Principle: Engage in small groups.
At the heart of the Knowledge Café are small group conversations. These groups should be no more than 3 or 4 people. Real conversations only happen in small groups of 2, 3 or 4 people.If you have more than 4 participants in a group, you do not have a conversation but a series of monologues.
It is also too easy for people to let others do the talking and not engage in the conversation. In social psychologists call it social loafing
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The small groups are critical to the Café process. Most workshops and other conversational gatherings miss this fundamental fact, and their group size is too large.
Knowledge Café Principles
- Knowledge Café Principle: Conversation Is Sovereign It's all about the conversation
- Knowledge Café Principle: Everyone Has an Equal Voice Everyone is an equal participant
- Knowledge Café Principle: No Preconceived Outcomes The outcomes are emergent
- Knowledge Café Principle: Preserve the Flow Conversational flow should not be interrupted
- Knowledge Café Principle: Create a Safe Space Where conversation can flourish
- Knowledge Café Principle: Engage in Small Groups Real conversation takes place in small groups
- Knowledge Café Principle: Dialogue Not Debate Be prepared to emerge a slightly different person
Principle: Engage in small groups.
In-person, 7–11 September 2026, Warbrook House, Hampshire, UK
We are living and working in conditions of uncertainty, complexity, and rapid change. Many leadership approaches still rely on control, expertise, and tools that no longer fit the realities people face.
This week-long immersive workshop brings people together to practise Conversational Leadership as a shared, lived experience. It is not a training course but a space to slow down, think together, and explore how leadership emerges through dialogue, responsibility, and real engagement.