If space can improve how we communicate, that is fundamentally what improves performance and what makes the company money. The workplace is really not about cost. It’s an investment in communication. Credit: Ben Waber Quotations: Ben WaberThe Workplace Is an Investment in Communication Ben WaberTags: Ben Waber (1) | communication (5) | conversational space (11)Google … Continue reading The Workplace Is an Investment in Communication Ben Waber
Gurteen Knowledge Blog June 5, 2023, 07:20In my recent Knowledge Café, the Great Unheard, it occurred to me that throughout our everyday lives, we frequently consciously or unconsciously divert conversations from topics that make us feel uncomfortable or vulnerable. We avoid areas we are unprepared or unwilling to explore, perhaps due to personal insecurities, fears, or … Continue reading Creating Safe Spaces for Uncomfortable Conversations Valuing vulnerability, authenticity, and respectful dialogue
If a building doesn’t encourage [collaboration], you’ll lose a lot of innovation and the magic that’s sparked by serendipity. So we designed the building to make people get out of their offices and mingle in the central atrium with people they might not otherwise see. Credit: Steve Jobs Quotations: Steve JobsBuildings to Encourage Collaboration Steve … Continue reading Buildings to Encourage Collaboration Steve Jobs
People are more productive when they’re alone … but they’re more collaborative and innovative when they’re together. Some of the best ideas come from pulling two different ideas together. Credit: Marissa Mayar Physical space has a huge impact on the way that we interact, converse and collaborate. More often than not, little thought is given to … Continue reading Introduction: Conversational Environments ** Designing places and spaces for good conversations
Terminology First, let’s consider the terminology. People have gathered in various settings for conversation and social interaction throughout history. These settings include coffeehouses, salons, clubs, and, even in ancient times, around campfires. There is a need for a generic term to capture the essence of these places in a broad sense. Commonly used words to … Continue reading Introduction: Conversational Spaces Meeting places for conversations
The London coffeehouses of the 17th & 18th centuries were the engines of creation that helped drive the Enlightenment – the European intellectual movement that emphasized reason and individualism rather than tradition. Their history is a fascinating one. Modern-day coffee shops such as Starbucks, Costa Coffee, and Caffè Nero have their roots in the coffeehouses … Continue reading The London Coffeehouses of the Enlightenment Centers of Enlightenment thinking
During the 17th and 18th centuries, Britain witnessed the rise of various gentlemen’s clubs, which served as hubs for intellectual discourse, socializing, and the exchange of ideas. These clubs played a significant role in shaping the intellectual and cultural landscape of the time. The clubs that emerged during Britain’s 17th and 18th centuries profoundly impacted … Continue reading British Gentlemen’s Clubs ** Of the 17th and 18th Centuries
In the 17th and 18th centuries, salons flourished in Paris, Vienna, and the rest of Europe. Salons were social gatherings hosted in private homes, usually by prominent women, in which men and women engaged in intellectual conversation in pursuit of knowledge. The women who hosted these salons were known as salonnières. They had a lot … Continue reading Salons A gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host
You should choose the physical space in which a Knowledge Café is held with great care, taking the following aspects should be taken into consideration: POST NAVIGATION Pop-up all posts in this chapter × Knowledge Café SpaceIntroduction: Knowledge Café Space The physical space is importantKnowledge Café: Choosing the Venue The venue need not be a … Continue reading Introduction: Knowledge Café Space The physical space is important
Resources Wikipedia: Viennese coffee house Article: History of Viennese coffee house culture Guardian: Two hours with a stranger: can these questions open up a city? Blook Search Search for: Continue reading Viennese Coffeehouses ** An institution of Vienna that played an important role in shaping Viennese culture
Benjamin Franklin recognized the value of conversation and the importance of cognitive diversity in convening innovative conversations when he founded the Junto Club almost 300 years ago. In 1727, at the age of 21, Benjamin Franklin, who went on to become was one of the founding fathers of the United States, founded the Junto Club. … Continue reading Benjamin Franklin’s Junto Club Benjamin Franklin founded the Junto Club – a conversational society in 1727
