Types of adjournment

[Guest Brett]

Could you explain the different ways in which adjournment can be used in a meeting?  I'm trying to understand the difference between an adjournment that concludes a meeting, and an adjournment that temporarily stalls a meeting (i.e. the business of that meeting will be continued where it left off at the next meeting).  See: 

http://www.davis-sti...x#axzz31pEdM2jP

[Shmuel Gerber]

 

Could you explain the different ways in which adjournment can be used in a meeting?  I'm trying to understand the difference between an adjournment that concludes a meeting, and an adjournment that temporarily stalls a meeting (i.e. the business of that meeting will be continued where it left off at the next meeting).  See: 

http://www.davis-sti...x#axzz31pEdM2jP

 

 

The thing is that "meeting" also has two different meanings.

In technical usage, an adjournment always ends a meeting (although not always the session). But in terms such as "annual meeting," what is meant is actually the entire session -- that is, the original meeting plus any adjourned meetings. Therefore, if the annual meeting simply "adjourns," that is the end of it. But if it "adjourns to" another time (and possibly place), then the business of the session is resumed at the later meeting.

[Guest Brett]

Thank you for all the responses ShmuelGerber.  My next question is, what is the importance of ending a session?   I understand that an adjournment can end a meeting (so that the business is continued within the same session at the next meeting) OR it can terminate/end an entire session.  What I don't understand is the importance of this distinction...?  

[Dan Honemann]

Thank you for all the responses ShmuelGerber.  My next question is, what is the importance of ending a session?   I understand that an adjournment can end a meeting (so that the business is continued within the same session at the next meeting) OR it can terminate/end an entire session.  What I don't understand is the importance of this distinction...?  

 

This is all spelled out pretty well for you in RONR, 11th ed., beginning on page 86, line 34, and continuing over the next two pages.

[Edgar Guest]

My next question is, what is the importance of ending a session?

 

In most instances a single meeting constitutes the entire session so that when the meeting is adjourned (ended) the session is also ended. The next meeting/session starts fresh (e.g. at the beginning of the Standard Order of Business).

 

But there are times when an assembly will want to continue doing what's it's doing (perhaps it's getting late) so they'll adjourn the meeting to a later time. It ends the meeting (since it's an adjournment after all) but it doesn't end the session. The next meeting (in the same session) picks up where the earlier meeting left off (e.g. in the middle of the Standard Order of Business).