Writing an Agenda. Imagine that you are the chairperson in a meeting. It is the start of the meeting and you are telling your colleagues about the items on the agenda. What phrases might you use?

 

2. The following sentences are in the wrong order. Re-arrange them in the correct sequence to introduce the agenda.

Meeting - Agenda Setting

a. Secondly we want to have a look at the cybercrime.

b. And then we’ll see if there’s any other business.

c. If we could go through each of them in order.

d. And finally we need to look at the staffing levels for the project.

e. Just three things on the agenda today.

f. First of all we need to discuss our aims for the project.

g. Right let’s start with item number one.

Look through the extracts from the website of the International Conference, find the main elements of the website and comment them.

The main points of the conference website are:

1) general information about the conference;

2) information for authors;

3) location of the conference;

4) participant registration;

5) conference programme;

6) contact, about us.

 

 

The eighth annual ‘International Conference for Police & Law Enforcement Executives’ will be held in beautiful Quebec City, Quebec, Canada, from May 6th to May 8th. The conference theme is “Delivering on a Promise: To Serve and Protect” and the conference will be hosted by Directeur Serge Bélisle and the Service de police de la Ville de Québec. The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, Association des Directeurs de Police du Québec, Canadian Association of Police Boards, and Canadian Professional Management Services will be among the sponsors of this year’s conference.

 

SUNDAY, May 6

Time Topic

4:00pm to 6:00pm Registration

6:00pm to 8:00pm Welcome Reception

MONDAY, May 7

Time Topic

7:00am to 8:00am Breakfast Buffet & Networking

8:00am to 8:20am Official Opening

8:20am to 8:30am Conference Overview

8:30am to 9:00am Keynote Presentation

9:00am to 10:00am Panel Presentation

10:00am to 11:00am Refreshment Break & Networking

11:00am to 12:00pm Panel Presentation

12:00pm to 1:00pm Lunch Buffet & Networking

1:00pm to 2:00pm Panel Presentation

2:00pm to 2:30pm Keynote Presentation

2:30pm to 3:15pm Refreshment Break & Networking

3:15pm to 4:15pm Panel Presentation

6:00pm to 9:30pm Official Dinner Banquet

Read the text below and fill in the gaps with the phrases below.

Conference Speech

The opening of a conference is very important because it sets the tone for what delegates can achieve, usually in a very short space of time. Conferences vary of course. There are pharmaceutical conferences, medical, legal conferences and business conferences. Each one has its own individual message to get across but there are some things that are common to all.

The speaker who welcomes the delegates has a challenging task. His/her opening speech is very important indeed. He/she has to set the tone for the whole event. So it is his/her duty to ensure the delegates are eager to hear what the speakers are going to say. In other words the chairman/chairwoman* imbues the atmosphere with a sense of anticipation.

It is important that the chairperson makes the delegates feel welcome, introduces the speakers, explains the schedule for the conference and sets out the agenda for the conference. A good speech should flow from one topic to the next. Basically a good speaker opening a conference will hold out the promise of exciting times ahead. At some time during the event the chair will probably announce coffee or lunch.

At the closing of the conference he/she will usually speak again, summing up the advantages of being present, thanking delegates for their participation and expressing the hope that they will all meet again soon at yet another successful event. If the chair’s remarks are light-hearted, enthusiastic and concise it will have gone a long way towards ensuring the success of the conference.

 

*Note! Many people use chairperson or chair instead, to avoid suggesting that this person must be a man.

 

A. -Welcome, everyone. To open the … conference today, we are privileged to welcome… The two gentlemen who will be speaking to you today are two great legal scholars investigating the subject of …. We are delighted to have… and …with us.

B. -Ladies and gentlemen, I have one announcement before we go to our first presentation… We’re ready to proceed to our next presentation, to be given by…

C. -Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. We’re ready to commence our afternoon session after that lovely meal.

D. -Today we have a slight variation in the schedule.

E. -On that note, we’re going to end the question period to give you all lunch.

F. -I want to thank you all for joining us here today for the 2011… Conference.

G. -Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. My name … I’m the… It gives me great pleasure to open the plenary session of the…

H. -You all have the agenda before you. Before I address the agenda, I just want to say… Structurally, we will have a couple of people address you in the beginning to report on …, and we’ll have plenty of time for discussion.