Knowledge Café Room Requirements Guidance for space, seating, and group size

Good conversation depends on the right environment. Too few or too many people, or an improper room setup, can make it challenging to connect and share ideas. By paying attention to space, seating, and group size, we can create conditions where conversation flows easily and everyone feels included.

The standard Knowledge Café process is designed for between 12 and 24 people. For smaller or larger numbers, the process does not work as well for several reasons.

For fewer than 12 people, and certainly fewer than 9, there is not enough diversity of thought and energy in the room for the Café to function effectively. And over 30, it loses many of its benefits, as it becomes less intimate, takes longer, requires microphones, and you cannot form a circle.

But with a little adaptation, the Café can be run for any number of people as long as the associated limitations do not compromise the Café’s purpose.

Essential Requirements

The room should be small with good acoustics. Participants should be seated at small round tables (3 ft diameter), no more than three or four people per table. The tables should be close together and arranged randomly in the room.

If small round tables are not available, then small rectangular tables are fine. The most essential requirement is that people are sitting within touching distance of each other.

The room size and layout should allow the participants in the last phase of the Knowledge Café to push their tables to the side of the room and form a circle with their chairs. See the photo below.

I need a PC projector, audio, and a screen. I will bring my own laptop. Flip charts are not required and should be removed from the room.

When we plan a Knowledge Café, we shape the quality of conversation through simple choices about space and seating. If we pay attention to these details, people connect more easily and speak more openly. By creating the right setting, we give every voice a chance to be heard.