THE BASICS
Conversation Cafés are open, hosted conversations in cafés as well as conferences and classrooms—anywhere people gather to make sense of our world. At a Conversation Café there is nothing to join, no homework, no agenda, just a simple process that helps to shift us from small talk to BIG talk, conversations that matter.
Hosts are key to successful Conversation Cafés and we are here to make hosting easy, rewarding, and fun for you.
Just starting out? Get oriented! You can learn the basics by watching the video, or reading the hosting manual.
Ready to host and need some resources? You can download everything you need, find stimulating questions, and learn to frame questions powerfully. We have suggestions to help you promote your Conversation Café. Variations and Applications: Discover ways to adapt to shorter times or larger groups, as well as blending with a World Café design. Consider ways to bring Conversation Café to your workplace, organization, event, conference or community.
FAQ’s
Q: What is a Conversation Café?
A: It is a one-and-a-half hour hosted conversation, held in a public setting like a café, where anyone is welcome to join. A simple format helps people feel at ease and gives everyone who wants it a chance to speak—it’s also fine for people to simply listen.
Q: May I make copies of the material on this website?
A: Yes! We provide all of the materials on this site free of charge for your use to help you host exciting and successful conversations.
Q: Can you recommend some good books about conversation and dialogue?
A: A list of some excellent books can be found on the Richmond Action Dialogues website. The Resource Section of the NCDD website shares hundreds of resources dedicated to dialogue and deliberation.
If you have a question, please click here to send it to us!
SOME USEFUL LINKS
National Coalition for Dialogue & Deliberation (NCDD)
Acts as a global network for resources, news, events, and conferences. Visit their website for a detailed list of dialogue organizations.
Richmond Action Dialogues
Promotes dialogue as a means to evoke effective action inspired by individual reflection and the collective wisdom generated by a group. Past steward of Conversation Cafés.
World Café
Café Conversations are an easy-to-use method for creating a living network of collaborative dialogue around questions that matter in service of the real work.
Death Café
At Death Cafés people come together in a relaxed and safe setting to discuss death, drink tea, and eat delicious cake. The objective of Death Café is “to increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.”