The duration of a Knowledge Café is dependent on its purpose and the number of people involved. But more often than not it is limited by the time available.
I have learned over the years that an ideal length is between 2 and 2 1/2 hours.
If time is not a barrier and the Café purpose warrants it, then I think even three hours is a reasonable allowance.
Three hours allows that little bit more time for the speaker, a bit more time for the small group conversations, more time for the whole group conversation and it allows time for a round robin to share actionable insights at the end of the Café.
So 2 to 3 hours is an ideal duration. But often you don’t have that much time. In which case, the Café can certainly be run in under 2 hours.
When time is tight it makes sense to skip the round robin at the end of the session. And it makes sense to keep the talk to as little as five minutes. This allows the maximum amount time for the conversations which is of course what the Café is all about.
A 1-hour Café could consist of five minutes for the talk and question three rounds of 10 minutes for the small group conversations and 25 minutes for the whole group conversation and no round robin. This is a little tight, but it works fine.
If you are really pushed for time though, say at a conference, then it is possible to run an Espresso Café in as little as 30 minutes.
Typical Timing for a 2 – 3 hr Knowledge Café
The roles, procedure and the approximate timing of a typical customized Knowledge Café are outlined below.
Every Café is different, and the table below is for guidance only.
There are usually four roles.
- The sponsor is the person who has requested the Café.
- The host is usually myself, David Gurteen. I facilitate the Café process.
- The speaker is the person who gives the Café talk and poses the question that triggers the Café conversation. They also take part in the conversation. I am usually the speaker as well as the host.
- The participants are the people who take part in the Café conversation.
The Café normally takes 2 hours. So assuming a 3 pm start.
| 14:30 – 14:45 | The sponsor, host, and speaker arrive. Any changes to the room setup that are necessary are made and the details of the Café are talked through. |
| 14:45 – 15:00 | The participants arrive in time for the start. |
| 15:00 – 15:05 | The sponsor welcomes people, introduces the host and the speaker and says a little about the event. (5 mins) |
| 15:05 – 15:15 | The host welcomes people and runs three two-minute rounds of “speed conversation” (optional) (10 mins) |
| 15:15 – 15:35 | The speaker gives their talk and poses the “trigger question”. (20 – 30 mins) |
| 15:35 – 15:45 | The host briefly explains the Café process and introduces the speaker. (5 – 10 mins) |
| 15:45 – 16:30 | The host facilitates the Café process. Three rounds of small group conversation. (10 – 15 mins per round).
The sponsor and the speaker join in the small group conversations. The host either joins one of the tables or wanders from group to group, listening in and facilitating the change of tables at the end of each round. |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | The host brings the small group conversations to a close and asks everyone to form a circle with their chairs.
The sponsor and speaker also join the circle. The speaker is an equal member of the circle like anyone else but is expected to engage just a little bit more than others and to answer questions if asked. The host is responsible for facilitating the whole group conversation as far as is necessary and keeping to time. If there is sufficient time (and there rarely is in a 2hr Café), the host goes around the circle and asks each person in turn to share one actionable insight (an idea they have gleaned that will influence their decision making or one thing that they plan to do differently) that has come about as a result of their conversations. Finally, the host closes the Café and thanks the sponsor, speaker and the participants for the Café. The sponsor usually adds their words of thanks. (30 mins) |
| 17:00 onwards | The Café may run on past its official close time to give the opportunity for those who wish to stay time for further informal conversations. |
[Status: work in progress]
Posts that link to this post
- The Differences Between the Knowledge Café and the World Café There are some significant differences
- Espresso Café Espresso has more caffeine per unit volume than most coffee beverages
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When it will be published?
I’ve updated it now Nouf.
best wishes David