The results of the recent survey about how to run the RAS Ordinary Meetings in the 2020-2021 session are in. We had a total of 905 responses, and the main outcomes are summarised below:
- 97% were quite or very interested in attending online Ordinary Meetings
- 46% preferred late afternoon on a Friday, and 45% preferred early afternoon
- 53% preferred a 60-minute meeting, and 45% preferred a meeting of 45 minutes or less (5% wanted longer)
- 40% preferred 15-minute talks and 39% preferred 20-minute talks (6% wanted longer)
- 83% preferred to meet once a month
- 79% preferred Zoom as a platform
- 49% were interested in a virtual breakout room for networking
The RAS will be discussing the way ahead over the summer, to understand the demands on staff time and infrastructure. However, at present the most likely scenario is a 1-hour meeting at 4 p.m. UK time, once a month on a Friday between October and April. Talks would be around 20 minutes, but with an exception made for named lectures. We expect to run in 'webinar' mode on Zoom, and to record them (with the speakers' agreement) so that those unable to attend can watch afterwards. We will need to investigate options for a virtual breakout room.