How to Politely Move a Meeting Along
The ability to move a meeting along — politely, firmly, and without damaging relationships — is one of the most practical and valued skills in British professional culture.
The key is always to acknowledge before redirecting. This signals you heard and valued the contribution, even as you move past it.
Phrases by Situation
When the discussion is running over time
"I'm conscious of the time — we have about [X] minutes left and still need to cover [remaining items]. Can we move on?"
"I'm going to move us along so we have time for the remaining agenda items. We can always pick this up offline if needed."
When one person is speaking for too long
"Thank you — that's really useful context. I want to make sure we have time to hear from a few others before we move on. [Name], what's your view?"
"I'm going to jump in there briefly — [summary of point]. Does that capture it fairly?"
When the discussion goes off topic
"That's a really important point — can I suggest we add it to the next agenda rather than trying to cover it now?"
"I'd like to bring us back to today's objective, which is [goal]. Can we park that for now?"
When a decision is being avoided
"We've discussed this thoroughly — I'd like to move us to a decision. The options seem to be [A] or [B]. Is there a preference?"
When a topic needs to be deferred
"We're not going to do this justice today — I'd rather give it proper time at the next meeting. Can we defer it and move on?"
The Acknowledge-and-Move Formula
- Acknowledge — "That's a really useful point"
- Signal the move — "I'm going to move us along"
- Give a reason — "so we have time for the remaining items"
What to Avoid
❌ "Let's move on." — Too abrupt without acknowledgement
❌ "We don't have time for this." — Sounds frustrated rather than professional
❌ Moving on before summarising the current point — people feel unheard and circle back
Related Articles
- How to Control a Meeting in English
- Business English Phrases for Chairing a Meeting
- Leadership Language for Meetings
- How to Sound Like a Leader in a Meeting in English
- How to Summarise What Someone Said in a Meeting
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Published by Fluentry UK — British English for Non-Native Professionals
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