preliminary conference; preliminary discussion
A meeting or discussion held before the main negotiation or formal meeting to align views and set the agenda.
We held a preliminary conference before the main meeting and reached a broad agreement.
Compound of 下 (した, 'under' or 'preliminary') and 協議 (きょうぎ, 'conference' or 'discussion'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the term is conventionally used for informal preparatory meetings.