How to hold bilingual meetings

Invitation

Know the preferred language of the participants. If you don't, present any content to be reviewed before the meeting in both English and French.

Indicate that the meeting will be bilingual.

Provide information about arrangements for unilingual participants.

Agenda

Agendas should generally be prepared in both English and French. Depending on the situation, however, you can try the following:

• For team meetings, prepare the agenda in English for one meeting and in French for the next.
• Have some agenda items in English and some in French, with an equal balance.

If the meeting will have an official record, however, be sure to prepare the agenda in both official languages.

Documents

Documents to be discussed at meetings should be made available in both official languages. Depending on the situation, however, consider the following:

• All documents that are already bilingual can be sent to participants in both languages.
• Advise employees to prepare any documents for the meeting in their first official language. Draft versions of these documents can be translated if they are to be sent to other organizations for consultation.
• Distribute a bilingual glossary that pertains to the subjects that will be discussed at the meeting. Participants can then refer to the glossary to understand key words and abbreviations used in the discussion.

Secretary

Your choice of person who will be the meeting's secretary is important to the success of a bilingual meeting:

• Choose someone who can deal with the agenda and the meeting's documents in both English and in French.
• Advise the secretary what are your linguistic objectives for the meeting are so that he or she can take them into account.
• If required, have two secretaries: one for English content and one for French content.

Chair

If you are not at ease using your second language, manage the meeting anyway. You can ask a bilingual colleague to help you, as needed.

Summaries of discussion

You can verbally summarize essential elements of discussion from time to time during the meeting.

You can ask a bilingual colleague to provide these summaries. Choose this colleague carefully and discuss your linguistic goals for the meeting. If necessary, ask two people, one to summarize in French, the other in English. You can also arrange to have interpreters at the meeting.

Participants

To create an atmosphere where all participants feel free to use English or French, suggest to them that they speak in their first official language. Also invite employees to speak in their second official language from time to time.

Signage and posters in the meeting room

Signage or posters in the meeting room can promote the message that holding bilingual meetings is encouraged. Small tent cards that carry the same message can be placed on the meeting table.

Interpreters

If you have interpreters at your meeting, they should have:

• all documents in both official languages, in the order in which they will be discussed
• the names and titles of all participants and their institutions, in both official languages
• the principal abbreviations and technical terms (in English and French) that are likely to be used at the meeting
• written versions (in English and French) of presentations to be made at the meeting

Ensure that there are enough microphones so that interpreters can hear all participants.

Make certain that there are enough headphones for all participants.

A final word

Remember that the chair of the meeting must be able to combine flexibility with tenacity, and be sensitive to the linguistic needs of all participants.