the meeting. Give the main points with some other personal commentary if you think it would help. Use these helpful phrases to summarize the meeting:

• Let’s recap the key points discussed in today’s meeting.
• To summarize our meeting, we covered the following main topics:
• In conclusion, the key takeaways from today’s meeting are as follows:
• To briefly summarize what was discussed, we addressed the following issues:…
• In short, the main outcomes of the meeting are as follows:
• To recap, we focused on…
• In summary, we made progress on… in detail.
• To wrap up our meeting, we decided on the following action steps:…

Like a good story, a meeting has a beginning, a middle and an end. These phrases will help you end your meeting with grace:

• Before we conclude, are there any final questions or comments?
• I’d like to thank everyone for their valuable contributions today.
• In closing, I want to express my appreciation for the productive discussion.
• Let’s wrap up our meeting with a quick summary of the action points.
• To end on a positive note, I’m looking forward to seeing the progress on this project.
• If there are no further comments, I declare this meeting adjourned.
• Thank you all for your time and contributions. Let’s reconvene next week.
• In conclusion, I believe we’ve made significant strides towards our objectives.

Never forget to thank the busy people who took time out of their day to attend your meeting. Here are some helpful phrases to do that:

• I’d like to extend my gratitude to everyone for their active participation today.
• Thank you all for making time to be here and contributing your valuable insights.
• I appreciate each of you for your thoughtful contributions during this meeting.
• A big thank you to all the attendees for their engagement and valuable feedback.
• I want to express my thanks to each person present for their meaningful contributions.
• Your active participation has been instrumental in moving our agenda forward. Thank you.
• Thank you all for your time, commitment, and valuable perspectives during this meeting.
• I am grateful for the efforts and input from each attendee. Thank you for being here today.

With that, you’re now ready to lead and participate effectively in any business meeting. These phrases and expressions are a great starting point for you. I hope you will put them to good use in your next meeting.

By listening and paying attention to the language used at meetings that you attend, you will even be able to add to this list. Good luck!

Related posts:

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How to Lead Introductions in Business Meetings

Source: Tim Cordell on Cartoonstock.com

Many years ago I was asked to represent my company on a national committee. I had to fly from Portland, Oregon to Washington D.C. for the meeting, find my way around the city wearing an actual business suit and heels, then walk into this room and make a good impression.

I was prepared for the content of the meeting – I knew my stuff – but I was far from comfortable. The 30 or so other members of the committee came from Microsoft, the Department of Defense, and a host of big organizations; I worked for a 20-person web software vendor no one had ever heard of. Most of the committee members were much older than I was, and there were very few women.

Soon enough, the gavel pounded and the chair began the meeting. After a brief greeting, he said:

“Go around the room and tell the group a bit about yourself, starting with Don here.”

Tell them about me? What am I supposed to say in this room of dour-looking, experienced people?

I knew that if I wanted any shot of making an impact in the meeting, the other people in the room had to take me seriously, and this introduction was my chance to make that oh-so-important good first impression. But what could I say that would impress this room? I felt like I was at an awful interview, and I began to sweat.

In this case, I needn’t have sweated the introductions (or my blouse) so much. Don stood up and calmly stated his name and the organization he represented, then sat back down. Simple. As it went around the room, each person followed this short pattern, and I began to relax.

My name and where I work? That’s it? Those are questions I can answer easily! Why hadn’t the chair been clearer about what he wanted people to say?

Poor leadership creates undue anxiety

Introductions in meetings are meant to help people get comfortable speaking together. It’s a meeting after all, which means it only works well if those in attendance talk to each other. That’s hard to do when you don’t know someone’s name or you’ve been put on the defensive by an inappropriate question.

For many people, those first minutes of a meeting will always be nerve-wracking. How the meeting leader handles those opening minutes can make a huge difference in the effectiveness of the conversation that follows.

For that committee meeting, I spent the first 15 minutes unclenching from the adrenaline overdose and had no idea what they talked about. In an online setting, if you lose someone’s attention like that for 15 minutes, they’ve missed half the meeting!

How should that committee chair have started the introductions, then?

Let’s start with some basics.

The Cardinal Rules of Leading Business Meeting Introductions

Rule 1: make sure everyone gets introduced..

If someone is important enough to be invited, they must be introduced. Business introductions make sure the people in the meeting know who they’re talking to. They provide critical context for the discussion, giving everyone a sense for the range of perspectives and experience in the room. With an online meeting, having everyone introduce themselves also reveals any issues with audio or language differences.

This goes for latecomers and other people who walk into the room, too. While you shouldn’t interrupt someone to introduce a new attendee, make sure use the next pause to quickly do so. If you’re on a conference call and the CEO walks into the room behind you, the people on the other side of the phone deserve to know that the audience just changed.

Rule 2: Provide clear direction.

Tell people specifically what you want them to share with the group, and provide an example by introducing yourself first. This was the big mistake in the committee meeting I attended; the leader left it up to the group to figure out how to introduce themselves. For someone new to the group and inexperienced like me, he might as well have pointed my way shouting “Dance, monkey, dance!”

Not sure what you should ask? You’ll find example questions below.

After explaining what you want to hear, cover the order in which people should speak. For online meetings, go top-to-bottom through the attendee list.

Rule 3: Keep it safe.

If you give clear instructions and provide an example by introducing yourself first, you’ll have a great start on alleviating anyone’s anxiety.

To further ensure you don’t inadvertently shut someone down:

• Never ask people to share potentially sensitive information in a business setting. Stay clear of topics that get too personal; not everyone has happy childhood memories, and lots of adults just don’t have a favorite band or ice cream flavor any more. If you must delve into the personal, save it for your team-building exercises and off-sites.
• Don’t ask questions that make people feel they have to justify their right to be in the meeting. You may need to understand the skills and expertise of the people present, but there are ways you can find this out without making someone feel like they’re being interviewed.

This doesn’t mean you have to keep introductions terse (Name & rank, attendee!) or boring (How’s the weather there, Steve?). Instead, craft an introduction question based on rule #4.

Rule 4: Make introductions relevant to the meeting.

Context (not content) is key. The best introductions will help everyone understand how each participant relates specifically to the situation at hand.

Are they there just to listen, or do they have an agenda of their own? Are they an expert in subject, or is this all completely new? Will they be in charge of decisions, or expected to carry them out?

Include at least one question in your introductions that ties directly to the goal of the meeting and reveals some of this context.

The Basic Business Introduction Questions

For business and professional meetings, introductions should always include:

Each person’s first and last name

Then, context, context, context!

The company or department they represent This is their business context.

Current location (for remote attendees) This is their personal context; important for understanding time zone concerns, possible connection issues, and background noise.

Why they’re at the meeting This is their meeting context.

To get at this last one, you might ask:

• What’s the most important thing you want to get out of this meeting?
• What are you hoping to learn here today?
• What prompted you to be here today?
• What excites you most about the work we’re doing here?
• What skills can you contribute to the team that may not be obvious to the rest of us?

Related:   The Essential Project Kickoff Meeting Agenda

When you have more time: Introduction Activities

Most introductions run like an icebreaker’s disapproving neighbor. They’re in the same general area, but definitely living different lifestyles.

These activities dip their toes into the team-building waters, bringing a little more game-feel to the meeting, while still keeping it all very professional.

Gifts and Hooks

We’ve talked about this one before , and bring it up here again because this is the best example we know of a non-fluffy, clearly useful introductory game for working teams.

In Gifts and Hooks, the leader explains that team members bring gifts to the table (their skills, knowledge, etc.), but they also need hooks — things the person needs in order to remain fully engaged. Team members write down both their gifts and their hooks, then go around the room to share them.

You can get a detailed description of Gifts and Hooks by Michael Wilkinson on the IIF site.

Alliteration Alleviates Anonymity

To increase the energy in a group and help stir the creative juices, Denise Grissom Bradford suggests asking people to introduce themselves using an alliteration (i.e. Dancing Denise from Duluth or Jolly John joins jauntily).

With the right group, and especially as a start for brainstorming or other creative meetings, this approach is fun without pushing the goofy too far out of bounds. And, since one of your goals is to help people learn each other’s names, alliteration definitely makes members memorable.

Other variations: Limericks! Haiku!

Questions from the group

Instead of coming up with the questions yourself, ask the group what they want to know about each other. This works best if you go over the meeting purpose first, and provide an example.

If you’re meeting online, ask people to type their questions into chat, or put them on cards if you’re face-to-face. Remind everyone that the questions shouldn’t be embarrassing or difficult to answer.

Then, go around the room and ask each person to state their name and answer one or two of the questions posed by the group.

Related:   5 Icebreakers for Distributed Team Meetings

Final tip: You don’t need to start with introductions

Introductions usually come near the beginning of the meeting, but they shouldn’t always come first.

For most meetings, you’re better off starting by confirming the meeting purpose and goals. Welcome everyone, clarify why you’re meeting and what the team is meant to accomplish, and THEN go through introductions.

Starting with the meeting purpose FIRST establishes the all-important context for the introductions that follow.

Introverts, newbies, and meeting-avoiders:

What other tips would you give meeting leaders to help make introductions go more smoothly for you?  Let us know in the comments here or  on Twitter , #bettermeetings.

Categories: leadership & facilitation ​ tips & techniques

Elise Keith

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Related Posts

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Measuring the Cost and Value of Meetings: Part I – Software Costs

Useful English Phrases for Running a Business Meeting

• Business English
• Pronunciation & Conversation
• Writing Skills
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• Resources for Teachers
• TESOL Diploma, Trinity College London
• M.A., Music Performance, Cologne University of Music
• B.A., Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music

This reference sheet provides short phrases to help you run a business meeting from start to finish. Generally speaking, you should use formal English to run a business meeting. As you participate, it's a good idea to paraphrase others' ideas to make sure you understand.

Opening the Meeting

Welcome participants with quick phrases and get down to business .

Good morning/afternoon, everyone. If we are all here, let's . . . get started (OR) start the meeting. (OR) . . . start.

Good morning everyone. If we're all here, let's get started.

Welcoming and Introducing Participants

If you have a meeting with new participants , make sure to introduce them before as you start the meeting.

Please join me in welcoming (name of participant) We're pleased to welcome (name of participant) It's a pleasure to welcome (name of participant) I'd like to introduce (name of participant) I don't think you've met (name of participant)

Before I get started, I'd like to please join me in welcoming Anna Dinger from our office in New York.

Stating the Principal Objectives of a Meeting

It's important to begin the meeting by clearly stating the main objectives for the meeting.

We're here today to Our aim is to ... I've called this meeting in order to ... By the end of this meeting, I'd like to have ...

We're here today to discuss the upcoming merger, as well as go over last quarter's sales figures. 

Giving Apologies for Someone Who is Absent

If someone important is missing, it's a good idea to let others know that they will be missing from the meeting.

I'm afraid.., (name of participant) can't be with us today. She is in... I have received apologies for the absence of (name of participant), who is in (place).

I'm afraid Peter can't be with us today. He's in London meeting with clients but will be back next week.

Reading the Minutes (Notes) of the Last Meeting

If you have a meeting that repeats regularly, make sure to read the minutes from the last meeting to make sure that everyone is on the same page.

First, let's go over the report from the last meeting which was held on (date) Here are the minutes from our last meeting, which was on (date)

First, let's go over the minutes from our last meeting which was held last Tuesday. Jeff, could you please read the notes?

Dealing with Recent Developments

Checking in with others will help you keep everyone up to date on progress on various projects. 

Jack, can you tell us how the XYZ project is progressing? Jack, how is the XYZ project coming along? John, have you completed the report on the new accounting package? Has everyone received a copy of the Tate Foundation report on current marketing trends?

Alan, please tell us how the final arrangements for the merger are coming along. 

Moving Forward

Use these phrases to transition to the main focus of your meeting.

So, if there is nothing else we need to discuss, let's move on to today's agenda. Shall we get down to business? Is there any other business? If there are no further developments, I'd like to move on to today's topic.

Once again, I'd like to thank you all for coming. Now, shall we get down to business?

Introducing the Agenda

Before you launch into the main points of the meeting, double check that everyone has a copy of the agenda for the meeting.

Have you all received a copy of the agenda? There are three items on the agenda. First, Shall we take the points in this order? If you don't mind, I'd like to ... go in order (OR) skip item 1 and move on to item 3 I suggest we take item 2 last.

Have you all received a copy of the agenda? Good. Shall we take the points in order?

Allocating Roles (secretary, participants)

As you move through the meeting, it's important that people keep track of what's going on. Make sure to allocate note taking.

(name of participant) has agreed to take the minutes. (name of participant) has kindly agreed to give us a report on this matter. (name of participant) will lead point 1, (name of participant) point 2, and (name of participant) point 3. (name of participant), would you mind taking notes today?

Alice, would you mind taking notes today?

Agreeing on the Ground Rules for the Meeting (contributions, timing, decision-making, etc.)

If there is no regular routine to your meeting, point out the basic rules for discussion throughout the meeting.

We will hear a short report on each point first, followed by a discussion around the table. I suggest we go round the table first. The meeting is due to finish at... We'll have to keep each item to ten minutes. Otherwise we'll never get through. We may need to vote on item 5, if we can't get a unanimous decision.

I suggest we go round the table first to get everyone's feedback. After that, we'll take a vote.

Introducing the First Item on the Agenda

Use these phrases to begin with the first item on the agenda. Make sure to use sequencing language to connect your ideas throughout the meeting.

So, let's start with Shall we start with. . So, the first item on the agenda is Pete, would you like to kick off? Martin, would you like to introduce this item?

Shall we start with the first item? Good. Peter will introduce our plans for the merger and then will discuss the implications. 

Closing an Item

As you move from item to item, quickly state that you have finished with the previous discussion.

I think that covers the first item. Shall we leave that item? If nobody has anything else to add,

I think that covers the important points of the merger.

These phrases will help you transition to the next item on the agenda.

Let's move onto the next item The next item on the agenda is Now we come to the question of.

Now, let's move onto the next item. We've been having a bit of a personnel crunch lately.

Giving Control to the Next Participant

If someone takes over your role, give control to them with one of the following phrases.

I'd like to hand over to Mark, who is going to lead the next point. Right, Dorothy, over to you.

I'd like to hand over to Jeff, who is going to discuss the personnel issues.

Summarizing

As you finish the meeting, quickly sum up the main points of the meeting.

Before we close, let me just summarize the main points. To sum up, ... In brief, Shall I go over the main points?

To sum up, we've moved forward with the merger and expect to start work on the project in May. Also, the personnel department has decided to hire additional staff to help us with the increased demand.

Suggesting and Agreeing on Time, Date and Place for the Next Meeting

As you end the meeting, make sure to arrange for the next meeting if necessary.

Can we fix the next meeting, please? So, the next meeting will be on... (day), the . . . (date) of.. . (month) at... What about the following Wednesday? How is that? So, see you all then. 

Before we leave, I'd like to fix the next meeting. What about next Thursday?

Thanking Participants for Attending

It's always a good idea to thank everyone for attending the meeting.

I'd like to thank Marianne and Jeremy for coming over from London. Thank you all for attending. Thanks for your participation.

Thank you all for your participation and I'll see you next Thursday.

Closing the Meeting

Close the meeting with a simple statement.

The meeting is closed. I declare the meeting closed.

Explore useful phrases and proper language use in these business English articles:

Introduction and Example Meeting Dialogue

Phrase Reference Sheet for Participating in a Meeting

Formal or Informal? Appropriate Language in Business Situations

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• Welcome Speech for Business Conference

Introduction

A business conference is held to celebrate the success of the company and also to learn from the losses the company faced over the years. It is the day where employees of different branches come together and discuss innovative ideas and share their experience at the company 

Here we have provided long and short welcome speeches for a business conference and along with that we have also given 10 line pointers about the welcome speech for a business conference. Students can refer to these speeches and note down the important points that are mentioned in business conference speeches

Long Welcome Speech for Business Conference

Good morning to one and all present here. My name is Akshay and I have been working as the managing director at Vedantu for the past 5 years. I will be hosting the annual conference today and before I further continue with the event, I would like to thank you all for coming here today. It not only shows your interest in the betterment of the company but also your dedication to learning new things. I would like to thank our Chief executive officer of this company, Mr. Suresh for arranging this conference. Next, I would like to welcome all the employees who have been working in our company for quite some time and also for those who have recently joined our company. 

Today marks the 30th annual conference of this company and I am really honored that the opportunity to host this conference is given to me. I hope I don’t disappoint anyone. Before we get started I would like to appreciate all the people who have contributed to making this conference possible every year. Mr. Somesh, the CEO of this company who had always thought for the betterment of it. Mrs. Sana, The senior managing director who has helped in arranging the conference today. It would have been impossible to make this conference possible without your sheer dedication and constant support and on behalf of everyone, we thank you. 

The first annual conference was held 30 years ago and it had just 100 employees to its name. but we have come a long way. Now after 30 years, we have around 2 lakh employees all over the country with different settings in many cities like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi, Ahmedabad, etc. The company has seen immense success in the last 30 years and it was all possible because of the dedication shown by the employees.

This annual conference is not a mere conference which we arrange every year but it has transcended itself to a festival where employees from different branches interact with each other and share their knowledge, failures, and successes and try to learn from each other and apply it for the betterment of the company. 

At Today’s Conference I would like to Focus on the following Topics:

Firstly I would like to welcome our interns turned permanent employees who have joined us recently. Their overall well-being and development will be looked at by us all. The second and the most important thing we are going to discuss is the new project we have undertaken. The importance of this new project and the roles of all the employees of this company will also be discussed. Third, we are going to discuss future strategies related to the campaigning of our already existing projects. We are also going to discuss the success rate of those projects. Last but not least we are going to honor the employees who are retiring this year. 

I request you all to patiently attend and be a part of all the discussions. All the strategies discussed today will help in making your roles clear in the future ventures we are planning. There are various performances and events that are also planned for today that will surely entertain you all. Well, I will not take much of your time as I need to hand over the mic to my co host Mrs. Priya. She will guide you through the rest of the event. 

After all the discussions are done and if you have any doubts and questions related to all the projects please feel free to contact me. Have a lovely and productive day. 

Thank you. 

Short Welcome Speech for Business Conference

Good morning to one and all present here. My name is Jerry and I will be your host for today’s annual business conference 2021. Before I continue further I would like to thank Mr. Suresh, the chief executive officer of the company for organizing this business conference. Without your support, this event would not have been possible and for that we thank you.  I also want to thank everyone for attending the conference. It not only shows your interest but also that you all have understood the importance of this conference. 

I would like to welcome all the employees who have been a part of this company for the last few years and also I Would like to welcome the new interns who have recently joined us in our journey. 

Today is our twentieth annual business conference of this company and believe me, it’s my honor that I have been given the opportunity to host this amazing event. I hope I don’t disappoint anyone.  

The very first annual business conference was held twenty years ago with only a hundred employees and now we have come a long way. We have over three lakh employees all over the country with different settings in many cities like Bengaluru, Delhi, etc. 

Today’s conference is about the plan and strategy we are applying to launch our new project. Mr. Somen will explain to you all about the project and the roles of each and every one of you. Second, we are going to discuss the marketing plan we are implementing to promote our new project and that will be explained by Miss Ayesha. Last but not least, we will be honoring the employees who are retiring this year. 

I request you all to attend all the discussions and it would be really appreciated if you note down the important points related to our project. 

After the discussion, if you have any doubt please feel free to contact me and clarify your doubts. Have a productive day. 

Thank you 

10 Lines Welcome Speech for a Business Conference

A business conference is held every year in most of the companies but it may vary from one company to another. 

In the welcome speech for a business conference, important discussions are made on the performance of the company.

The company discusses its profits, loss, strategies related to the projects. 

During the business conferences, different points are raised related to the development of the company 

Announcement of new projects is also done during the welcome speech for business conferences.

A business conference is also done to show unity among the employees. 

The best employee is awarded based on his or her performance. 

It is the day of togetherness and interaction where employees from different branches interact and share their points of view. 

The losses a company faced in the past are viewed and different strategies are studied to avoid those losses in the future. 

Interactive performances are done by a few well-known artists from different fields like singing, dancing, etc.

Simple Tips to Give a Speech with Confidence.

According to the survey, Around 77% of people fear public speaking. When there is the fear of public speaking, our mind goes blank and whatever we want to speak doesn't come out quite well. Due to the fear of messing up, the fear elevates, leading to more stammering and stuttering.

Here are a few simple tips and tricks one can use to give that speech without any fear and appear confident on the stage.

Prepare Beforehand.

Preparing the speech a few days before the big day. Writing the speech a few days before will help in memorising the overall speech. Here are a few things one can do, before the day of speech:

Visit the venue and get comfortable in the environment, during the speech one doesn't feel alien to the environment and panic.

Make sure to get a print copy of the speech, and a few extra copies just in case the original copy is lost.

One can create cards as cues, for the speech as well

On the day of the speech, arrive at the venue early. If there is a delay in reaching the venue, the fear again sets in and will affect the speech.

Start practising the speech a few days before the actual days of the speech.

Show Confidence in the Body Language

The professional speakers are usually very confident and relaxed. It takes years of practice to give a speech at the spot and appear confident while doing it. But one can start small, and here are some tips to feel and appear confident before the crowd.

Have eye contact with the audience.

Make simple gestures with hands to narrate important points.

 Maintain your breathing and use breathing techniques before the stage entry.

Speak slowly on the stage. In a panic, do not rush the speech. Take the time to fully narrate it.

Find a Friendly Face in the Crowd.

When there are so many unfamiliar faces in the audience, one can panic quite easily. To deal with this, ask a friend or a parent to join the audience. Seeing somebody one recognizes will help in dealing with panic. Whenever there is a sense of panic, just lace through the engaging faces of familiar people. 

Challenge the Inner Insecurities

When there is a sense of panic in the mind, our inner dialogue seems to get negative. Identify what insecure feelings are arising and write them down, challenge them. Some of the inner dialogues might be, worrying about the audience, worrying about forgetting the speech etc.

Focus on What Message needs to be Delivered on the Stage.

Whenever there is a speech that needs to be given, One might be lost in the process of writing, memorising and worrying about delivering it right. Too little focus is on the message that needs to be delivered. What message does one need to receive from this speech? That is crucial too. Work on delivering the endnote and message of the entire speech.

Be Prepared for the Fears.

 Know that no matter how much we prepare, there will be slight mistakes that happen. Mistakes are inevitable. Do not panic if something goes wrong on the stage, be prepared to tuck it away as you continue delivering the speech gracefully.

Take up Space and Move Around the Stage.

If the venue offers a spacious stage, don't be afraid to move around the stage during the stage. Moving around while talking makes one appear confident and lively. The audience will engage with it even more. 

Maintain a Smile.

To appear warm and relaxed, smile more often. This will instantly give out that one is confident. Talking with a warm smile will make one feel more at ease. So, smile often and that will also help in covering up the panic.

Rehearse the Speech

To make the practice even more, try rehearsing the speech in front of the mirror. This will help in identifying the mistakes one is making. Rehearsing in front of friends and family is also beneficial as they can correct if one is committing a mistake while delivering the speech.

Count the Positives after the Speech

After the speech, make a list of things that went well. This will ensure that the next time you give a speech, it will help in raising the confidence, knowing that it went well the last time. This could be anything from, even though there was a sense of panic, the speech went well, The audience was engaging, etc.

Welcome Speech for Corporate Event in English in simple and easy words

Table of Contents

Corporate events are organized in the companies and MNCs for which welcome speeches are delivered. This is an occasion where the host has to address everyone and felicitate the guests. The speeches should be well written which address the occasion well while at the same time elucidating on the important events and its highlights. Welcome Speech for a Corporate Event, therefore, has been written in order to help you write one.

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Also Read: Welcome Speech for an Event

Long and Short Welcome Speech for a Corporate Event in English

There are both short opening welcome speech for events. Speeches for corporate event and long welcome speeches for corporate event, written in a comprehensive manner and easy to understand language. So if you are also struggling to write one; browse through our website and read on your own.

Welcome Speech for Corporate Event – Sample 1

I’m thrilled to see each and every one of you here today. I deeply appreciate your help in making this event possible. We’ve put this together to show our gratitude to our loyal, long-serving employees and to extend a warm welcome to our new team members. Our company fully comprehends your requirements and is committed to looking after your health and happiness.

I, Shashank Gupta, on behalf of my entire team want to sincerely acknowledge the efforts of those who came forward and contributed towards the success of this event and making it this grand. Trust me; all this wouldn’t have been possible without the support of you guys.

We grow and prosper because of your dedication and hard work put in towards your individual as well as group goals. You are a vital part of our success story and the company needs you as much as you need it. Both are mutually depended, isn’t it?

In the months to come, you will get to learn, practice and initiate programs through seminars and especially designed programs to improve upon your hands-on experience, including your professional skills-set. Today’s event is organized for all our new joiners and to help them get along well with others so that a good working environment can be built for them. I understand that some are experienced whereas for some it’s going to be their first experience of working in a company. It therefore becomes imperative on the part of those working already to help them feel comfortable with the environment as well as with their work.

I hope this event will help you let go off your inhibitions and create solidarity amongst your group. This event is all about giving a brief introduction about yourself, freely interacting with your colleagues and understanding the work culture. If you understand your team and the work culture, then trust me friends, the mission will be accomplished.

So today’s event will kick start with a brief speech to be addressed by our respected senior manager, followed by a brief introduction of all our freshers combined with a few, interesting games and then finally dinner. I can see a big smile on everyone’s face. So let’s cheer up the mood of everyone and call on stage our very special senior manager, Mr. ……….. , who is famous for his great sense of humor and witty talks.

Please everyone put your hands together for him. (……………And he delivers the speech).

I hope you all enjoyed his speech as much as I did. Now may I please call on stage all the new joiners and call their names one by one for a brief introduction. (……And it continues)

With this, I would like to rest my speech too and kick start this small session of games which I hope will lift up everyone’s spirits.

Thank you everyone for being a patient audience. It’s such a delight to be standing here and addressing you all. In some time, dinner will be served and you may help yourself with that.

Welcome Speech for Corporate Event – Sample 2

I’m thrilled to see each and every one of you here. Good morning, and a heartfelt welcome to all of you, including our valued teachers, parents, and students. I’d like to extend a special thanks to our esteemed Chief Guest , [mention their name], for joining us today. We are truly honored to have such a successful writer and businessperson with us

I am glad that the company has taken this initiative of organizing annual events in the company particularly with a view to give its employees a platform where they can share their ideas, discuss their concerns openly and effectively contribute in the growth of the company.

Since its inception, the founding members have been of the view to give its employees a free hand to decide what’s best for their work and the company as a whole. However, small group meetings were initiated in the beginning which didn’t prove to be much fruitful as many ideas used to get lost or brushed under the carpet. After constant evaluation, the management came to this decision of organizing such corporate events where in a light, easy going environment the ideas can get spread and everyone can bond over with each other well.

So today here we stand in our yet another corporate event and all ready to do a brainstorm session. The reason why it is called as event is because it is not just about the exchange of ideas and sharing of concerns, but it also gives a reason to invite other companies and prominent faces in our industry where they can also come and we can create a good network. So far so good as four such events have been organized and all went really well, the outcome was favorable.

The credit for organizing these events goes to our creative team which has been doing this job unfailingly. Trust me friends, it is quite time absorbing and we cannot make it happen until and unless we have a support of our creative team. The theme of today’s event and the banners, the decoration that you are seeing around you – all has been done by our creative team. So please put a huge round of applause for them and let me call the entire team on stage and felicitate them with a small bouquet and a memento.

Friends, in some time our guests will be here till then I would request if anyone is willing to come on stage and share anything worthwhile with us pertaining to the work culture, their job responsibilities, etc. Following which there will be game session for reviving our spirits followed by a music performance by a band called ……..

I can see surprised faces; please don’t be surprised as this is a small gift from the management’s side. I hope you enjoy the performance by this band.

With this, I would like to rest my speech and call over our respected senior manager to address everyone as well as our new joinee, who I think are feeling slightly awkward. Please everyone put your hands together for Mr……., the senior manager of the SSB Group from past 6 years. I hope through his speech, you can gauge his intellect as well as great fervor.

Welcome Speech for Corporate Event – Sample 3

Hon’ble Board of Directors, Chairman, Vice Chairman, Senior Managers, Managers and My Dear Colleagues – A warm welcome to all of you to our company’s yet another 21 st corporate event!

I – Rahul Khanna – feel a sense of great joy in welcoming you all and hosting this big event. Trust me friends, planning these events has not been easy as it all starts from the random brainstorming sessions at the coffee houses to the official meetings in the meeting hall – but every minute of it has been really worth it!

When it initially came across my mind to make this event somewhat extra special by honoring the efforts of the deserving women from each of the processes, who have been consistent in their performances and really performed well in their respective areas of work, I knew I had to seek the approval of Mrs. Sheila Dwivedi – the President of the Company and also the jury member of the event committee. I vividly remember her reaction on this idea: she was startled, but later on smiled and asked me if I am sure of this and if it’ll work in our favor?

I was so sure of this! Initially I had no idea whatsoever as to how this plan would be executed, but later on ample ideas came to my mind. They began coming to my mind immediately and I started considering which one to pick for which event. Finally, for this event this idea struck me and decided to take the committee members approval on this. I am sure this feeling is mutual as you all must be feeling good about this idea. After all, we have many female employees working for our company and equally contributing towards the growth of the company with respect to their male counterparts. Rather they even work harder and with a lot of dedication.

So let’s take time out and thank these women who handle their work so diligently and manage both their personal as well as professional lives. Our committee has shortlisted the names of 10 women who have performed exceptionally well and surpassed their team members. Let me call out their names………………………….. (Names being announced). And now may I please invite all of them on stage and request them to tell something about them and also inspire others.

I know the journey has not been an easy one, but still you all managed to harbor good results. There have been some challenging projects, but you nailed it everywhere. You have personally inspired me and taught me to do well, come what may and achieve your goals. I hope one day my name be also announced like this and I also get acknowledged for my good work and perseverance.

This is all from my side, now I would request you all to step forward one by one and say a few words in this regard.

Thank you for being such a lovely audience, cheers!

Welcome Speech for Corporate Event – Sample 4

Hon’ble Committee Members, Senior Managers, Managers and My Dear Friends – I welcome you all to the 21 st Corporate Event of our company!

It feels extremely glad seeing everyone under one roof and coming together for the success of our company. This event is a little more special as most of the processes of our company have completed their set targets and to our surprise have even exceeded them considerably. Therefore, this definitely calls for a huge party and what special occasion than the completion of 21 years of our company. So celebration is in the air and let us makes the most of it. And what better way of celebration than honoring the achievements of our employees who have dedicatedly worked in order to realize their goals and make this event a memorable one!

So without any further ado, let’s call our senior manager on stage in order to felicitate our achievers. But before we do so, I would request him to say a few words in this regard. (And he delivers the speech….)

Now may I please call out the names of those receiving the awards today and their names are …………………………….. Please put your hands together for these people.

Thank you guys for doing such commendable work and becoming an inspiration for us! You have really set the higher standards for all of us. You may please take your seats now.

Now it’s the discussion time, so I will request our panelists to come on stage and initiate the discussion. Those interested may please join the stage and feel free to share their ideas and concerns. Every idea will be respected, so please feel free to give vent to your creativity and out of the box thoughts. We have gathered here with a purpose, that is how to make the best use of our company’s resources and the optimum utilization of our office time.

(And the discussion continues……)

Now with the end of this discussion, I would like to request everyone to join the party in the basement where you may help yourself with both the dinner and drinks. Please feel free to come to us in case of any inconvenience. I can see a few new faces as well, so it becomes our responsibility to make you feel comfortable. In case any discomfort is caused, we are here to help you. This event is not only for a formal meet, but also an opportunity to gel with each other well and understand each other’s thought process so that while working together a sound level of compatibility can be expected and met.

Let us move towards the basement. With this, I rest my speech and also request everyone to not over indulge in the bar section and maintain the decorum of the office.

Thank you for showing your kind patience, cheers!

FAQs Welcome Speech for Corporate Event

How do you start an event welcome speech.

To start an event welcome speech, begin with a warm greeting to the audience and introduce the purpose of the event.

How do you welcome a corporate event?

To welcome a corporate event, express appreciation for attendees and briefly outline the schedule or agenda.

What are some lines for welcome speech?

Some lines for a welcome speech include, Ladies and gentlemen, we're delighted to have you here today, or A warm welcome to all our guests.

What is a short example of opening remarks?

A short example of opening remarks could be, Good morning, everyone. Thank you for joining us for this special occasion.

What is the anchoring script for welcoming guest?

An anchoring script for welcoming guests should introduce the event, acknowledge dignitaries, and convey excitement about their presence.

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Former President Trump Remarks at the Economic Club of New York

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2024 Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump discussed his economic plan for the country at the Economic Club of New York. His plan included: imposing automobile tariffs, eliminating 10 old regulations for every new regulation, lowering the corporate tax rate from 21% to 15% for companies that make their products in the U.S., making the 2017 tax cuts permanent, and creating a task force headed by Elon Musk that would conduct “a complete financial and performance audit of the entire federal government and making recommendations for drastic reforms.” Regarding his criminal indictments he said, “two can play the game,” and commented on Russian President Vladimir Putin ’s endorsement of his opponent in the election, Vice President Kamala Harris (D). close

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Former President Donald J. Trump called for the creation of a government efficiency commission in an economic speech in New York on Thursday, adopting a policy idea that was pitched to him by the billionaire businessman Elon Musk.

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The trade wars that Mr. Trump started had painful consequences for American farmers, and the new tariffs that he called for would also likely trigger backlash and retaliation from other countries. Mr. Trump claimed that his new tax cuts would be paid for by spurring economic growth, but the 2017 tax cuts he enacted increased the national debt and his growth projections never panned out.

Mr. Trump’s embrace of the concept of a government efficiency commission — a favorite Washington solution for delaying dealing with hard problems — comes as he is trying to define how his stewardship of the economy would differ from that of his Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris. He has assailed her economic vision as one that would saddle the economy with wasteful spending and burdensome regulations.

During his speech, Mr. Trump also vowed to eliminate 10 existing government regulations for every new regulation added under his potential new administration. Mr. Trump — who during his presidency issued an executive order vowing a similar two-for-one rule — argued that the cost of regulations was being passed onto consumers.

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Short Welcome Speech

Short welcome speech generator.

“Greetings and Salutations to each and every one of you. My name is Mr. John Smith and I welcome you all to this amazing event.” Now, did that sound familiar? Making welcome speeches for any type of event whether it is for school activities, welcoming important people or even during an important meeting with new people. Don’t worry, this article is going to help you with making a good short welcome speech for an event, for school or for welcoming a chief guest. You are going to get some examples, basically 10+ examples for short welcome speeches, and some tips on making a good short welcome speech and how to present it. Check it out right now.

10+ Short Welcome Speech Examples

1. short welcome celebration speech.

Size: 66 KB

2. Formal Short Welcome Speech

Size: 153 KB

3. Short Welcome Chief Guest Speech

Size: 136 KB

4. Sample Short Welcome Speech

Size: 99 KB

5. Short Welcome Conference Speech

Size: 188 KB

6. Short Welcome Speech Format

Size: 101 KB

7. Short Welcome Dinner Speech

Size: 182 KB

8. Short Welcome Directors Speech

Size: 510 KB

9. Short Welcome Education Speech

Size: 22 KB

10. Short Welcome Governor Speech

Size: 163 KB

11. Short Welcome Speech Example

Size: 76 KB

The Definition of a Welcome Speech

A welcome speech as the name suggests, is a type of speech that is mostly given by the host or hosts at the beginning of an event or a ceremony. This is where the speaker is showing some gratitude and appreciation for the people who took their time to attend the event. Welcome speeches are mostly used in school events, church events, wedding events, or any type of event that a lot of people attend too.

The Importance of Welcome Speeches

One of the most important things to remember when making welcome speeches is the fact that this is your way of captivating your audiences. This may depend on how well you deliver the speech to draw your audience in to listen. Another thing to remember is that a welcome speech should not be too long or too short. Not too short to forget to mention your guests, nor too long that it drags on.

Tips to Write Short Welcome Speeches

As we all know, welcome speeches can either turn boring or fun, depending on how they are prepared. Nobody wants to hear a speech that is too boring or too long. So to avoid issues like that, here are some tips to write short welcome speeches, followed by tips to present your short welcome speeches.

Tips for writing short welcome speeches

• Prepare – start by simply preparing. The question here is to prepare what. Start by thinking about what you want to write. What event are you attending that needs a short introduction?
• Draft – the next thing you should do is to make a draft of your welcome speech. Start with the important details. For example, if you are attending a church event , remember to write the names of the important people. If you are attending a graduation event, the honored guests’ names must be written as well.
• Choice of Words – Pick your words carefully when writing a short welcome speech. Add some lively details to it but also keep it simple. You are only welcoming people and thanking them for coming . The welcome speech is not used as the main course, but merely an appetizer to the whole event.
• Revise – After you have written it down, check your whole speech. Make sure the details are there as well as the correct spelling and word usage.
• Tone – The tone of your writing should match the event you are attending. If it is a lively event, make it as lively as possible, if it is a depressing event, make sure it is as well.

Tips on presenting your welcome speech

• Voice – Your voice should not be too loud nor too soft. Rather, it is enough to be heard from the back.
• Practice – Practice on doing your speech before the actual event. Ask someone to give you feedback on how well you presented yourself and work from there.
• Maintain Eye Contact – remember when talking to people you must make eye contact. Let your audience feel you are happy to see them attend the event.
• Posture – How you bring yourself when making the welcome speech can say a lot of things. So it is best to stand up straight, be confident, and welcome your guests with a smile.

How many paragraphs does it take to make a short welcome speech?

Just one short paragraph. Welcome speeches are not supposed to be too long or too short. A simple 4 to 5 sentences will do, as long as the necessary details are there.

Is there a shortcut to making welcome speeches?

There is no shortcut but with practice you are able to be good at it in no time.

How do I make my short welcome speech less boring?

Watch your tone, your word usage and how you present yourself and when you read your welcome speech.

“Greetings ladies and gentlemen” this may not be much of a head turner, but it’s a start. How you present your welcome speech also matters. Being familiar with the tips on writing and the tips of giving the speech may help you in the long run. There are no shortcuts to making the best speeches, but with a lot of practice and experiences, giving welcome speeches would be a breeze.

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Business | California lawmakers want to ban anti-union…

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Business | California lawmakers want to ban anti-union meetings at work

The law would prohibit an employer from requiring workers to attend "captive audience meetings" about their political or religious views..

On the final day of their session, California lawmakers sent Gov. Gavin Newsom a bill banning employers from forcing workers to sit through anti-union meetings — the latest attempt by Democratic politicians to support union activity amid a revived labor movement.

If Newsom signs Senate Bill 399 , California would join nine other states that have recently passed laws prohibiting an employer from requiring workers to attend so-called captive audience meetings about their political or religious views.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, signed one such law last year, and has touted it on the campaign trail.

The California bill can cover discussions of employers’ views on political candidates or legislation, but it’s largely aimed at one specific kind of required workplace meeting — when bosses discuss whether workers should unionize.

California workers, following a nationwide trend, have increasingly sought unionization in recent years. Union elections have spiked in the last three years, with nearly 17,000 workers voting at more than 300 California workplaces in 2023. So far in 2024, more than 14,000 California workers have voted in a union election, according to a CalMatters analysis of National Labor Relations Board data.

The National Labor Relations Board has generally allowed “captive audience” meetings for decades — provided employers don’t threaten workers or withhold benefits for supporting a union. But the board’s general counsel under President Joe Biden has sought to crack down on them, arguing they are often used to intimidate employees.

Business groups say the bill would be much broader, and would infringe on employers’ free speech rights. State bans in Connecticut and Minnesota have been challenged in court. Wisconsin in 2009 was one of the first states to ban such meetings; when employers filed suit the following year, arguing it conflicted with federal law, the state backed down and agreed not to enforce it.

The California Chamber of Commerce made SB 399 one of their most fiercely contested bills this year. In a legislative alert on Tuesday, the chamber said the bill would “effectively chill any discussions related to legislation, regulations, or other ‘political matters.’”

In an August letter to lawmakers opposing the bill, business groups argued they already can’t coerce workers to vote for certain candidates or to vote against unionizing. They also said that because the bill could fine bosses for talking to employees about political views but not other matters, it’s a violation of the First Amendment.

The bill includes exemptions for “political organizations” that employ people whose job duties require them to engage in political activity, but chamber policy advocate Ashley Hoffman said in the letter that it’s too vague.

But supporters say the bill only targets intimidation in the workplace by penalizing employers who punish workers for refusing to attend a “captive audience” meeting.

“If an employer wants to share [their] beliefs at the worksite, that’s fine, but no one should be coerced to listen,” Assemblymember Eloise Gómez Reyes , a San Bernardino Democrat, said on the Assembly floor Friday before voting for the bill.

The bill’s passage last week was a win for unions amid a number of losses this year in the Legislature, especially compared to the 2023 session .

And while the state in the past two years has increased wages for fast food workers and health care workers , and boosted worker benefits such as paid sick days , labor-backed demands to make it easier to unionize or go on strike have been a tougher sell.

“If we just keep doing legislation that makes things better for workers, that’s good, but it’s not the same power that you’re giving workers in the workplace when they’re able to strike, when they’re able to organize without intimidation,” Lorena Gonzalez, leader of the California Labor Federation, told CalMatters.

In 2022, Newsom was reluctant to sign a bill making it easier for farmworkers to form unions by giving them an option to signal their support without employers knowing who was voting. He only gave his approval after the United Farm Workers drummed up political pressure from fellow Democrats, including Biden. That law has now been challenged by growers in court .

Last year, he vetoed a bill to allow striking workers to collect unemployment benefits, a proposal that Hollywood writers and actors said would have helped them through the “hot labor summer” of work stoppages. Unions attempted to revive the bill this year, and it passed the Senate but failed to get enough votes to clear an Assembly committee.

The captive audience meetings bill also passed the Senate last year, and then eked out of the Assembly last week with just over the minimum 41 votes needed to pass (though a handful of Democrats added “yes” votes later). It won final approval in the Senate Saturday on a 31-9 vote.

The chamber is urging Newsom to veto the bill. The governor has not taken a position, and has until the end of September to decide.

Two other bills sent to Newsom last week seek to help laborers cut out of traditional worker protections. He has rejected versions of both before.

Newsom in 2022 vetoed an expansion of unemployment insurance to undocumented immigrants, saying that the bill didn’t identify how to pay for it. The unemployment bill passed this year would require the administration to figure that out, and then report the plan back to the Legislature.

In the past three years, Newsom has twice vetoed an expansion of workplace safety regulations to include domestic workers, such as house cleaners, nannies and caretakers, citing concerns about subjecting thousands of private homes to possible workplace safety inspections. The bill passed this year exempts workers who are privately employed by a homeowner or who are sent to private homes by publicly funded programs — such as county programs that pay caretakers for the elderly and disabled.

Instead, the bill that passed this year puts the onus on house cleaning and home care agencies to ensure their employees are safe.

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