Knowledge Café Principle: Create a Safe Space Where conversation can flourish

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Principle: Create a psychologically safe space. 

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To foster meaningful conversation in a Knowledge Café or any small group setting, it’s crucial to establish a safe space where all participants feel equal, comfortable, and free to express themselves without fear.

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Reduce fear

Although it is never possible to eliminate fear, everything should be done to reduce it when designing and running a Knowledge Café.

Fear, in its many forms, closes down conversations and reduces them to mechanical rituals that serve little purpose. If people are going to open up and engage fully in a conversation, you need to drive out as much unnecessary fear as possible.

People should feel safe to be themselves

Any fear, especially fear of personal judgment or attack, should be eliminated as far as possible. When people feel comfortable being themselves, they do their most creative thinking, speaking, and listening. Great care should be given to the venue/room and the layout of the chairs and tables to create a relaxed atmosphere.

No one should be forced to participate

People should be invited to join a Café. There should be no coercion of any kind. Unwilling participants are likely to harbor a grudge and not actively participate with any enthusiasm or, worse, still sabotage the conversation.

No one should be forced to do anything

One of the problems with many workshops and other conversational processes is that people are appointed as table hosts or table spokespeople against their will. This is often subtle; even its threat can intimidate people and cause them not to relax.

It should be possible for someone to participate in a conversation and never do anything other than listen. In reality, if people are relaxed and free from fear, then it is rare that they don’t fully engage. You only want participants to talk because they want to and out of passion.

Use a conversation covenant

When you anticipate that the conversations may be difficult or even impossible, it may make sense to develop a conversation covenant to be used by the participants.

A conversation covenant is an agreement between two or more persons to abide by a set of rules when engaging in conversation. The rules are intended to help people work in harmony to create a psychologically safer space for seemingly impossible conversations.

Knowledge Café Principles

1. Knowledge Café Principle: Conversation Is Sovereign It's all about the conversation
2. Knowledge Café Principle: Everyone Has an Equal Voice Everyone is an equal participant
3. Knowledge Café Principle: No Preconceived Outcomes The outcomes are emergent
4. Knowledge Café Principle: Preserve the Flow Conversational flow should not be interrupted
5. Knowledge Café Principle: Create a Safe Space Where conversation can flourish
6. Knowledge Café Principle: Engage in Small Groups Real conversation takes place in small groups
7. Knowledge Café Principle: Dialogue Not Debate Be prepared to emerge a slightly different person

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Principle: Create a psychologically safe space.

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Posts that link to this post

•  Knowledge Café: No Flip Charts or Butcher Paper They get in the way of the conversation - avoid them
•  Knowledge Café: Moving Between Groups Don't complicate it

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