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Business English vocabulary · Meetings

Show of hands

Meaning in business english, with examples

nounCommon term

In business english, show of hands means: A vote or indication of opinion made by raising hands.

In Turkish: el kaldırarak oylama

How it is used

Common in meetings and workshops. A show of hands may be an official vote or simply a quick check of preferences; the context determines its status.

Example sentences

  1. The team chose its training day by a show of hands after checking everyone's availability.

    The raised hands decide between available dates rather than record attendance.

  2. Before changing the agenda, I asked for a show of hands to see who needed the budget discussion.

    This is an informal check of need, not necessarily a binding vote on the agenda.

Common collocations

  • ask for a show of hands
  • decide by a show of hands
  • chairTo lead a meeting by opening it, following the agenda, giving people turns to speak and keeping time. As a noun, the person who does this.
  • consensusGeneral agreement among all or most members of a group about a decision or an opinion.

More terms: Meetings

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