The World Café is a method for fostering collaborative dialogue around important questions. It involves hosting conversations in a cafe-like setting in rounds of discussion at tables. Participants discuss questions, share ideas, and build on previous discussions. Table hosts help welcome newcomers, share main ideas, and encourage connections across conversations. The goal is to generate knowledge and possibilities for action through an informal exchange of perspectives.

1. Based on text from the café to go reference guide. Authored by the World Café community.

2. What is a World Café?
World Café Conversations are an intentional way to
create a living network of conversation around
questions that matter. A Café Conversation is a
creative process for leading collaborative dialogue,
sharing knowledge and creating possibilities for action
in groups of all sizes.
Source: http://www.co-intelligence.org/P-worldcafe.html
The orientation of the Café is toward contribution. It
starts with somebody giving something. The purpose
of the Café is not to criticize, but to contribute. You
can’t blame anybody for giving. In the Café you don’t
have to perform, only contribute. And when you
contribute, the knowledge grows.
Source: The World Café (Brown & Isaacs)

3. Café Hosting Tips
Source: http://www.thesystemsthinker.com/PDFs/1205pk.pdf
Set up Café-style tables or another relaxed
setting.
Provide food, beverages, music, art, natural
light, and greenery.
Encourage informal conversation focused on
key questions.
Allow time for silence and reflection.
Encourage members to “cross-pollinate” ideas
and insights across groups.

4. Café Hosting Tips
Source: http://www.thesystemsthinker.com/PDFs/1205pk.pdf
Have materials available for
visually representing key
ideas – markers and paper.
Weave and connect emerging
themes and insights.
Honor the social nature of
learning and community
building.
Help members notice that
individual conversations are
part of and contribute to a
larger field of collective
knowledge and wisdom.

5. World Café at a Glance…
• Three (3) progressive rounds of
conversation with each round addressing one
question.
• At the end of each round, participants are
invited to move to a different table
• New question discussed while linking and
connecting ideas with previous conversation
rounds. Paper tablecloths provided to create
a visual memory of the conversation

6. One more thing…
Before getting started, each
group will need to identify a
table host (not facilitator) who
remains at the table during the
3 conversation rounds to:
• welcome newcomers
• share the main ideas,
themes and questions
• encourage guests to link
and connect ideas
(USING THE PAPER
TABLECLOTH)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/flickflackclack/1663577752/

7. Round 1
1 Inquiry Question-
st
What are ways to
prepare students to
compete in the Global
Economy?

8. Round 2
2 Inquiry Question-
nd
How will the CCSS
shifts contribute to a
rigorous academic
environment?

9. Round 3
3 Inquiry Question-
rd
How might teachers
respond to the focus
on college and career
readiness?

10. Debrief
Post Café Ideas for Gallery Walk