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Business English Phrases: How to Explain Risks and Concerns in Meetings
- Mar 17
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 7
In this article: Workplace scenario and quiz
Knowing how to explain risks and concerns in meetings helps you speak more clearly and professionally when a plan sounds good on the surface but may create problems later. In this article, you’ll start with a quick quiz and then learn natural Business English phrases that people use in real meetings when they want to flag a concern, add an important point, or get others to take a closer look at the decision.
For more useful Business English phrases for meetings, see our full guide to explaining your point clearly at work.
How to Explain Risks and Concerns in Meetings: Workplace Scenario Quiz
Your company is thinking about moving to a new office downtown.
The location would be better for client meetings and easier to reach by train, but there is one practical concern for employees who drive to work every day.
You say:
We could move downtown, but _____ parking there costs a lot more.
A) the upside is that
B) one thing to keep in mind is that
C) on top of that
D) the good thing is that
Choose the phrase that best completes the sentence. Then listen to the sentence.
Using Business English Naturally at Work
Many learners understand a phrase when they read it. The harder part is using it naturally in a real conversation at work.
That’s what you practice in Pro Vocabulary Lab.
Inside the program, you’ll work with:
realistic workplace situations
short dialogues based on real work conversations
speaking practice with natural Business English
Business English Phrases: Meanings and Examples
Here’s a quick breakdown of the quiz options.
the upside is that
the positive side is that..., the benefit is that..., the advantage is that...
It takes a little longer, but the upside is that we catch more mistakes.
We had to switch to a different company. That was not easy. But the upside is that the service is much better now.
The drive is longer, but the upside is that parking is free.
one thing to keep in mind is that
an important point to remember is that...
One thing to keep in mind is that the new office only gives us six parking spots, so some people would have to park a few blocks away.
One thing to keep in mind is that if we move downtown, people coming in from the suburbs will have a much longer commute.
One thing to keep in mind is that the rent may look manageable now, but building fees usually go up after the first year.
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on top of that
in addition
We were already trying to cover the front desk with one person, and on top of that, Jenna called in sick.
The shipment didn’t get here until almost four, and on top of that, three boxes were wet when we opened them.
The meeting started late, and on top of that, half the team couldn’t hear the audio.
the good thing is that
the positive part of a situation is that...
The room is small, but the good thing is that it has a lot of natural light.
We had to wait, but the good thing is that the issue got fixed the same day.
The hotel was far away, but the good thing is that breakfast was included.
That's right! The correct answer is B) one thing to keep in mind is that.
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More Business English Phrases for Explaining Risks and Concerns
In real meetings, people do not always say This is a bad idea. More often, they raise concerns in a softer way.
Here are some useful phrases that can help you sound clear, professional, and natural when you need to do that.
one of the issues is that/ the main issue is that
one of the problems is that...
What’s going on? - Well, we’ve got two issues. One is that two names on the guest list are wrong, and the other is that three people didn’t get the invite.
One of the issues is that three guest names were spelled wrong on the badges, so we need to reprint them.
The issue is that the supplier can’t get the samples to us before Thursday, and the meeting’s on Wednesday.
the main concern is that
the biggest worry is that...
The main concern is that we’d be signing a one-year contract before we’ve even tested the service properly.
From my side, the main concern is that the team is already overloaded, and this would add even more work.
My main concern is that if the delivery slips again, we’ll miss the launch date.
the risk is that
the possible problem is that...
The risk, honestly, isn’t the launch itself. It’s that people see the new pricing before the website and other pages are updated.
We can approve it now. The risk is that Legal comes back tomorrow and we end up redoing half of it.
I’m not against the idea. The risk is that this creates extra work for us right when things are already busy.
the downside is that
the negative side is that...
We could hire a cheaper company, but the downside is that they’re based in another time zone.
The downside is that the new system takes longer to learn than the old one.
It would save us money in the short term. The downside is that we’d still be using equipment that keeps breaking down.
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the main drawback is that
the weak point is that..., the bad part is that...
The plan itself makes sense. The drawback is that we’d need to train everyone again from scratch.
The main drawback is that this location looks great for clients, but it’s a pain to get to in the morning.
There’s a lot to like about the package. The drawback is that support is only available during limited hours.
the trade-off is that
you gain one thing but lose another
We’d get more office space, but the trade-off is that the commute would be longer for a lot of people.
The trade-off is that we can move faster, but we’d have less time to check everything carefully.
If we go with the lower price, the trade-off is that the turnaround time will probably be slower.
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the flip side is that
the other side of the situation is that...
Working with a smaller team can make decisions easier. The flip side is that there’s less backup when someone is out.
The location would be great for client meetings. The flip side is that parking around there is expensive.
Yes, the process is simpler now. The flip side is that we have fewer checks in place.
something else to consider is
another important point to think about is...
Something else to consider is how this change would affect the people who work from home.
Before we decide, something else to consider is whether the new space has enough meeting rooms.
Something else to consider is that August is already one of our busiest months, so the timing may not be ideal.
Something else to consider is the impact this could have on the team.
You May Also Like: 10+ Business English Phrasal Verbs for Meetings and Teamwork
Download the PDF: Talking About Risks and Concerns
Download the PDF guide: Talking About Risks and Concerns
Mini dialogues with these phrases are available in Pro Vocabulary Lab.
Practice Business English Phrases for Risks and Concerns
Read the scenario. What would you say in this situation? Say your answer out loud.
Local Emails, Brand Risk
You work for an international company with offices in several countries.
The sales team wants each local office to write its own marketing emails so the messages sound more natural in each market.
At first, the idea seems like a good one because it gives each office more freedom and may help them connect better with local customers.
You work in brand management, and you can see the benefit, but you’re worried the messaging could start sounding too different from one country to another.
Your Turn
What would you say?
Say your answer out loud.
Try using: The trade-off is... .
Check Your Answer in Pro Vocabulary Lab
Inside Pro Vocabulary Lab, you can see a natural example answer and practice more workplace situations like this one.
Practice Real Workplace English Inside Pro Vocabulary Lab
workplace scenarios based on real job conversations
short dialogues and model answers
speaking practice with natural Business English
more situations focused on problems, delays, and clear workplace updates
This article gives you one example. Inside Pro Vocabulary Lab, you can also access the full worksheet for this topic, along with repeated practice across many workplace situations.
Erin West is a Business English coach, writer, and founder of RealBusinessEnglish.com. She creates practical lessons and quizzes based on real workplace English.
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