IDIOM CONNECTION

lesson 54

Meeting Idioms

Introduction

1. What are some reasons for having a meeting?

2. Why are many meetings not successful?

Reading

The sales manager decided to hold a meeting at the end of the month. Most of the sales staff were present when he called the meeting to order. The sales manager had the floor first. He began by laying his vision for the company on the table. The senior salesman wanted to discuss other issues so he moved to postpone the discussion about the company vision until a later date. One of his colleagues seconded this motion. The sales manager objected to this and tried to rule them out of order. This caused the other members of the group to complain. The meeting was not going well so the sales manager was forced to table the discussion about the company vision until another time.
to chair a meeting – to be in charge of a meeting (chairman/chairwoman/chairperson), to be responsible for managing a meeting
to take the minutes of a meeting – to write down the details of a meeting

Reading Questions

Answer the following questions. The answers can easily be found in the reading above.

1. Did the sales manager decide to hold a meeting?

2. Who called the meeting to order?

3. Who had the floor first?

4. Did the sales manager lay his vision for the company on the table?

5. Who moved to postpone this discussion until a later date?

6. Who seconded this motion?

7. Did the sales manager try to rule someone out of order?

8. Did the sales manager have to table the discussion?

Making Connections and Idiom Meanings

Some of the idioms have another meaning or are connected to another meaning. Use this information to help you choose the correct meaning for each of the following idioms:

1. someone holds a meeting
a)   someone stops a meeting
b)   someone has a meeting
c)   someone will hold a meeting soon

2. Order is the regular arrangement of things where everything is in harmony. Sometimes at the beginning of a meeting, people are talking or standing.

What do you think that to call a meeting to order means?
a)   to begin a meeting
b)   to end a meeting
c)   to schedule a meeting

3. The floor sometimes means the place where members of a group or government discuss and vote on their business.

What does to have the floor mean?
a)   to not be permitted to speak at a meeting
b)   to have permission to speak at a meeting
c)   to start a meeting

4. someone lays something on the table
a)   someone tries to end a meeting
b)   someone presents a matter for discussion at a meeting
c)   someone puts something under the table

5. someone moves to do something at a meeting
a)   someone attempts to begin a meeting
b)   someone proposes to do something at a meeting
c)   someone wants to stop a meeting

6. A motion is a proposal or statement that someone makes during a meeting. If you have an idea, you can make a motion during a meeting. However, you usually need a second person to support your proposal before others will vote for it.

What does to second a motion mean?
a)   to agree to support a motion
b)   to disagree with a motion
c)   to make another motion

7. To rule can mean to decide or declare something. If someone is not in order or is out of order at a meeting, it means that he or she is not following the rules of the meeting.

What does to rule someone out of order mean?
a)   to say that someone is not following the rules of a meeting
b)   to make the rules at a meeting
c)   to dispute the rules of a meeting

8. someone tables a discussion
a)   someone wants to talk about something new
b)   someone postpones a discussion until later
c)   someone will ask a question

Your score is: ___  out of 8


Match the Sentences

Choose the best answer for each sentence:

1. The members of the group will hold a meeting tomorrow.
a)   There is no meeting planned.
b)   There may be a meeting in the future.
c)   There is a meeting planned.

2. They plan to call the meeting to order soon.
a)   They have already gathered for the meeting.
b)   They plan to gather for the meeting later.
c)   There is no meeting planned at the moment.

3. The man had the floor and would not stop talking.
a)   The man was not at a meeting.
b)   The man was at a meeting.
c)   The man always talks a lot.

4. The manager laid an important matter on the table at the meeting.
a)   The manager wanted to postpone the matter for a later discussion.
b)   The manager refused to discuss the matter.
c)   The manager wanted to discuss something important.

5. The speaker moved to change the time of the next meeting.
a)   The speaker will move before the next meeting.
b)   The speaker wants to move the place of the next meeting.
c)   The speaker wants to have the next meeting at a different time.

6. The motion was seconded by the company president.
a)   The company president did not agree with the motion.
b)   The company president agreed with the motion.
c)   The company president made the motion.

7. The man was ruled out of order at the meeting.
a)  The man was acting correctly.
b)  The man was very nice.
c)  The man was not acting correctly.

8. The issue was very complicated so they tabled the discussion on the issue.
a)  They plan to discuss the issue later.
b)  They will talk about the issue now.
c)  They will not discuss the issue.

Your score is: ___  out of 8


Grammar Focus

Choose the word or expression that makes each of the following sentences correct:

1. We will ______________ next week.
a)   held a meeting
b)   hold a meeting
c)   holding a meeting

2. The meeting was ______________ at 8:00 o'clock.
a)   call to order
b)   calling to order
c)   called to order

3. The main speaker ________________ earlier today.
a)   has the floor
b)   have the floor
c)   had the floor

4. The manager _______________ the table.
a)   laid the problem in
b)   laid the problem over
c)   laid the problem on

5. I _______________ start the next meeting early.
a)   moved too
b)   moved two
c)   moved to

6. The woman agreed to __________________ .
a)   secondly the motion
b)   second the motion
c)   seconded the motion

7. The woman was ______________ several times at the meeting.
a)  ruled to order
b)  ruled at order
c)  ruled out of order

8. Our boss _______________________ until next week.
a)  tabled the discussion
b)  tabling the discussion
c)  tables the discussion

Your score is: ___  out of 8




Discussion Questions

Answer the following questions using the idioms from this section:

1. Did you ever hold a meeting for some reason?

2. Do you know anybody who recently had to hold a meeting?

3. Have you ever called a meeting to order?

4. Who do you know who recently called a meeting to order?

5. Have you ever had the floor in a meeting?

6. Who usually has the floor first in a meeting?

7. Did you recently lay anything on the table at a meeting that you attended?

8. Have you recently been to a meeting where someone laid everything on the table for discussion?

9. Did you ever move to do something at a meeting?

10. Do you know anyone who recently moved to do something at a meeting?

11. Have you ever seconded a motion at a meeting?

12. What kind of motion often needs to be seconded at a meeting?

13. Were you ever ruled out of order at a meeting?

14. What could cause someone to be ruled out of order at a meeting?

15. Do you know any important issue that was tabled until a later date at a meeting?

16. For what reason could someone table something at a meeting?

Role Play

Student A: You are the owner of a small coffee shop. Some of your customers are complaining about the way that your staff dresses. You are having a meeting because you believe that there should be some rules about what the employees wear.

Student B: You are the manager of the coffee shop. You do not think that there should be any rules regarding what the employees wear.

lesson 54