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Business English Phrases for Meetings: What to Say When You Can’t Share Details
- Erin West
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
In this article:
Meetings move fast. Sometimes someone asks a personal question in a meeting, and everyone looks at you. You want to stop it without sounding rude or stressed. In this lesson, you'll learn Business English phrases for meetings that professionals use to set a clear boundary, stay calm, and bring the conversation back to work. You'll see these phrases in realistic work situations and get a chance to practice how you would respond.
Today's Challenge
It’s the first day of onboarding for three new hires. HR is running a short Zoom session about company culture and workplace rules. Everyone is relaxed until one new hire laughs and says, So are you allowed to talk about how much you make here, or is that a secret?
Brianna from HR smiles, keeps it professional, and says:
Talking about individual salaries is _____ in our company.
A) out of reach
B) off-limits
C) off track
D) out of order
Let's break it down.
out of reach
not possible to get or achieve right now.
With my rent this high, buying a house is out of reach right now.
I asked for next-day delivery, but that’s out of reach this week.
A $10,000 budget is out of reach for our team this month.
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off-limits
not allowed to talk about or do
That topic is off-limits in this meeting.
Don't ask her about her divorce — it's off-limits.
We can't share that information. It's off-limits.
off track
not following the plan or main topic anymore
We're getting off track — can we go back to the main question?
Sorry, I went off track. The point is, the order is late.
This call is going off track. Let's keep it to the timeline.
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out of order
not working (for a machine) or not acceptable behavior
The elevator is out of order, so we'll take the stairs.
That comment was out of order. Don't talk to her like that.
The printer's out of order again — can you use the one upstairs?
That's right! The correct answer is B) off-limits.
Business English phrases for meetings: 10+ polite ways to set boundaries
Sometimes a question comes out of nowhere in a meeting, and you need a calm way to shut it down. Here are Business English phrases professionals use to set a boundary and steer the conversation back.
I’d rather not discuss that here.
I heard the client wasn't happy last week. What actually happened? - I'd rather not discuss that here.
I can't comment on that.
Is it true someone filed a complaint about Mark? - I can't comment on that. That's private.
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HR is handling that.
(HR, formal)
Do you know who reported it? Was it someone on our team? - HR is handling that. I can’t share names or details. I'm sorry.
I can’t share individual numbers.
What did Zach's bonus come out to this year? - I can't share individual numbers. If you want to talk about your bonus, I'm happy to discuss that with you.
That's not something we share.
Can you send me the full client list? - No, sorry. That's not something we share.
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I’m not able to share that information.
What penalties are in the contract if they cancel early? - I'm not able to share that information.
Let's not get into personal details.
Come on, what happened between Jen and her manager? - Let's not get into personal details. It's none of our business.
I don't want to put anyone on the spot.
Who sent the wrong file to the client? - I don't want to put anyone on the spot. Let's just fix it and resend the right one.
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I can't get into specifics.
Can you explain what went wrong? - I can't get into specifics yet. What I can say is we've fixed it, and we'll send an update today.
I'm not in a position to confirm that.
Is it true Nina's getting promoted to team lead? - I'm not in a position to confirm that. If it's happening, her manager will announce it.
We're not going to speculate about...
Why would they do that? - I'm not going to speculate about their motives. Let's stick to what we know.
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Practice: What to say when you can't share details
Situation 1. That's personal
An employee brings up a personal rumor about someone on the team and tries to pull you into it.
Is Elena getting divorced? I saw her crying. Will she be able to finish those edits we need?
What do you say?
EXAMPLE ANSWER
Is Elena getting divorced? I saw her crying. Will she be able to finish those edits we need?
Let's not get into personal details. If you're worried, just check on her. About the edits — what’s the deadline? If we need them today, send me the file. I'll make sure we're covered.
Want to keep practicing? More situations are available in the Members’ Library.
Erin West is a Business English educator, writer, and founder of RealBusinessEnglish.com. She creates practical lessons, quizzes, and learning materials that help professionals use clear, natural, and confident English at work — with just the right amount of fun.
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