The document discusses the concept of knowledge cafés and how to facilitate productive conversations. Some key points: 1) A knowledge café brings a group together for an open conversation on a topic of mutual interest to share ideas and gain a deeper understanding. 2) The process involves small group conversations at tables followed by a whole group discussion. The facilitator ensures all perspectives are heard without any person or group dominating. 3) Productive conversations are based on principles like suspending assumptions, welcoming differences, and allowing taboo subjects. The goal is not to reach consensus but have insightful discussions that lead to informed decisions and actions.

1. The kind of conversation I’m interested in is one in which you start with a willingness to emerge a slightly different person. Theodore Zeldin Conversation Theodore is an Oxford Historian

2. The birth of the Gurteen Knowledge Cafe London, September 2002

3. Global Knowledge Cafés Have run them all over the world In many different cultures Some interesting cultural issues Format always works People love to talk

4. Speed networking

5. Gurteen Knowledge Café Workshop

6. Agenda 09:30 – 09:45 Introduction (15 mins) 09:45 – 10:10 Business is a Conversation (25 mins) 10:10 – 10:30 Knowledge Café Process (20 mins) 10:30 – 10:45 Conversation + Q&A (15 mins) 10:45 – 11:00 Coffee (15 ins) 11:00 – 12:30 Knowledge Cafe (90 mins) 12:30 – 13:30 Lunch (60 mins) 13:30 – 13:45 Selling to Senior Management (15mins) 13:45 – 14:00 Recording Outcomes (15 mins) 14:00 – 14:45 Types of Café & Applications (45 mins) 14:45 – 15:00 Coffee (15 mins) 15:00 – 15:15 Tips and Techniques (15 mins) 15:15 – 15:30 Cultural Considerations (15 mins) 15:30 – 15:45 Informal Conversation (15 mins) 15:45 – 16:30 Action Circle (45 mins)

7. Photographs

8. Our job is to have interesting conversations

9. Business is a conversation Business is a conversation because the defining work of business is conversation - literally. And 'knowledge workers' are simply those people whose job consists of having interesting conversations. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto

10. Conversation is a meeting of minds Conversation is a meeting of minds with different memories and habits. When minds meet, they don't just exchange facts: they transform them, reshape them, draw different implications from them, engage in new trains of thought. Conversation doesn't just reshuffle the cards: it creates new cards. Theodore Zeldin Conversation

11. KM is about understanding For all our knowledge, we have no idea what we're talking about. We don't understand what's going on in our business, our market, and our world. KM shouldn’t be about helping us to know more. It should be about helping us to understand. So, how do we understand things? It's through stories that we understand how the world works. David Weinberger, The Cluetrain Manifesto

12. Dialogue The kind of conversation I’m interested in is one in which you start with a willingness to emerge a slightly different person. Theodore Zeldin Conversation

13. Principles of Dialogue Suspend assumptions, do not judge Observe & listen to one another Welcome differences & explore them Allow taboo subjects to be raised safely Listen to your inner voice Slow the discussion Search for the underlying meaning Dialogue is based on the work of the physicist David Bohm

14. Conversation is our most effective KM tool Our most effective KM tool is conversation. The words we choose, the questions we ask, and the metaphors we use to explain ourselves, are what determine our success in creating new knowledge as well as sharing that knowledge with each other. Nancy Dixon Common Knowledge

15. Conversation is a learning technology Conversation is the most powerful learning technology ever invented. Conversations carry news, create meaning, foster cooperation, and spark innovation. Encouraging open, honest conversation through work space design, setting ground rules for conversing productively, and baking conversation into the corporate culture spread intellectual capital, improve cooperation, and strengthen personal relationships. Jay Cross, Informal Learning

16. Summary Business is a conversation Conversation is creative Understanding is more important than knowing more Dialogue is the key to quality conversations Conversation is a powerful learning tool

17. Conversation and Q&A

18. Gurteen Knowledge Café Process

19. What is a Gurteen Knowledge Café? A Gurteen Knowledge Café 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. Leading to action in the form of better decision making & innovation & thus tangible outcomes.

20. What resources are needed? Not a lot! A group of 20 – 30 people A speaker and a facilitator A room or other venue Tables & chairs to seat 4 or 5 people per table

21. What do you need in the room? Unthreatening and hospitable environment Good ambience, small cosy, good acoustics Small round tables and 4 – 5 chairs Optional: paper table cloths, felt tip pens, toys NO flip charts Refreshments

22. What’s the process? Speaker makes a short presentation 5 – 10 mins Poses a trigger question Small group conversations at tables Three rounds 10 – 15 mins Whole group conversation in a circle 15 mins Share actionable insights 15 mins Two hours in total

23. What subjects are covered? Any subject can be addressed Explore questions that matter to the participants Explore only one theme & question

24. What’s the role of the facilitator? Need not be a specialist Should not take a lead in the discussions Wander around and listen into the groups Resolve any issues

25. What’s the role of the participants? To be prepared to emerge a slightly different person To listen more than speak To welcome differences To withhold judgment To avoid position taking

26. How do things work in small groups? No leader or chairperson No reporting back Everyone is equal No group note taker Can make own notes

27. How does the large group sit? In a circle Takes 2 minutes to move chairs Facilitator & speaker sit in circle Everyone can see & hear each other & are equal

28. How does the circle work? Group talks, minimal intervention from facilitator No reporting back Facilitator may need to encourage participation Facilitator gently ensures that no one person or group dominates the discussion Connects diverse perspectives

29. Sharing actionable insights Facilitator goes around the circle Each person in turn shares something A thought, an idea, an insight, something learnt Preferably an action OK to pass

30. What are the outcomes? Outcomes are what you take away in your head Deeper understanding of the issues discussed Deeper insight into other people’s perspectives Better appreciation of your own point of view Position to make more informed decisions Improved relationships

31. Café Principles Relaxed, non-threatening, open conversation Close to a pub conversation as possible No manipulation of people; no hidden agendas Everyone equal; no table leaders; no reporting back No one forced to do anything – OK to just listen Trust people to talk about what is important to them OK to go off-topic No summarization or attempt to reach consensus No capture of outcomes; no flip charts in the room

32. The Café is NOT about Making decisions Gaining consensus Capturing stuff Making plans Manipulating people in some way

33. Café Magic No explicit or hidden agendas No command and control No desired outcomes No push for consensus OK to go off topic Freedom to speak your mind

34. Questions and Discussion

35. Lets run a Knowledge Cafe

36. Café Conversation What is the role of conversation and how do we encourage more conversation in our organizations?

37. Lunch

38. Chicken Chicken

39. More on the Café Selling to Senior Management Recording Outcomes Forms of Café Café Applications Tips & Techniques Cultural Considerations

40. Two common questions How do I get my manager to permit me to run a Knowledge Cafe? How do I capture the outcomes?

41. Selling to your manager Start with the purpose not the Café Focus on an important issue Adapt the Café to help address an issue Don’t assume no buy-in if not a hard outcome Find reason to run a Café for the managers!

42. Recording outcomes Café is about the transfer of tacit knowledge Not about making tacit knowledge explicit Recording can kill the conversation Avoid disrupting the conversation No leader to record group notes Personal notes OK

43. Reasons for Recording outcomes That’s what we always do We need a record To share with others not here Justify to boss For a good “business purpose” If nothing will be done with the notes then don’t do it!

44. Ideas for recording outcomes External person takes notes on laptop Capture 1 item from each person & collate Encourage people to blog the session Audio capture and transcription Visual capture

45. We have a deeply held belief that the way to make a difference in the world is to define problems and needs and then recommend actions to solve those needs. We are all problem solvers, action oriented and results minded. It is illegal in this culture to leave a meeting without a to-do list. We want measurable outcomes and we want them now. What is hard to grasp is that it is this very mindset which prevents anything fundamental from changing. We cannot problem solve our way into fundamental change, or transformation. This is not an argument against problem solving; it is an intention to shift the context and language within which problem solving takes place. Authentic transformation is about a shift in context and a shift in language and conversation. It is about changing our idea of what constitutes action. Peter Block

46. Café Applications

47. Forms of Café Traditional Knowledge Café World Café Gurteen Knowledge Café Gurteen Action Café Other conversational tools

48. World Café The World Café is a methodology for hosting conversations about questions that matter. These conversations link and build on each other as people move between groups, cross-pollinate ideas, and discover new insights into the questions or issues that are most important in their life, work, or community.

49. How is the Gurteen Knowledge Cafe different from the World Cafe? World Café 1995; Knowledge Café 2002 More business oriented Usually shorter For smaller numbers of people No table leaders No reporting back No capture Less preparation required Paper & pens on tables optional Possibly less controlling

50. Conversational tools Knowledge Cafes Knowledge Jams Peer Assists, After Action Reviews, Retrospects (Learn before, learn during, learn after) Anecdote Circles Ritual Dissent Reverse Brainstorm Open Space Technology Unconference, unworkshop and Barcamps Conversation Dinners and Walks

51. Applying the Café Pure conversational Cafés Cafés can be adapted for specific purposes Café techniques can be used in other activities Café style talks Knowledge Café + Open Space

52. Where might you use the Café? Surface hidden problems & opportunities Encourage knowledge sharing & informal learning Improve decision making and innovation Address disengagement and lack of voice Help people make sense of the world Help people feel ownership of things

53. Questions and Discussion

54. Some actual Café applications

55. Trinidad & Tobago Oil and Gas

56. Canal Boat Café On canals in Amsterdam At end of week of workshops & visits To help summarise the week Develop plan for action

57. Café for a UK government body Day long workshop 3 presentations on social tools A knowledge Café Future leaders in the group Future leaders determine action plan

58. ISN Knowledge Café The knowledge café has led to a dramatic improvement in terms of inter-team dialog, collaboration & knowledge sharing. Many internal work processes are now being overhauled for the better as a result of these knowledge cafes & we have seen an explosion of new ideas & initiatives on the part of staff at all levels of the organization. Simply put, the knowledge cafe format has empowered all our staff to speak up and take the initiative in ensuring the successful development of the ISN. Chris Pallaris, Chief Editor ISN, Zurich

59. Statoil To surface issues as a result of a merger Series of Cafés to bring retiring experts together with younger members to transfer knowledge In a community hall on an allotment Geophysicists Discussion of preferred technologies Exchange views on experiences Management Training But not called a Knowledge Café

60. Questions and Discussion

61. Tips and techniques

62. The theme A topic people feel passionate about Complex issues Only ONE question Open ended question Action oriented

63. The conversation The question is only a seed OK to go off topic Conversation as close to a conversation at the pub or over dinner

64. The speaker Speaker and facilitator need not be the same Facilitator: involved/not involved Speakers can be controlling or dominant Often run over time Need to brief and handle carefully

65. The facilitator Important to be yourself Do not control Experiment a little Take some risks Don’t be afraid of silence Timing can be difficult Let people talk & leave them alone & you cannot go far wrong

66. The venue Need not be a room Boat on Thames Canal Boat (long boat in Amsterdam) Knowledge Walk/BBQ (Greenwich) Pub (Stavanger) Outside under sunshades (Scottsdale) Actual café (London & Barcelona)

67. The room Important Small, cosy Small round tables Good acoustics Paper/toys on tables NO flip charts in the room!

68. The tables People need to be close enough to touch each other

69. Doodling

70. Holding in a lecture theatre Difficult but not impossible Problem of moving between groups Problem of whole group conversation reporting back Need for microphones

71. Using microphones Avoid if possible Need if group larger than 40 People hold on to them Kills the flow of conversation One for you + 2 roving mikes Passing technique 1 (London) Passing technique 2 (KM Egypt) Avoid fixed mikes (Jakarta)

72. Small group Don’t ask to sit with others they do not know Change groups 3 times Don’t specify a number or any rules People do not like changing groups Don’t force them! Kuala Lumpur story

73. Knowledge circles Greenwich Story KM World Not difficult

74. Circle process Keep contributions short Focus on action Pick someone opposite you Go around circle Each person to say who they are Ok to pass Include yourself Thank them Use of a talking stick

75. Circle or whole group Where you need facilitation skills People will report back out of habit Or ask you questions In some cultures best to let them Even for some groups let them Central bank librarians story Unless in expert mode do not join in too much Tolerate silence – pause and wait

76. Group dynamics Dominant, outspoken people Submissive, quiet people Don’t directly address the issue Make it clear by setting an example

77. Dynamics of different sized groups Very small: 4 or 5 people Small: 4 – 12 people Medium: 12 – 24 people Ideal: 32 people Large: 50+ people

78. Listening in If expert mode then join in If facilitation mode then try not to Wander around and actively listen “ Eyeball” each person Observe for issues Watch, think, be prepared to adapt

79. Wrap up Circle is the summarisation No need to summarise at length Keep it short and simple Thank people

80. Cultural Considerations

81. Culture I have run the Cafes in many different countries UK Spain Norway Russia USA Singapore Hong Kong Indonesia Malaysia Thailand Australia United Arab Emirates Colombia Brazil New Zealand South Africa

82. Cultural stories Jakarta Open Café - mikes Workshop Kuala Lumpur Won’t change tables Won’t go for coffee Bangkok Flee, video Dubai Reporting back India Talk over each other Hong Kong Iranians Abu Dhabai Women

83. Language issues Ideally one common language Speak in own language in small groups But then can’t listen in! Common language (English) in whole group Even own language in whole group Use of translators - serial or concurrent

84. Encouraging informal conversation

85. Informal Conversation Coffee and lunch Brown bag lunches Project/team meetings Department & organizational meetings Internal seminars

86. Conversational Space Building design Cass Business School, BA, GSK, Canon UK Coffee areas Reception areas Open plan verses cubicles verses offices

87. Action Circle What is your one actionable insight?

88. www.gurteen.com David GURTEEN Gurteen Knowledge Fleet, United Kingdom Tel: +44 7774 178 650 Email: david.gurteen@gurteen.com

89. Some slides I did not use

90. Business is a conversation Here's a definition of that pesky and borderline elitist phrase, 'knowledge worker'. A knowledge worker is someone whose job entails having really interesting conversations at work. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto

91. Business is a conversation The characteristics of conversations map to the conditions for genuine knowledge generation and sharing: they're unpredictable interactions among people speaking in their own voice about something they're interested in. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto

92. Business is a conversation People implicitly acknowledge that they don't have all the answers (or else the conversation is really a lecture) and risk being wrong in front of someone else. And conversations overcome the class structure of business, suspending the organization chart at least for a little while. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto

93. Business is a conversation If you think about the aim of Knowledge Management as enabling better conversations rather than lassoing stray knowledge doggies, you end up focusing on breaking down the physical and class barriers to conversation. David Weinberger The Cluetrain Manifesto

94. The kind of conversation I like is one where I don’t feel the need to censor anything I say! David Gurteen Oh, the comfort - the inexpressible comfort of feeling safe with a person - having neither to weigh thoughts nor measure words, but pouring them all right out, just as they are, chaff and grain together; certain that a faithful hand will take and sift them, keep what is worth keeping, and then with the breath of kindness blow the rest away. Dinah Craik

95. Conversation is the way that humans have always thought together. In conversation we discover shared meaning. It is the primal human organizing tool. Even in the corridors of power, very little real action happens in debate, but rather in the side rooms, the hallways, the lunches, the times away from the ritual spaces of authority and in the relaxed spaces of being human. In all of our design of meetings, engagement, planning or whatever, if you aren’t building conversation into the process, you will not benefit from the collective power and wisdom of humans thinking together. These are not “soft” processes. This is how wars get started and how wars end. It’s how money is made, lives started, freedom realized. It is the core human organizing competency. Margaret J. Whatley

96. Open Space Technology Open Space Technology ( OST ) is an approach for hosting meetings, conferences, corporate-style retreats and community summit events. They are focused on a specific and important purpose or task—but beginning without any formal agenda, beyond the overall purpose or theme.

97. Four Principles Whoever comes are the right people Whenever it starts is the right time Whatever happens is the only thing that could have When it's over, it's over

98. The Law of two feet If at any time during your time together you find yourself in any situation where you are neither learning nor contributing, use your two feet, go someplace else.

99. How is Open Space Technology different from Knowledge Café? Different Outcomes OST Process is more complex Used other than to gain mutual understanding e.g. problem solving and defining agendas Meetings tend to be larger often 100s of people compared to dozens for the Café Meetings tend to last longer often days rather than hours

100. You rarely see the damage caused by bad relationships or the positive outcomes of good ones.

101. New Material to be incorporated

102. Something on not doing things to people

103. Its OK for people not to talk

104. When not to run a knowledge cafe

105. Café is divergent Meeting is convergent

106. Licence You may use these slides under the following Creative Commons Licence Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/uk/