RE: Change in Sunday Newcomer Activities for IETF 105

["Black, David" <[e-mail]>]

+1

Thanks, --David

> -----Original Message-----
> From: WGChairs <[e-mail]> On Behalf Of Linda Dunbar
> Sent: Sunday, May 5, 2019 4:45 PM
> To: Stewart Bryant; Karen O'Donoghue
> Cc: [e-mail]; [e-mail]; The IESG
> Subject: RE: Change in Sunday Newcomer Activities for IETF 105
> 
> 
> [EXTERNAL EMAIL]
> 
> +1.
> 
> Linda
> 
> -----Original Message-----
> From: WGChairs [mailto:[e-mail]] On Behalf Of Stewart
> Bryant
> Sent: Saturday, May 04, 2019 10:10 AM
> To: Karen O'Donoghue <[e-mail]>
> Cc: [e-mail]; [e-mail]; The IESG <[e-mail]>
> Subject: Re: Change in Sunday Newcomer Activities for IETF 105
> 
> Whilst that was not its intended purpose, as a venue for the chairs and ADs
> to find each other before the meeting started and sync up on matters that
> need to be resolved ahead of the other sessions it was very useful in making
> the main business of the IETF meeting more successful.
> 
> We ought to acknowledge this benefit and reinstate some equivalent
> meeting in its place.
> 
> I know that the Sunday social follows but the scale of it makes it much harder
> to hold the sort of discussion that happened at the meet and greet.
> 
> Stewart
> 
> > On 3 May 2019, at 14:16, Karen O'Donoghue <[e-mail]>
> wrote:
> >
> > We have been reviewing the effectiveness of the Sunday Newcomer's
> programs as an ongoing process of gathering feedback on the various
> activities we provide. I want to share that we have decided to discontinue
> the Newcomer's Meet-and-Greet (at least for a few meetings).
> >
> > The Newcomer’s Meet-and-Greet was created to provide IETF Newcomers
> with an opportunity to mingle with working group chairs and leadership in
> the hour before the Sunday Welcome Reception. Over the years we've
> struggled with how to make this program most beneficial to our new meeting
> participants.. We've wrestled with how to best connect people together,
> how to manage the crowds and the sometimes deafening noise. But the
> biggest issue -- one that we've observed repeatedly -- is that participants in
> the Meet-and-Greet often end up catching up with people they already
> know rather than mingling with newer attendees. This is an understandable
> and almost inevitable side effect a large social gathering; however, it makes
> the program less effective than we'd like. We have discussed this a few times
> over the years on the wgchairs mailing list.
> >
> > By contrast, Newcomers Quick Connections (previously known as Speed
> Mentoring) has proven to be extremely popular with Newcomers, who
> report a much higher level of satisfaction with the small mentor-to-
> newcomer ratio and the structured format.
> >
> > If you've never participated in Quick Connections, it works like this:
> experienced IETFers are matched with small groups of newcomers (ideally in
> a one-to-one ratio but generally it's been more like three-to-one, as it's
> challenging to find enough mentors).  Mentors spend five-to-ten minutes
> with each individual/small group before moving on to another
> individual/small group. While this is not a lot of time, it is enough to cover the
> basics (e.g. areas of interest, essential questions). Newcomers emerge from
> this one-hour session having had real conversations with approximately 5~7
> mentors.
> >
> > For IETF 105, Quick Connections will move into the time slot previously filled
> by the Meet-and-Greet. Beverages and light snacks will be served. Pre-
> registration will be required, and there will be a limit on both newcomers and
> experienced IETFers in order to maintain the effectiveness of the program.
> We hope that you will consider participating. The program is extremely
> rewarding for both mentors and newcomers.