Reading Time: 2 minutes
Google Web Search
Although the World Café and the Knowledge Café may seem similar at first glance, they have several significant differences.
Although the World Café and the Knowledge Café are different, there is so much variation in practice in the way that they are designed and run that an event called a World Café may be closer to a Knowledge Café in spirit, and a Knowledge Café may differ little in practice from a World Café.
Let’s compare the core process of how I run a Knowledge Café with how a World Café is usually run.
| World Café | Knowledge Café |
| Focus on knowledge sharing. | Focus on knowledge sharing, relationship building, decision-making, innovation, and collaboration. |
| More community-focused. | More business-focused. |
| Harvesting is important: use of flip charts and butcher paper. | The conversation is important: no flip charts, butcher paper, or capture unless necessary. |
| Often large numbers, 100 or more. | Though they are designed for 12 – 24 people, they can be larger. |
| Often a whole day event. | They are designed for 2 hours duration, though they can last longer. |
| Often multiple questions. | Usually, only one question. |
| Each table has a host. | No table hosts, table leaders, or note-takers. |
| Small group size 4 – 5, often larger. | Small group size 3 – 4 is important. No larger. |
| It usually ends in a series of report-outs. | It always ends in a conversation circle. |
| Actionable insights are not usually shared. | Actionable insights are usually shared. |
Resources
- Website: The World Café
Posts that link to this post
Status: Work in progress.
POST NAVIGATION
CHAPTER NAVIGATION
SEARCH
Blook SearchGoogle Web Search
Related Items
This page is part of a blook on Conversational Leadership. Parts of this book have restricted access. You can learn more about the book and how to obtain full access on the home page.
Gurteen Knowledge Letter
The Gurteen Knowledge Letter is a free monthly newsletter with over 20,000 subscribers that I have been publishing by email for over 20 years.
Learn more about the newsletter and register here.
The Gurteen Knowledge Letter is a free monthly newsletter with over 20,000 subscribers that I have been publishing by email for over 20 years.
Learn more about the newsletter and register here.