Practice a Turkish Business Meeting
Business meetings in Turkish require precision: agreeing, disagreeing, summarising, and proposing next steps without coming across too aggressive or too vague. This scenario rehearses the meeting verbs ('I propose', 'I disagree respectfully', 'Let's circle back', 'Action item:'), and the polite-but-firm register most Turkish-speaking corporate cultures expect. You'll practise turn-taking, interrupting tactfully, and closing a meeting with clear ownership of next steps. By the end, you'll contribute meaningfully in a Turkish meeting instead of staying silent.
Sample Turkish conversation
Günaydın, herkes. Başlayalım. Gündemdeki ilk madde çeyreklik sonuçlar. Başlamak ister misiniz?
Good morning, everyone. Let's get started. The first item on the agenda is the quarterly results. Would you like to begin?Tabii ki. Temel rakamların bir özetini hazırladım.
Of course. I've prepared a summary of the key figures.Genel bakış için teşekkürler. Bu çeyrek gelir %12 arttı. Bu büyümeye neyin katkıda bulunduğunu düşünüyorsunuz?
Thank you for the overview. Revenue is up 12% this quarter. What do you think contributed to this growth?Bu çeyrek üç yeni büyük müşteri kazandık.
We signed three new major clients this quarter.Mükemmel. Gelecek çeyrek için hedefler neler? Değerlendirmemiz gereken yeni stratejiler var mı?
Excellent. What are the goals for next quarter? Any new strategies we should consider?İki yeni pazara açılmamızı öneriyorum.
I propose we expand into two new markets.
What you'll learn
- Open and close a meeting with the right etiquette
- Agree, disagree, and propose alternatives politely
- Interrupt without being rude
- Summarise discussion and assign action items
- Take notes in Turkish and follow up
Frequently asked questions
How do I disagree politely in a Turkish meeting?
Use the formula 'I see your point, but I'd suggest…' — softer than the bare 'I disagree'. The scenario rehearses several variants.
What's the Turkish for 'action item' or 'next steps'?
There's a specific business term in Turkish — increasingly an English loanword in some countries. We include both forms.
How formal is Turkish in business meetings?
Quite formal — formal 'you', complete sentences, avoid slang. The scenario uses corporate register throughout.
How do I close a Turkish meeting cleanly?
Summarise decisions, assign owners, set a follow-up date. The scenario teaches the closing phrases for each step.