calls to order
Begins the meeting
Calls to order is the plural of call to order, the formal announcement that opens a meeting or legislative session.
A chairperson calls a meeting to order to signal that proceedings have officially begun: The minutes show she calls to order promptly at nine.
The phrase also means to demand proper behavior from someone disrupting proceedings: The judge calls rowdy spectators to order.
- conveneFormally gather together
- agendaFormal discussion list
- gavelSmall ceremonial hammer
- procedurePrescribed sequence of actions
- parliamentary procedureRules governing deliberative assemblies
quorum · summoning · proclamation · minutes · adjournment · protocol · motion · legislature · decorum · moderation · rap · ruling · floor speech · commence · silence · debate · initiate · introduce