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Business English · Module 3 · Unit 10

Booking Meeting Rooms

Pre B1 Intermediate

Learning Objectives

In this lesson, you will discuss booking meeting rooms and learn practical vocabulary for daily communication.

Situation

Alex coordinates with Sarah to reserve a room for an upcoming client presentation. Sarah shares tips on how to check room availability, schedule time slots efficiently, and lock in the reservation early.

Discussion

Direction: Answer these questions.
  1. How do you usually reserve space for meetings at your workplace?
  2. What challenges do you face when trying to find an open conference room?
  3. What features do you look for when selecting a room for an important presentation?

New Words & Expressions

Direction: Listen and repeat these words with your teacher.

  • Lock in

    Expression / Phrasal Verb

    /lɑːk ɪn/

    Meaning:To confirm, secure, or finalize an arrangement or reservation so it cannot be changed.

    We need to lock in the main conference room before another team reserves it.

    Real Life Tip:

    Widely used in American corporate culture when finalizing bookings, schedules, or contract terms.

  • First come, first served

    Idiom

    /fɜːrst kʌm fɜːrst sɜːrvd/

    Meaning:A system where requests are processed in the order they arrive, giving priority to whoever acts first.

    Small focus rooms are available on a first come, first served basis.

    Real Life Tip:

    Commonly applied to informal shared workplace resources like drop-in desks and small huddle spaces.

  • Room squatting

    Noun Phrase / Informal

    /ruːm skwɑːt.ɪŋ/

    Meaning:Using an unbooked or reserved meeting space without making a formal reservation.

    Room squatting causes problems when the team with the actual booking arrives.

    Real Life Tip:

    Used lightheartedly in modern offices to describe colleagues occupying open rooms without booking them in the system calendar.

  • Pencil in

    Phrasal Verb

    /ˈpen.səl ɪn/

    Meaning:To schedule a tentative or temporary appointment that might be changed later.

    Let's pencil in Room 302 for 2:00 PM until we get final confirmation from the client.

    Real Life Tip:

    Reflects the flexible nature of corporate scheduling, where times are tentatively held before being finalized.

Conversation

Direction:

  • Listen carefully as your teacher reads the conversation aloud.
  • Role-play the conversation with your teacher
Alex and Sarah coordinate scheduling and booking a conference room for an important client meeting.
  • Alex
    Hi Sarah, I need to arrange a space for our client presentation on Thursday.
  • Sarah
    You should check the portal right away; room reservations are first come, first served.
  • Alex
    I see Conference Room A is open at 2:00 PM. Should I lock in that time slot now?

Q&A

Direction: Answer the questions based on the conversation.
  1. Are room reservations on a first come, first served basis?
  2. Does Sarah tell Alex to lock in Conference Room A?
  3. Can Alex pencil in an extra hour for the meeting?

Best Practices for Booking Meeting Rooms

Exercise

Direction: Choose the correct answer to complete each sentence, then read it aloud. Each question gives you 5 Points.

  1. We need to ________ the executive boardroom for tomorrow's regional meeting.

  2. The small collaboration rooms are handled on a ________ basis.

  3. Sarah ________ Conference Room B for the team workshop yesterday.

  4. If we do not reserve the room now, another team ________ lock it in.

  5. room / can / I / in / the / pencil / tomorrow / for

  6. prevents / room / in / advance / booking / room squatting

Ask Your Teacher

Direction: Ask your teacher these questions.
  1. How do you usually lock in meeting spaces at your office?
  2. What challenges arise when rooms are first come, first served?
  3. How does your company handle employees who engage in room squatting?

Your Time To Speak

Direction: Answer using the language you have learned in this lesson. Talk about yourself!
  1. Do you prefer booking rooms on a first come, first served basis?
  2. Have you ever had to pencil in a tentative meeting time?
  3. How do you lock in a meeting room during peak hours?
  4. Why do employees resort to room squatting in busy offices?
  5. What do you think stops people from room squatting in conference spaces?
  6. Would you agree that first come, first served systems cause scheduling conflicts?
  7. Is it true that you should always pencil in extra time?
  8. Would you ask colleagues to leave if they are room squatting?
  9. What if another team tries to lock in your preferred room?
  10. What would you do if a room squatting group refuses to leave?
  11. What do you think will stop room squatting in modern offices?
  12. Which is better, first come, first served or strict advance booking?
  13. What should an employee do before trying to lock in rooms?
  14. What do you think causes severe room squatting problems at work?
  15. What happens if you forget to pencil in a space early?
Sarah
Yes, lock it in before another department books the space.
  • Alex
    What if the client asks to move the meeting time slightly later?
  • Sarah
    You can pencil in an extra hour afterward just to be safe.
  • Alex
    Good idea. I noticed people room squatting in Room A yesterday afternoon.
  • Sarah
    If that happens during your session, politely show them your calendar confirmation.