The Knowledge Café
A useful collaboration tool
A Knowledge Café1 brings a group of
people together to have an open,
creative conversation on a topic of
mutual interest to surface their
collective knowledge, to share ideas and
to gain a deeper understanding of the
issues involved. Ultimately the
conversation should lead to action in the
form of better decision-making and
innovation.
What do you need? The value of open, creative
conversation
• a venue (where people can be
comfortable and relaxed, with Open, creative conversation embraces
tables and chairs to seat 4 or 5 dialogue rather than debate. Rather
people per table, preferably with than defending a position, strive for
refreshments - think “pub mutual understanding through a frank
conversation”) exchange of ideas or views. In
particular:
• a group of people (20 people
works well, but fewer is ok) • suspend assumptions, do not judge
• a facilitator (to introduce and • observe and listen to one another
oversee the café – they need
not be a specialist, simply a • welcome differences and explore
good listener with chairperson them
skills)
• allow taboo subjects to be raised
• a powerful question (to spark safely
the conversation)
• listen to your inner voice
• time (allow 1.5 to 2 hours)
• slow the discussion
Times are a guide only. But remember, • search for the underlying meaning
good conversation can take time to
develop.
1
This tip sheet, prepared and made available by Steve O’Hagan, Knowledge Manager at Crown Law NZ, draws extensively
from resources provided by David Gurteen on Gurteen Knowledge Cafés
http://www.gurteen.com/
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How does it work?
• The facilitator takes 5-15 minutes to introduce the café, making its purpose clear
and posing the question
• A guest speaker can be used to introduce the café, but their speaking time must be
strictly limited
• Participants form into small groups of 4 or 5 to discuss the question for 30-60
minutes
• At the request of the facilitator, participants change groups once, twice, or at most,
three times (depending on wider group size)
• After the small group conversations the wider group re-assembles to exchange
ideas for 15-30 minutes
For the facilitator
• Encourage full participation
• Don’t take a lead in the discussions, rather wander around and listen into the
groups
• Listen out for problems and remind people gently of the rules of ‘dialogue’
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When introducing the small group The powerful question: A
conversation gateway to insight, innovation
• Don’t appoint a leader or and action2
chairperson
The powerful question is at the heart of the
• Don’t appoint a note taker but knowledge café. Think of it as an invitation
give permission for participants to creativity and breakthrough thinking. By
to take their own notes, if they considering the three dimensions of
wish (remember that the focus powerful questions – construction, scope
is on the conversation) and assumptions - we can increase the
power of the questions we ask and, as a
When introducing the wider group result, increase our ability to generate
conversation insights that help shape the future.
• Bring participants back into a Construction
relatively tight group so that The construction of a question can make a
they can easily see and hear critical difference in either opening our
each other (try a circle) minds or narrowing the possibilities we
• Remind them that their consider. By using the words toward the top
comments should be of the pyramid we can make many of our
addressed to the whole group questions more robust.
and not directly to the
facilitator (the objective is to MORE POWERFUL
hold a “group conversation”)
• Invite someone to begin the
WHY
conversation – it may be slow
to start, so tolerate silence HOW
WHAT
• Connect diverse perspectives
WHO, WHEN, WHERE
• Keep the wrap up short and
WHICH, YES/NO QUESTION
simple, and thank the
participants
How do you record the outcomes LESS POWERFUL
of a Knowledge Café?
Scope
Participants should not be Tailor and clarify the scope of the question
burdened with recording, as as precisely as possible to keep it within the
they need to be fully engaged realistic boundaries and needs of the
in the conversation. It is best situation you are working with. Avoid
to appoint an external note stretching the scope of your question too far.
taker if a record is required.
Another option is to invite Assumptions
participants to consider one To formulate a powerful question, be aware
action point within their sphere of assumptions within it and use them
of influence that they can take appropriately. Contrast the question, “What
away from the conversation. did we do wrong and who is responsible?”
with “What can we learn from what has
happened and what possibilities do we now
see?” The first question assumes error and
blame; whoever is responding is likely to
feel defensive. The second question
encourages reflection and is more likely to
stimulate learning and collaboration among
those involved.
2
The Art of Powerful Question: Catalyzing Insight, Innovation and Action by Eric E. Vogt, Juanita Brown, and David
Isaacs, 2003
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