How do you speak up in an English meeting?
Don't wait for a gap: ask for one. Sorry, can I jump in here for a second? gets you in, and Just to build on what Priya said, … ties your point to the conversation. Then say what worries you and offer something: I see your point, but I'm worried about the timeline. Have we considered doing it in two phases? If you're caught out, buy a few seconds: Good question. Let me think for a second. By the time a perfect sentence is ready, the topic has usually moved on.
Which phrases get you into the conversation?
Meetings get hard at five moments: you can't get in, you didn't catch something, you need a moment, you disagree, and the meeting is ending with nothing confirmed. Three phrases for each are enough to start. These come from the meeting phrase cards we made for Before You Speak.
| Say this | What it does |
|---|---|
| 01 Get inYou want to speak and there's no gap | |
| Sorry, can I jump in here? | Asks before you cut in |
| Can I add something quickly? | Promises it will be short |
| Just to build on what Priya said, … | Naming the person first means it doesn't sound like grabbing the floor |
| 02 You didn't catch itAsk straight away; don't guess | |
| Sorry, could you say that again? | You missed the sentence |
| Sorry, I didn't quite catch that. | The same, a little softer |
| What do you mean by “scope creep”? | You missed one word. No need to mention your English |
| 03 You need a momentSay something so the silence isn't empty | |
| Good question. Let me think for a second. | Saying it gives you a few more seconds |
| Off the top of my head, I'd say … | A rough answer, with room to change it |
| Let me get back to you on that. | For when you really can't answer yet |
| 04 You disagreeAcknowledge, say what worries you, offer something | |
| I see your point, but I'm worried about the timeline. | Agrees they have a point, then raises yours |
| I'm not sure that'll work, because … | Gives a reason, not just a no |
| Have we considered doing it in two phases? | Puts your idea as a question, so it isn't a challenge |
| 05 Confirm and closeOne line before the meeting ends | |
| Just to confirm, we're moving the release to Thursday? | Checks the decision |
| So the next step is …, right? | Checks what happens next |
| I'll follow up by email. | Says you'll put it in writing |
What does speaking up sound like?
Example: a design review on video. Alex, the tech lead, is confident and talks fast, but is open to feedback. He proposes moving the upload service to a new storage system next sprint. You think the timeline is too tight.
OK, so here's the plan. We move all uploads to the new storage system next sprint, switch over on the twentieth, and clean up the old bucket after that. Pretty straightforward, I think.
Sorry, can I jump in here for a second? I see your point, but I'm worried about the timeline.
Get in · ConcernI'm not sure that'll work, because we still need to migrate all the old files. Have we considered doing it in two phases?
Reason · OptionWhat would phase one look like?
Phase one would cover new uploads only. We'd move the old files in phase two.
How much extra time are we talking about?
Maybe one more sprint, but it lowers the risk a lot.
Can you put that in writing?
Sure, I'll write it up and share it by Friday.
Next stepSource: the “jump in and disagree” practice pack in Before You Speak, which gives the opening, the phrases and the likely questions. They are joined up here into one conversation. The names and the project are made up.
How do you say the same thing more naturally?
Get the clear version out first. Then move up when it comes easily. Clear is a short sentence that gets you understood, Natural is what a colleague would actually say, and Compact packs in more while still sounding spoken.
Getting in
- ClearSorry, can I say something?
- NaturalSorry, can I jump in here for a second?
- CompactSorry, can I jump in here for a second? Just to build on what you said, phase one could cover new uploads only.
Raising a concern
- ClearI understand. But I think the time is too short.
- NaturalI see your point, but I'm worried about the timeline.
- CompactI see your point, but I'm worried about the timeline, because we still need to migrate all the old files.
Offering another way
- ClearMaybe we can do it in two parts?
- NaturalHave we considered doing it in two phases?
- CompactHave we considered doing it in two phases? It takes maybe one more sprint, but it lowers the risk a lot.
The natural version is the original line from the practice pack; the other two are rewritten with the app's three-level rules.
What do you say when you're put on the spot?
A manager asks for a number and uses a word you don't know: “Can you give me a ballpark? I really want to avoid scope creep this time.” (A ballpark is a rough number; scope creep is a job that keeps growing.) Catch it with one line first, then think about the content. These lines come from the Sprint planning practice pack.
| When | Say |
|---|---|
| They're talking too fast | Sorry, could you slow down a little? |
| You missed one word | Sorry, what do you mean by “ballpark”? |
| You're on a call and lost it | Could you put that in the chat? |
| You're caught off guard | Good question. Let me think for a second. |
| You can give a rough number | Off the top of my head, about three days. I'll confirm by tomorrow. |
| It depends on something | That depends on whether we need to support the old app version. |
| You can't answer yet | Let me get back to you on that after I check the code. |
| You want to check you understood | Just to make sure I understand, you mean …? |
Which slips stop people speaking up?
The first three aren't English problems at all. The rest are wording: too sharp, or a direct translation.
| Easy to say | Better | Why |
|---|---|---|
| ✗ Waiting until your sentence is perfect | ✓ Can I add something quickly? | By then the topic has moved on. Get in first; the point can be short. |
| ✗ Wait wait wait! | ✓ Sorry, can I jump in here for a second? | The short apology does the work, and you still get in. |
| ✗ Saying nothing while you think | ✓ Good question. Let me think for a second. | Saying it out loud gives you a few more seconds, and everyone knows why you paused. |
| ✗ My English is not good… | ✓ What do you mean by “scope creep”? | Ask about the word you missed. There's no need to apologise for your English first. |
| ✗ You're wrong. / I don't agree. | ✓ I see your point, but … | In a multinational team, a flat disagreement can sound too blunt. Acknowledge first, then soften. |
| ✗ That won't work. | ✓ I'm not sure that'll work, because we still need to migrate all the old files. | Say why, not just no. |
| ✗ You should do it in two phases. | ✓ Have we considered doing it in two phases? | As a question, your idea doesn't sound like a challenge. |
| ✗ Could you tell me what is the problem? | ✓ Could you tell me what the problem is? | After “Could you tell me”, the words go in statement order: what the problem is. |
| ✗ Can we discuss about the timeline? | ✓ Can we discuss the timeline? | “Discuss” takes its object directly, with no “about”. |
| ✗ Leaving without checking who does what | ✓ Just to confirm, I'll write up the two-phase plan by Friday? | One line at the end stops the plan drifting afterwards. |
How do these phrases sound in different accents?
In a mixed team you may hear these from colleagues who don't sound American. Press a button to hear the same phrase in a US, UK, Australian or Indian accent.
| Phrase | Meaning | Listen: US / UK / AU / IN |
|---|---|---|
| Can I add something? | may I say more on this? | |
| Can I just jump in here? | may I cut in? | |
| Sorry, could you say that again? | I didn't catch it | |
| I'm not sure I follow | I don't quite understand | |
| Just to clarify, you mean videos older than 30 days? | checking what you understood | |
| on the same page | with the same understanding | |
| to sum up | in short | |
| action items | the to-dos agreed in a meeting |
The voices are AI-generated, for practice only.
How do you practise speaking up?
The hard part is the timing: saying the line while other people are talking. You can practise that with a colleague or a tutor who agrees to keep talking until you cut in, or with an AI tool that does the same. Before You Speak has meeting scenes with two AI colleagues who run the meeting; a practice scene is still not a real meeting, but it does give you the moment to speak.
These are the closest meeting scenes:
- Budget review: where the overspend is, and what to cut: with a British finance director and an Australian marketing lead. Practise it
- Sprint retrospective: saying what went wrong: and suggesting changes that can actually happen. Practise it
- Review meeting in Sydney: proposing a new tool: holding up under questions on cost, risk and time. Practise it
- Cross-team meeting: running it yourself: opening, keeping two managers on track, and closing with a decision. Practise it
The scene pages are in Chinese with the full English script alongside, and every line has a recording. You can read and listen without signing up. All characters, lines and voices are AI-generated, for practice only.
Reading a phrase isn't the same as getting it out while people are talking. In Before You Speak (开口前 kaikouqian), two AI colleagues with real accents talk and you can cut in at any time; when it's your turn, they stop and wait for you. Afterwards you get at most two corrections, they go into your review book, and in review a colleague says the original line again and you answer. You can also write your own situation in Chinese (what it's about, who it's with, what you want to say, the facts only you know) and get a practice scene in two or three minutes.
Free sign-up, no card. The free plan has two live AI conversation rounds and three scripted sessions a week; your own scenes come with a 7-day free trial, and nothing is charged when it ends. For people living outside mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. The app explains in Chinese; Chrome on a computer works best.
Which guides go with this one?
- Politely interrupting: Which phrase fits which moment, how strong each one sounds, and how to move a side topic out of the meeting.
- Disagreeing politely: Acknowledge, say what worries you, offer another way: phrases from soft to direct, and what to say when they push back.
- Standup updates: What you finished, what's next, what's blocking you, and how to say a date is at risk, in a few short sentences.
- All guides
How was this page written?
- Author
- The maker of Before You Speak, a Chinese engineer working in English in Abu Dhabi.
- Sources
- The meeting phrase cards on our social accounts, the two meeting practice packs in Before You Speak (“jump in and disagree” and Sprint planning) and its Meetings unit. The names and the project are made up.
- Use of AI
- The English examples and explanations were drafted with AI and put together by the author. In the three versions, the natural line is the original and the other two are rewritten with the app's three-level rules.
- Updates
- First published 2026-11-01. Found a mistake or want to add something? Write to hello@kaikouqian.com.