The World Café process was designed by Whole System Associates to create the conditions conducive for conversation among all the members of a large group. Recognizing that collaborative learning is an essential aspect of a sustainable community, the World Café is a tool to help an entire community collaborate for the purpose of learning. The World Café creates a network of conversations around questions that lead the group to a shared understanding. It is a way of sharing knowledge and accessing the collective intelligence of the community.
Almost any number of people can participate in this activity. The only restrictions on size are the size of the space you have in which to meet, the number of people you have to assist in facilitating the event, and your capacity for collecting and summarizing the information that is collected during the event.
The conversation is based on the principles and processes of dialogue: Participants listen to each other, surface underlying assumptions and beliefs, and achieve greater shared understanding without the pressure for solutions. Agreement is not important, but listening to all ideas and opinions is. You should be concerned about clarity of meaning, not the facts. Begin the conversation with the one question that, if answered, will make the most difference to the total group.
The World Café’s success is due to the following characteristics:
• Hospitable Space
There must be a space for conversation in small groups that is informal, inviting, and safe for everyone (usually similar to café-style seating, with small tables and four to six chairs around each table).
• Questions That Matter
The question must be powerful enough to motivate people to seek collective insight.
• Spirit of Discovery
The conversations are more like dialogue than normal, everyday discussion; participants give information and ask questions without trying to convince someone else to take a particular position on an issue.
• Shared Listening
Participants listen for connections and themes that run throughout the conversation; these connections and themes are written or drawn on paper at the center of each table and left behind as participants change tables several times. A host stays at the table to provide continuity for the next group that comes to the table.
• Awareness of Connections
Connections are made among the conversations that occur at each table for each table group, and then among all of the tables.