IESG Guidance on Face-to-Face and Virtual Interim Meetings
This statement provides IESG guidance on interim IETF working group meetings, both face-to-face and virtual, including timing and approvals for scheduling meetings. (Aug 2023)
On Consensus and Humming (RFC 7282)
This document explains some features of rough consensus, the IETF's process of taking into account the different views among IETF participants and coming to (at least rough) consensus on technical matters, and the things we can do in order to really achieve rough consensus.
Information for chairing WG & BOF sessions at IETF Meetings
See the "Information for Session Chairs" section for checklists, slide templates, and details about how to use Meetecho.
Managing meetings training
These on-demand videos help WG Chairs organize and run effective meetings that achieve clear outcomes.
Meetecho guide for chairs
Information and actions for chairs of sessions using Meetecho conferencing.
Meetecho testing
As an IETF Working Group chair, you can use the Meetecho Session Scheduler to set up a test session at your convenience between or leading up to IETF meetings.
The IETF Datatracker tools for meetings require login and are restricted to individuals with specific roles.
IETF Meeting session request tool
See instructions for using the session request tool
Interim WG meeting session request tool
See instructions for organizing interim meetings
Meeting materials submission and management
The Note Well should be shown at the beginning of every IETF WG meeting.
Note Well slide - (Google Slides | PPT | PDF | MD)
The IESG guidance on when/how the Note Well is displayed is:
The IESG guidance on how to present the Note Well is:
DO
DON'T
Here is an example of what can be said while showing the Note Well slide:
This is the IETF Note Well. It is a reminder about the processes and policies—including about conduct, privacy, and intellectual property rights–you agree to follow when you participate in the IETF. Please read it carefully. You are encouraged to read the source documents to which the Note Well refers. If you have questions, please talk to the Working Group chairs or Area Directors.
RFC 2418 Provides some further detail about various roles related to organizing and running an IETF Working Group meeting. A webpage describes more of the formally defined roles within the IETF, what is required to serve in that role, and how to engage in or where/who to contact to find out more about that role.
The Secretary’s job is to record WG decisions and help organize group activities at a high level. For example, the Secretary may help identify session note takers, but the role responsibilities do not include taking notes directly. Secretaries are designated by WG Chairs. More information about the WG Secretary role is available in Section 6.2 of RFC 2418. Further information is also available in an expired Internet-Draft which, even though it never achieved IETF consensus, may provide useful guidance. Serving as a WG Secretary may also provide useful insight and experience for individuals considering serving as a WG Chair.
Every Working Group session has notes taken to ensure important discussion points and decisions are recorded. The approach to taking notes varies by group and individual, and as most group sessions are now recorded, they do not need to be verbatim. Thus, note takers should be familiar with the general topics and individuals involved in a group, but they do not need to be deep experts. Note takers are usually volunteer or several volunteers by group chairs, often identified at the start of a session.
Working session scribes help bridge in-person sessions for remote participations, particularly those who aren’t able to follow along with video. They can convey actions taken in the room via group chat, and also convey questions or comments from remote participants to the in-person session. In-depth technical knowledge generally is not required and Working Group chairs are always happy to have volunteers at the beginning of sessions.
WG Consultants have specific technical background appropriate to the WG and experience in Internet architecture and IETF process. At the discretion of the responsible Area Director, a Consultant may be assigned to a working group.
IETF 125 Session slide deck
A Google Slides starter deck with Note Well.
WG session planning spreadsheet
A sample to help organize working group meeting sessions.
IETF Notes tool
A collaborative notepad is automatically generated for IETF meeting sessions and interim meetings scheduled via the IETF Meeting session request tool.
Formatting & Content of Meeting Materials Guidelines
This document provides suggestions about the form and content of Working Group agendas and minutes.
Template deck for presenters
Tips for presenters - Tutorial (Slides | Video)
Automatically generated minutes for IETF meetings
IETFMinutes provides automatic minutes for IETF sessions. Intended to be an aid for Chairs. Maintained by and courtesy of Eric Rescorla.
Submitting meeting materials
What materials must be submitted after a working group session and how to submit them.