Stating the purpose of a meeting
CEFR: A2
Read/Listen first
This morning our team is meeting in the small conference room. I am here today to talk about our new parking and software policy. The reason for our appointment is access to the planning program and better car pooling. Over the last months parking has become difficult for many employees, and several people arrived late last week. We have already tried to manage the problem informally, but it did not work well. Today we are going to agree on a clear plan. We will organise car pooling groups and decide who can use the main parking lot. We also need to check who has access to the software so that everyone can see the schedule. If we cooperate, we could save time, reduce stress, and make visiting clients easier for the whole team. At the end of the meeting, I must send a short report explaining the decisions and the objective of each action.⚡ Learning goals
- Can understand a short explanation of the purpose of a workplace meeting.
- Can say why an appointment is planned using simple phrases.
- Can describe a workplace problem and a basic plan to solve it.
✨ Key language
- I’m here today to talk about… “I’m here today to talk about our software access.”
- The reason for our appointment is… “The reason for our appointment is the parking situation.”
- It’s about / It’s regarding… “It’s about coordinating car pooling for the team.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Present perfect for recent change
Rule: Use have/has + past participle to describe changes or experiences that affect the present.Examples: Parking has become difficult recently.; We have already tried one solution.; The situation has improved a little.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners often use the past simple with already or recently; use the present perfect instead.
Which sentence correctly uses the present perfect?
Tip: Use has/have + past participle, not the base form, for recent change.
Fill with the best answer: Parking ______ difficult for many employees.
Tip: Remember to use has with parking and add the past participle become.
2️⃣ Past simple for completed events
Rule: Use the past simple to talk about finished actions at a specific time in the past.Examples: Several employees arrived late last week.; We had a long meeting yesterday.; The director sent the report on Monday.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes add have with a finished time expression; remove have and keep the past simple.
Which sentence is correct?
Tip: With a clear past time like last week, use the past simple.
Fill with the best answer: Several people ______ late because of the traffic.
Tip: Use the past simple form of arrive for a finished event.
3️⃣ Be going to for meeting plans
Rule: Use am/is/are going to + verb to talk about plans and intentions.Examples: Today we are going to agree on a plan.; I am going to send a short report.; They are going to organise car pooling groups.
Common pitfall + fix: Do not use the base verb alone; add going to after the correct form of be.
Which sentence correctly uses going to?
Tip: Use be + going to + verb to express a plan.
Fill with the best answer: Today we ______ to agree on a clear plan.
Tip: Put the verb be before going to.
4️⃣ Could for possible results
Rule: Use could + verb to talk about possible results or benefits in the future.Examples: We could save time.; We could reduce stress.; We could make visiting clients easier.
Common pitfall + fix: Do not use could to; use could directly followed by the base verb.
Which sentence uses could correctly?
Tip: After could, use the base form of the verb, without to.
Fill with the best answer: If we cooperate, we ______ time for everyone.
Tip: Think of a modal that expresses a possible positive result.
✍️ Vocabulary
appointment
Meaning: a meeting arranged at a specific time for a clear purpose.Synonyms: meeting, session, visit.
Chunk/Idiom: have an appointment with a client.
Example: I have an appointment with the human resources director at ten.
Morphology: noun; countable noun; business English.
Self-practice: Write two appointments you usually have each month.
purpose
Meaning: the reason why something is done or why a meeting happens.Synonyms: reason, aim, objective.
Chunk/Idiom: the purpose of the meeting.
Example: The purpose of the meeting is to discuss the parking problem.
Morphology: noun; abstract noun; often used with of.
Self-practice: Explain the purpose of your next work or school meeting.
access
Meaning: the right or ability to use a place, system, or information.Synonyms: entry, connection, permission.
Chunk/Idiom: have access to the software.
Example: Only managers have access to the planning software today.
Morphology: noun; uncountable noun; sometimes verb in technical English.
Self-practice: List three tools you need regular access to at work or school.
car pooling
Meaning: an arrangement where several people share a car to travel together.Synonyms: ride sharing, shared transport, car share.
Chunk/Idiom: organise a car pooling group.
Example: We started car pooling to reduce the number of cars in the parking lot.
Morphology: noun phrase; often used with verbs like organise or join.
Self-practice: Describe who you could car pool with on a normal day.
parking lot
Meaning: an area where people can leave their cars near a building.Synonyms: car park, parking area, parking space.
Chunk/Idiom: a parking lot with space for sixty cars.
Example: The parking lot is full every morning after nine o’clock.
Morphology: noun phrase; American English; British English uses car park.
Self-practice: Describe the parking lot at your workplace or school.
schedule
Meaning: a plan that shows when activities or meetings will happen.Synonyms: timetable, calendar, plan.
Chunk/Idiom: check the meeting schedule.
Example: I checked the schedule to see when the next client visit is.
Morphology: noun; can also be a verb meaning arrange a time.
Self-practice: Write two sentences about changes in your weekly schedule.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
I’m here today to talk about our new parking and software policy.
The reason for our appointment is access to the planning program.
It’s about coordinating car pooling so people arrive at work on time.
If we cooperate, we could save time and reduce parking stress.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
Which sentence clearly states the purpose of the meeting?
Tip: Use a full clause after the reason for our appointment is.
Choose the correct future plan.
Tip: Remember the pattern be + going to + verb for future plans.
Fill with the best answer:
Today we ______ to agree on a clear plan.Tip: Think of the going to future form used in the mini text.
Fill with the best answer:
We ______ already tried to manage the problem informally.Tip: Use the auxiliary verb from the present perfect in the mini text.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
What is the main purpose of the meeting?
Tip: Look for the sentences that explain why the team is meeting.
According to the text, what could happen if the team cooperates?
Tip: Focus on the sentence starting with If we cooperate.
Fill with the best answer:
The reason for our ______ is access to the planning program.Tip: Use the noun for a planned meeting at a specific time.
Fill with the best answer:
Several employees arrived ______ last week because of the parking problem.Tip: Think of the opposite of on time.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: Hi, thanks for coming today. I’m here to talk about your software access.B: Great, the reason for our appointment is to solve my login problem, right?
A: Yes, it’s about giving you clear access to the planning program.
Why this matters:
Clear meeting objectives save time for everyone. You understand what you need to decide. This helps colleagues feel prepared and more confident.Verb & Adjective Pack:
schedule — Our schedule shows when each team can use the parking lot.access — Only managers have access to this software at the moment.
crowded — The parking lot is crowded before nine in the morning.
efficient — Car pooling is an efficient way to reduce traffic.
flexible — We need a flexible plan for visiting different clients.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: Today we ______ going to agree on a clear plan.
Tip: Use the correct form of be from the mini text.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: We have try to solve the parking problem yesterday.
Tip: Use the past simple with a clear time expression like yesterday.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
The reason for our appointment is to coordinate car pooling for the team.
Tip: Pay attention to the stress on reason, appointment, and coordinate.