Sometimes, particularly in a conference, there is not enough time to run a full Knowledge Café. An Espresso Café can be run in as little as half an hour.
The duration of a Knowledge Café can last from 1 to 3 hours, but it can be run in as little as 30 minutes. I call this an Espresso Café.
The Espresso Café process could not be more straightforward:
- The host gives a short talk, concluding with the question. (5 minutes)
- The participants are asked to reflect silently on the subject. (2 minutes)
- The participants are invited to turn to each other in twos and threes to discuss the question. (10 minutes)
If the participants are sitting at small tables in groups of 3 or 4, turning to each other in twos or threes is unnecessary; however, at conferences, people are often sitting in groups of 8 or so at large round tables or in neat rows in a lecture theater.- The host brings the whole group back together to share their thoughts. (10 minutes)
- The host asks the participants to write one actionable insight on a card. The host gathers the cards. (3 minutes)
- After the event, the host collects the cards. And a day or two later, they email a summary of the insights to the participants.
This process is the essence of an Espresso Café, but of course, you can tweak it in all sorts of ways.
(Attribution) | David Gurteen (Attribution)In-person, 7–11 September 2026, Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
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