Leading Project Update Sessions with Confidence.

In this lesson you move from being a participant to taking the lead. You will follow a short project update session where a team leader opens the meeting, reviews the agenda, keeps people on track and closes with a clear summary. You will notice how they manage time politely, bring quiet colleagues into the discussion and deal with people who talk too much or go off topic. You will learn useful phrases for signalling the start and end of sections, changing topic and checking that everyone agrees on the decisions. You will then plan a short update session for your own context, with two or three key points to cover, and practise leading it step by step. By the end, you will feel more able to run short project meetings in English without losing control of the time or the conversation.

1. Listening to a project update meeting opening.

In this first part of the lesson, I would like you to step inside a realistic project update meeting and simply listen to how the team leader starts the session. Imagine you are part of a small international team working on a website redesign project for a new client. The project lead is Alex, and they are running a short, thirty‑minute weekly update call on Monday morning. In a moment, you will hear Alex open the meeting, welcome everyone, explain the aim of the session and quickly outline the agenda. Your job is not to understand every single word, but to notice how Alex sounds organised and in control right from the start. Pay attention to phrases that signal the purpose of the session, how many topics there are, and how much time they have. After you listen, you will answer a few short questions in writing to check your understanding and start building your own phrase bank for leading meetings.

Step into the meeting.

In this lesson we follow one short project update session about a website redesign project. You will first observe how Alex, the project lead, opens and structures the meeting. Later, you will learn the phrases and then practise leading a similar session yourself.

Imagine the scene:

• It is Monday morning.
• The team are on a video call.
• The project is the redesign of a client website.
• The meeting is planned for 30 minutes.

Participants:

• Alex – project lead
• Priya – developer
• Marco – designer
• Lena – marketing
• Jonas – sales

Transcript: how Alex opens the meeting.

Read this short transcript of the opening of the meeting. In the audio below, you will hear something very similar.

> Alex: Thank you for joining, the aim of this session is to give a quick update on the website redesign and agree the next steps for this week.

>

> We have three main points to cover today. First, a quick status update on the homepage design. Second, the latest on content from marketing. And third, any risks or issues we should be aware of before the client demo on Friday.

>

> From a timing point of view, we only have thirty minutes, so I suggest we keep comments brief so we can cover everything. Does that sound OK?

What is Alex doing well here?.

Alex does several important things in just a few sentences:

Welcomes people and gives a clear aim:

• "Thank you for joining, the aim of this session is..."

Outlines the agenda:

• "We have three main points to cover today."

Manages time politely:

• "From a timing point of view, we only have thirty minutes, so I suggest we keep comments brief..."

Checks agreement:

• "Does that sound OK?"

When you use phrases like these, you sound confident, organised and respectful of people’s time.

In the activity below, you will listen to Alex and then answer some simple questions to make sure you have understood the key information from the opening.

Practice & Feedback

Listen carefully to Alex’s meeting opening in the audio. Then answer the questions in full sentences, using your own words.

Write your answers in English. Try to be clear and complete, not just one word. If you did not catch every detail, use what you understood and make a sensible guess.

Please answer these three questions:

1. What is the main aim of Alex’s session?
2. How many main points does Alex want to cover, and what are they about?
3. How much time do they have, and what does Alex ask the team to do because of this?

Write your answers together in one text box, but number them 1, 2 and 3 so it is easy to read.

2. Noticing useful phrases for opening and agenda.

You have now listened to how Alex opens the meeting and you know the basic information: the aim, the number of points and the time limit. In this part, we are going to slow down and really notice the exact phrases Alex, and other good chairs, use at the start of a project update session. These phrases are powerful because they help you sound prepared and professional, even if you still make some grammar mistakes. I will show you a small bank of expressions that you can adapt for your own meetings, such as how to state the aim, how to say how many points you will cover, and how to mention time in a polite way. Read them carefully and compare them with expressions in your own language. Then, in the activity, you will personalise a few of these phrases by writing sentences that you could genuinely use in a real meeting at work. This is how you start building a personal phrase bank that you can use again and again.

Phrase bank for opening your update.

At B2 level, the goal is not to invent a completely new sentence every time you speak. Instead, you reuse strong, flexible phrases and just change the details.

Here is a small phrase bank based on Alex’s meeting and some extra useful options.

Stating the aim.

• "Thank you for joining, the aim of this session is..."
• "Thanks for making the time, today’s session is to..."
• "The main purpose of today’s meeting is..."

Examples:

• "Thank you for joining, the aim of this session is to review progress on the website redesign."
• "The main purpose of today’s meeting is to prepare for Friday’s client demo."

Outlining the agenda.

• "We have three main points to cover today."
• "There are two key topics I would like to discuss."
• "We will look at three things today: first..., second..., and third..."

Examples:

• "We have three main points to cover today: first, the homepage design; second, the content plan; and third, any risks before the demo."

Mentioning time politely.

• "From a timing point of view, we need to move on."
• "Could we keep comments brief so we can cover everything?"
• "We only have thirty minutes, so let us focus on the main issues."

Examples:

• "From a timing point of view, we only have twenty minutes, so could we keep comments brief?"

Why these phrases work.

These expressions are:

• Clear – everyone immediately understands the aim and structure.
• Polite but firm – you manage time without sounding rude.
• Reusable – you can use them in almost any project update meeting.

Later in the lesson you will add more phrases for inviting people to speak and for closing the session. For now, focus on these three areas: aim, agenda, time.

In the activity below, you will practise writing your own opening using some of these phrases, but with your real job and projects.

Practice & Feedback

Imagine you are opening a short project update session in your real job. It could be about a current project, or a typical project in your role.

Using the phrase bank above, write 3–4 sentences that you could actually say at the start of your meeting. Try to:

1. State the aim of the session.
2. Outline how many points or topics you will cover.
3. Mention something about time in a polite way.

Use at least two of the bold phrases from the phrase bank, but adapt the details so they fit your situation (project name, deadlines, etc.).

Write your sentences as if you are speaking in the meeting. Do not worry about being perfect; focus on sounding clear and professional.

3. Managing participation during the update.

Opening the meeting is only the first step. Once you start discussing the agenda items, you also need to manage who speaks, for how long, and when. In many international teams, some people are naturally quiet, and others speak a lot or go into too much detail. As the person leading the project update, your job is to keep everyone included **and** to keep to time. In this block, you will see how Alex does this during the website redesign meeting. Notice the language Alex uses to bring quieter colleagues into the discussion and to politely limit someone who is talking for too long. These phrases are very useful because they help you stay friendly while still being in control. After reading the short scene and the language notes, you will write a few sentences that you could use to manage participation in your own meetings.

In the middle of the meeting: who is speaking?.

We join Alex’s meeting a few minutes later. Priya has just given a short update on development work. Marco, the designer, is speaking a lot, and Lena has not said anything yet.

Transcript: Alex manages participation.

> Marco: So, about the homepage layout, I have three or four different animation ideas, and I would really like to walk you through each one in detail. The first one is...

>

> Alex: Thanks, Marco, that sounds interesting. Could we keep comments brief so we can cover everything before the end of the call? Maybe you could share the different options by email after this?

>

> Marco: Oh, sure, yes, no problem.

>

> Alex: Great, thanks. Can I bring you in here to share your view, Lena? How do you feel about the current homepage design from a marketing point of view?

>

> Lena: Overall I am happy with it, but I think we need a stronger call‑to‑action button.

Useful language for managing participation.

From this short extract, we can notice some key phrases from our chunk bank:

• "Could we keep comments brief so we can cover everything?"
• "Can I bring you in here to share your view?"

Alex also softens and supports these phrases:

• Starts with thanks: "Thanks, Marco, that sounds interesting."
• Gives a reason: "so we can cover everything before the end of the call"
• Offers an alternative: "Maybe you could share the different options by email after this?"

Polite but firm patterns.

Here are some patterns you can adapt:

• "Could we keep comments brief so we can cover everything?"
• "From a timing point of view, we need to move on."
• "Can I bring you in here to share your view?"
• "I would really like to hear from [name] on this."

Combining them:

• "Thanks, everyone, these are great ideas. From a timing point of view, we need to move on. Could we keep comments brief so we can cover everything?"
• "Can I bring you in here to share your view, Jonas? We have not heard from sales yet."

In the activity below, you will practise writing sentences that invite quieter colleagues to speak and gently limit someone who is talking too much.

Practice & Feedback

Imagine you are leading a short online project update for your team. One colleague talks a lot and gives too many details. Another colleague has not spoken yet, but you really want their opinion.

Write 4 sentences:

• 2 sentences to politely limit a colleague who is talking too long, while staying friendly;
• 2 sentences to invite a quieter colleague to share their view.

Try to use at least two of these phrases, adapted to your situation:

• "Could we keep comments brief so we can cover everything...?"
• "From a timing point of view, we need to move on."
• "Can I bring you in here to share your view...?"
• "I would really like to hear from [name] on this."

Write your sentences as if you are really in a meeting, using the names or roles of people you work with (for example, "our HR manager", "the client"), but do not include any confidential information.

4. Practising topic changes in a chat-style scenario.

So far, you have focused on opening the meeting and managing who speaks. Another key skill when you lead a project update is moving the group from one topic to the next **without** sounding rude or cutting people off. In real life, this often happens not only in the live conversation, but also in the chat window during an online meeting or in a team chat tool. In this block, you will see a short chat from Alex’s team, where someone raises an off‑topic issue and another person introduces a new urgent point. Then you will practise replying like a confident chair using chat‑style messages. Pay attention to phrases such as "Let us move on to the next item" and "That is an important point, but let us park it for now". These expressions help you keep control of the agenda while also showing that you respect people’s contributions.

Moving the meeting on, even in chat.

In many online meetings, people use the chat box to ask questions or raise issues without interrupting the speaker. As the person leading the session, you sometimes need to respond in the chat to keep everyone focused.

Here is a short extract from the Teams chat during Alex’s website redesign meeting.

Chat extract.

> Sam: Could we also talk about the social media campaign for the launch? I have some ideas.

>

> Fatima: Just to let you know, the client has asked if we can add a blog section to the website.

>

> Alex (chair): Thanks both, these are good points. That is an important point, but let us park it for now and come back to it in the marketing meeting tomorrow.

>

> Alex (chair): For today, let us move on to the next item, which is the content status for the inner pages.

Useful topic‑shift phrases.

From our chunk bank and this chat, notice these expressions:

• "Let us move on to the next item."
• "That is an important point, but let us park it for now."
• "For today, let us focus on..."
• "We can come back to that later if we have time."

These phrases have two parts:

Positive recognition:

• "Thanks both, these are good points."
• "That is an important point..."

Clear direction:

• "...but let us park it for now."
• "...let us move on to the next item."

Combining them keeps the tone polite but decisive.

Chat‑style vs spoken style.

In chat, messages are usually shorter than spoken sentences, but the same polite language is helpful. For example:

• Spoken: "That is an important point, but let us park it for now and come back to it at the end if we have time."
• Chat: "Important point – let us park it for now and revisit at the end if we have time."

In the activity below, you will simulate being Alex in the chat, writing short, clear messages to keep the meeting on track.

Practice & Feedback

Imagine you are Alex, leading the website redesign meeting. You see these two new chat messages:

1. "Could we discuss holiday planning for next month? I have some questions."
2. "The client just wrote to say they might delay the launch by two weeks."

Write 2–3 short chat‑style messages to respond as the chair. Your goals:

• Acknowledge both points politely.
• Park the first, off‑topic issue for another time.
• Decide whether to deal with the second, more urgent issue now or later.
• Use at least one of these phrases (adapt as needed):
• "Let us move on to the next item."
• "That is an important point, but let us park it for now."

Write your messages as if in a real chat (1–3 short sentences per message). You can use names like "team" or "everyone" rather than real colleagues’ names.

5. Listening to and improving the meeting close.

We are now at the end of Alex’s project update meeting. A strong close is just as important as a strong opening. If you end the session clearly, everyone knows what has been decided, who is responsible for what, and what will happen next. This reduces confusion and follow‑up emails later. In this block, you will listen to Alex closing the website redesign meeting. As you listen, focus on how Alex summarises the key decisions and checks that everyone is happy. Notice phrases such as "So, if I understand correctly, we have agreed that..." and "Let us quickly recap the next steps". After listening, you will write a short, clear summary of the decisions in your own words, as if you were writing minutes or a follow‑up email. This will help you practise turning spoken decisions into a written record, which is a very common task in real office life.

How Alex closes the meeting.

At the end of the thirty‑minute call, Alex wants to make sure everyone leaves with the same understanding. Here is a transcript of the closing part of the website redesign meeting.

Transcript: Alex’s summary and sign‑off.

> Alex: So, if I understand correctly, we have agreed that Marco will finalise the homepage design by Wednesday, and Lena will review the main messages and calls‑to‑action by Thursday.

>

> Priya will prepare a short demo version of the site for Friday, and Jonas will confirm with the client that the demo is at ten o’clock UK time.

>

> Who will take ownership of this task of collecting all the final content after the demo?

>

> Lena: I can do that.

>

> Alex: Great, thanks Lena. Let us quickly recap the next steps. Marco – homepage design by Wednesday, Lena – message review by Thursday and content collection after the demo, Priya – demo version by Friday, and Jonas – client confirmation.

>

> Is everyone happy with that decision? If there are no further comments, we can close the session here. Thanks for your time, I will send a short summary after this.

Useful closing phrases.

From our chunk bank, Alex uses several strong phrases:

• "So, if I understand correctly, we have agreed that..."
• "Who will take ownership of this task?"
• "Let us quickly recap the next steps."
• "Is everyone happy with that decision?"
• "If there are no further comments, we can close the session."
• "Thanks for your time, I will send a short summary after this."

These phrases help Alex to:

1. Summarise decisions.
2. Assign responsibilities.
3. Check agreement.
4. Close politely.

From spoken summary to written record.

In many jobs, you need to write a short summary after a meeting. This can be in an email, a chat message or a shared document. The language can be slightly simpler and more direct than in the live meeting, but the content must be clear.

For example, Alex’s spoken closing could become:

> "We agreed that Marco will finalise the homepage design by Wednesday, Lena will review the main messages by Thursday and collect the final content after the demo, Priya will prepare a short demo for Friday, and Jonas will confirm the demo time with the client. Please let me know if I have missed anything."

In the activity below, you will listen to Alex’s closing and then write your own short written summary.

Practice & Feedback

Listen to Alex’s closing in the audio. Then imagine you are sending a follow‑up message to the team (for example, by email or in your project channel).

Write a short summary of the decisions and next steps in 3–5 sentences. You do not need to copy Alex’s words exactly. Instead:

• Mention who will do what and by when.
• Make the order and structure clear.
• Optionally, end with a short polite line such as "Please let me know if I have missed anything." or "Thanks again for your time today.".

Write your summary in a neutral, professional style, as you would in your real job.

6. Planning and scripting your own update session.

You have now seen the whole journey of Alex’s project update meeting: the clear opening, the way Alex manages participation and changes topic, and the concise closing summary. It is time to bring everything together and plan your **own** short update session. In this final block, I will guide you through a simple structure you can use for almost any project meeting. You will choose a real project from your work, or a realistic example, and then write a short script or set of notes for leading a ten to fifteen‑minute update. Your script does not need to be perfect, but it should include key elements: the aim of the session, two or three points to cover, at least one phrase for managing time or participation, and a clear closing summary. Use the phrase bank from earlier blocks to help you. At the end, you will have a concrete plan you could actually use in your next meeting, and you will feel more confident about leading in English.

Your turn to lead the update.

Now you will design a short project update session that fits your real context. You can base it on a current project, a past project or a typical project in your role.

A simple structure you can follow.

Use this structure for a 10–15 minute update with your team:

Opening and aim

• Thank people for joining.
• State the aim.
• Mention the time limit.

Agenda overview

• Say how many points you will cover.
• Name each point briefly.

Point 1 – update and quick reactions

• Give a short status update.
• Invite 1–2 comments.
• Manage time if needed.

Point 2 – update and quick reactions

• Repeat the same pattern.

Closing summary and next steps

• Summarise the main decisions.
• Confirm responsibilities and deadlines.
• Close the session politely.

Useful phrases to reuse.

Try to include some of these chunk‑bank expressions in your script:

• Opening and agenda
• "Thank you for joining, the aim of this session is..."
• "We have three main points to cover today."

• Keeping to time / moving on
• "From a timing point of view, we need to move on."
• "Let us move on to the next item."

• Managing participation
• "Can I bring you in here to share your view?"
• "Could we keep comments brief so we can cover everything?"

• Closing
• "So, if I understand correctly, we have agreed that..."
• "Who will take ownership of this task?"
• "Let us quickly recap the next steps."
• "If there are no further comments, we can close the session."

Example outline (marketing campaign).

Here is a very short example outline for a marketing campaign update:

1. Opening: Thank you for joining, the aim of this session is to review progress on the spring campaign and agree the plan for next week. We have two main points to cover today and only fifteen minutes, so could we keep comments brief?
2. Point 1: Status on social media content – invite quick reactions from design. From a timing point of view, move on after a few minutes.
3. Point 2: Budget and approvals – bring in finance to share their view.
4. Closing: So, if I understand correctly, we have agreed that... recap decisions and owners. If there are no further comments, we can close the session.

In the activity below, you will write your own short script or detailed notes following this structure.

Practice & Feedback

Choose one realistic project from your work (past, present or typical). Then write a short script or detailed notes for leading a 10–15 minute project update session.

Your text should:

1. Start with an opening that thanks people, states the aim, and mentions the time limit.
2. Outline 2 or 3 main points you plan to cover.
3. Include at least one phrase for managing time or participation (for example, "From a timing point of view, we need to move on" or "Can I bring you in here to share your view, …?").
4. End with a closing summary that mentions decisions and next steps.

Write about 8–12 sentences in total. You can write it as continuous text (like a script you would speak) or as clear bullet‑style sentences. Use as many useful phrases from this lesson as you can, but adapt the details to your real context.