1. File: /ram/wgchairs.sxi Date: 19 December, 2015 Slide 1 English as a Second Language James Seng, Singapore Harald Alvestrand, Norway

2. File: /ram/wgchairs.sxi Date: 19 December, 2015 Slide 2 Consideration for ESL participants (in IETF Meetings) Rule of Thumb - Use simple English Repeat the question and do a quick summary before moving on to the next topic Prepare important questions and flash them on the screen before taking consensus Be patient … they take some time to articulate ● A translator would help but discouraged ESL = English as Second Language

3. File: /ram/wgchairs.sxi Date: 19 December, 2015 Slide 3 Consideration for ESL participants (in Mailing Lists) Rule of Thumb : Command of English != Technical competency Tolerate broken English but never try to guess what they say if it is not obvious Get to know some friends who are multilingual and ask them to help to bridge ● Never ignore their ideas in the process of building consensus If they are writing I-Ds, encourage a co-author who has better command of English

4. File: /ram/wgchairs.sxi Date: 19 December, 2015 Slide 4 Consideration for ESL participants (Culture differences) Rule of Thumb: Listen, Ask and Listen Don’t believe in what you think you hear ● Different culture have different choice of words IETF has a very difficult culture which may be considered “hostile” to some people ● Culture Shock: Not everyone fit in right away ● Encourage them to read the Taos of IETF Not all likes to voice their opinion in public ● state that you are open to hearing concerns in private conversation or in email and work with individuals to help them both to understand issues and to express any concerns they have to the group.

5. File: /ram/wgchairs.sxi Date: 19 December, 2015 Slide 5 ESL participants should consider You are joining a working organization. Expect to learn its culture. You have to talk to people in order to understand. Don’t expect this organization to have a single opinion on any topic. Don’t expect the organization to agree among itself what the rules are. Do expect to be treated equivalently with others!

6. File: /ram/wgchairs.sxi Date: 19 December, 2015 Slide 6 Tools: Structured Discussion Slides Recommend use of slides for structured discussion and consensus calls Openness includes accessibility to non-native English speakers, hearing-impaired people, etc. Written consensus questions result in higher quality and more credible responses

7. File: /ram/wgchairs.sxi Date: 19 December, 2015 Slide 7 Tools: Summaries In email lists, state explicitly what the current issues are and what the current consensus is thought to be Gives participants less material they MUST understand Strips away irrelevant hyperbole, language and shades of meaning Excellent tool anyway

8. File: /ram/wgchairs.sxi Date: 19 December, 2015 Slide 8 Summary Speak clearly. Listen carefully. Expect people to be different. Focus on the work!