Knowledge Café Timing

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The roles, procedure and the approximate timing of a typical customized Knowledge Café are outlined below.

Every Café is different, and the table below is for guidance only.

There are usually four roles.

  1. The sponsor is the person who has requested the Café.
  2. The host is usually myself, David Gurteen. I facilitate the Café process.
  3. The speaker is the person who gives the Café talk and poses the question that triggers the Café conversation. They also take part in the conversation. I am usually the speaker as well as the host.
  4. The participants are the people who take part in the Café conversation.

The Café normally takes 2 hours. So assuming a 3 pm start.

14:30 – 14:45 The sponsor, host, and speaker arrive. Any changes to the room setup that are necessary are made and the details of the Café are talked through.
14:45 – 15:00 The participants arrive in time for the start.
15:00 – 15:05 The sponsor welcomes people, introduces the host and the speaker and says a little about the event. (5 mins)
15:05 – 15:15 The host welcomes people and runs three two-minute rounds of “speed conversation” (optional) (10 mins)
15:15 – 15:35 The speaker gives their talk and poses the “trigger question”. (20 – 30 mins)
15:35 – 15:45 The host briefly explains the Café process and introduces the speaker. (5 – 10 mins)
15:45 – 16:30 The host facilitates the Café process. Three rounds of small group conversation. (10 – 15 mins per round).

The sponsor and the speaker join in the small group conversations.

The host either joins one of the tables or wanders from group to group, listening in and facilitating the change of tables at the end of each round.
16:30 – 17:00 The host brings the small group conversations to a close and asks everyone to form a circle with their chairs.

The sponsor and speaker also join the circle. The speaker is an equal member of the circle like anyone else but is expected to engage just a little bit more than others and to answer questions if asked.

The host is responsible for facilitating the whole group conversation as far as is necessary and keeping to time.

If there is sufficient time (and there rarely is in a 2hr Café), the host goes around the circle and asks each person in turn to share one actionable insight (an idea they have gleaned that will influence their decision making or one thing that they plan to do differently) that has come about as a result of their conversations.

Finally, the host closes the Café and thanks the sponsor, speaker and the participants for the Café. The sponsor usually adds their words of thanks. (30 mins)
17:00 onwards The Café may run on past its official close time to give the opportunity for those who wish to stay time for further informal conversations.