The Complete Guide to English for Zoom Meetings
Video calls have become the default for international business. And while they've made global collaboration easier, they've also created a new challenge: navigating meetings in English without the body language cues, the informal hallway chats, or the ability to quietly ask a neighbor what someone just said.
If you've ever frozen on a Zoom call, struggled to interrupt politely, or avoided speaking because you were afraid of a technical glitch exposing your English. This guide is for you.
Opening the Call
The first 2-3 minutes of a video call are small talk. This isn't wasted time. it's relationship building. Here are natural phrases for this stage:
If you're hosting:
- "Hey everyone, let's give it a minute for people to join."
- "How's everyone doing? Good week so far?"
- "Before we start. anyone have big plans for the weekend?"
If you're joining:
- "Hi everyone! Sorry, am I late? My calendar said 2:00."
- "Hey! Good to see everyone."
- "How's it going? I love the background, [Name]."
Responding to small talk:
- "Not bad. busy week, but almost Friday!"
- "Pretty good, thanks. How about you?"
- "Can't complain! Ready for this meeting though."
Tip: Prepare one small talk topic before the call starts. Knowing what you'll say during the casual opening reduces anxiety for the rest of the meeting.
Starting the Meeting
Once everyone has joined, you need to transition from small talk to business. Here's how:
If you're leading:
- "Alright, I think everyone's here. Let's get started."
- "Okay, let's dive in. I'll share my screen in a second."
- "Thanks for joining, everyone. I have three things on the agenda today."
- "I'll try to keep us to 30 minutes, so let's get right to it."
If you're presenting:
- "I'm going to walk you through [topic]. Feel free to jump in with questions."
- "Let me share my screen... Can everyone see this?"
- "I've put together a few slides. This should take about 10 minutes."
Asking Questions
Asking questions in a video call feels harder than in person because you can't lean forward or make eye contact to signal you want to speak. Use these phrases:
To ask a question:
- "Quick question. [your question]."
- "Can I ask something about that?"
- "Sorry to interrupt. could you explain what you mean by [term]?"
- "I just want to clarify. are we saying that [your understanding]?"
To ask someone else a question:
- "[Name], what do you think about this?"
- "[Name], you've worked on something similar, right? Any thoughts?"
- "I'd love to get [Name]'s take on this."
Tip: Using someone's name before asking them a question gives them a moment to prepare. On video calls, people are often multitasking. The name is their cue to focus.
Presenting Your Ideas
When it's your turn to present or share your perspective, structure matters even more on video calls because attention spans are shorter.
Introducing your point:
- "I want to highlight one thing..."
- "I think the key point here is..."
- "From my perspective, the main issue is..."
- "Building on what [Name] said..."
Structuring longer points:
- "I have three quick points. First..."
- "There are two sides to this. On one hand... On the other hand..."
- "Let me give you some context first, and then I'll share my recommendation."
Signaling you're done:
- "That's my main point. happy to discuss."
- "So that's where I stand. What does everyone think?"
- "I'll stop there. [Name], do you want to add anything?"
Tip: On video calls, keep your points shorter than you would in person. Aim for 30-60 seconds per point. If people want more detail, they'll ask.
Handling Technical Issues
Technical problems are the great equalizer of video calls. they happen to everyone. Having phrases ready means you can handle them smoothly:
When your connection is bad:
- "Sorry, I think my connection is unstable. Can you hear me okay?"
- "You're breaking up a little. could you repeat that?"
- "I'm going to turn off my camera to improve the connection."
When someone else is having issues:
- "[Name], we can't hear you. You might be on mute."
- "[Name], you're cutting out. Could you try again?"
- "I think there's a lag. let's give it a second."
When you can't share your screen:
- "Hold on, it's not letting me share. Give me one second."
- "Can everyone see my screen? It doesn't seem to be working."
- "I'll send the link in the chat instead. You can follow along from there."
When you need to leave temporarily:
- "I need to step away for one minute. I'll be right back."
- "Sorry, I have to take this quickly. Back in two minutes."
Tip: If your internet is unreliable, have a backup plan. Know how to dial in by phone. Keep documents ready to share via chat link instead of screen sharing.
Agreeing and Disagreeing
Agreement and disagreement require extra care on video calls because you can't rely on facial expressions and body language to soften your words.
Agreeing:
- "I completely agree with that."
- "That's exactly what I was thinking."
- "Great point, and I'd add that..."
- "+1 to what [Name] said." (casual, but common in tech)
Partially agreeing:
- "I agree with the overall direction, but I have one concern about..."
- "That makes sense for the most part. My only question is..."
- "I see where you're coming from. I'd just push back slightly on..."
Disagreeing politely:
- "I actually see it a bit differently."
- "That's an interesting perspective. My concern is..."
- "I respect that viewpoint, but I think we should also consider..."
- "Can I play devil's advocate for a second?"
Tip: On video calls, always acknowledge what the other person said before disagreeing. Since you can't soften disagreement with a smile or friendly body language, your words need to do that work.
Managing the Discussion
Whether you're the official host or not, sometimes you need to steer the conversation:
When the discussion goes off-topic:
- "That's a great point. can we put a pin in it and come back to it after?"
- "I want to make sure we cover everything on the agenda. Can we park this for now?"
- "Interesting. maybe we should set up a separate call for that?"
When someone is dominating:
- "Thanks, [Name]. I want to make sure we hear from everyone. [Other Name], any thoughts?"
- "Great points. Let's open it up. who else wants to weigh in?"
When people aren't participating:
- "[Name], you've been quiet. do you have any thoughts on this?"
- "I'd love to hear from the people who haven't spoken yet."
- "Any other perspectives before we move on?"
Closing the Meeting
How you end a call matters. A good close ensures everyone knows what happens next.
Summarizing:
- "Let me quickly recap what we agreed on."
- "So the action items are: [list them]. Does that sound right?"
- "Just to confirm. [Name] is handling [task] and [Name] is handling [task]."
Asking for final input:
- "Before we wrap up, does anyone have anything else?"
- "Any questions or concerns before we end?"
- "Anything I've missed?"
Closing:
- "Great meeting, everyone. I'll send a summary by end of day."
- "Thanks, everyone. Talk soon!"
- "That's all from me. Have a good rest of your day."
Tip: Always end by restating action items and owners. On video calls, it's easy for people to zone out. The recap at the end is your safety net.
Cultural Notes for International Calls
Video calls often bring together people from different cultures. A few things to keep in mind:
Small talk expectations vary. Americans and Brits expect 2-3 minutes of casual chat before business. In some cultures, jumping straight to business is preferred. Follow the lead of the most senior person on the call.
Directness varies. Some cultures value direct feedback ("This won't work because..."). Others prefer indirect approaches ("Have we considered..."). On international calls, err on the side of being slightly more indirect to avoid accidentally offending someone.
Silence means different things. In some cultures, silence after a question means thoughtful consideration. In American business culture, silence is uncomfortable and usually means people are confused or disengaged. If you need time to think, say "Let me think about that for a moment" so others know you're processing, not lost.
"Yes" doesn't always mean yes. In some cultures, people say "yes" to avoid conflict, even when they disagree or don't understand. If you're leading the call, confirm understanding by asking people to restate the plan in their own words.
Master video calls in English
Our Professional English Basics course has an entire module dedicated to video call communication. with practice exercises, role plays, and real-world scenarios.
Want to practice with a real teacher? Book a 1-on-1 lesson and we'll do a mock Zoom meeting. You'll get real-time feedback on your phrasing, pronunciation, and professional presence.
Download our free video call cheat sheet at /free. a one-page reference you can keep open on your second monitor during calls.