The World Cafe

Sat May 7 00:19:48 PDT 2005

i've never used TWC.  i now have the book, though, and will have a look.

to your question, peggy, i wonder if one couldn't pose a broad,
os-like theme at the outset, have the small table groups make a list
of the issues that they see important to resolution, discuss those for
some time then ring the bells and invite anyone to move who wanted to.
 in short (usually smaller) os meetings, i often ring the bells and
use that as a way to invite people to notice how far along they are in
their work in current session and make conscious decision between this
session and the next one(s).  nothing imposed, just a reminding.

when the groups in the modified TWC that i'm imagining finished, one
would stay and the rest could move to another table, then could spring
from the issues, opps and questions raised in first round.  each round
of folks could add to the notes, add to the questions, add to action
items, and add their names to the record at each table.  maybe there
could be a three- or four-column recording template for issues, key
points, actions and names.

in this way, we'd only need to ask the big question and the details
and sub questions could be provided by ppts.  might ring the bells to
mark shorter than usual decision/choice points, so that some might
choose to stay and some to go, with the suggestion that everyone try
to get in at least 3 or 4 sessions, then could invite people to come
back to their original table and see where things went.

and all that said, just thinking about it makes me yearn for a little
really open space <grin>.

On 5/6/05, Harrison Owen <hhowen at comcast.net> wrote:
> Peggy Wrote: "My personal experience is that people who have never
> experienced an OS find it wonderful.  As a participant, I felt quite
> constrained.  As a facilitator, I felt like a tyrant with two left feet."
>
> My experience precisely -- and much better said.
>
> More Peggy: "I wonder about TWC meeting the law of two feet.  I like the
> reflective potential of TWC, where people are pondering the same framing of
> the question(s).  I wonder how to give it back to the people, as it was in
> the creation story."
>
> I would guess that TWC with The Law of Two Feet would be Open Space --
> albeit encumbered by tables and a certain constraint on the areas of
> discussion. Eliminate the tables and open the discussion and guess what . .
> . ?
>
> Harrison
>
> Harrison Owen
> 7808 River Falls Drive
> Potomac, Maryland   20845
> Phone 301-365-2093
>
> Open Space Training www.openspaceworld.com
> Open Space Institute www.openspaceworld.org
> Personal website http://mywebpages.comcast.net/hhowen/index.htm
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> -----Original Message-----
> From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU] On Behalf Of Peggy
> Holman
> Sent: Friday, May 06, 2005 4:08 AM
> To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
> Subject: Re: The World Cafe
>
> What can I say about World Cafe?  I've used it on several occasions as a
> follow-on to a panel discussion.  It gave people a chance to make meaning
> out of what they heard.
>
> My personal experience is that people who have never experienced an OS find
> it  wonderful.  As a participant, I felt quite constrained.  As a
> facilitator, I felt like a tyrant with two left feet.
>
> I recently had the great pleasure to meet Juanita and learn of TWC's
> origins.  It actually grew out of a natural, serendipitous occurrence.
> During a meeting, because of rainy weather in sunny California, the hosts
> (Juanita and others) in a inspiration of whimsy, set up an intimate
> cafe-like setting for breakfast. People gathered in small groups continuing
> to discuss the subject matter from the night before.  They were having such
> a good time that the facilitators (wisely) left them to their own devices.
> After a while, someone in the group said, "I want to know what's going on at
> the other tables." Others agreed.  So the group decided to leave a host at
> each table and mix themselves up.
>
> There is a natural impulse behind TWC.  It's caused me to take another look.
> What intrigues me about TWC is that it seems to very quickly create a
> holographic map of the territory, it seems to accelerate the path to
> coherence.  What sends me screaming from the room is someone controlling the
> flow.
>
> I have come to believe that one of the inherent goodnesses of all of the
> other processes that I've played with is they leave people hungry for more
> of the tiny bit of space they experience.  For that reason, I believe all
> roads ultimately lead to Open Space, where it's essence is so much about
> liberation (thanks for that notion, Christine), taking responsibility for
> what you love.  This, made all the more clear because the role of
> facilitation is to get out of the way, so that, as Harrison often says, it
> is exquisitely clear who is responsible for one's experience.
>
> I wonder about TWC meeting the law of two feet.  I like the reflective
> potential of TWC, where people are pondering the same framing of the
> question(s).  I wonder how to give it back to the people, as it was in the
> creation story.
>
> still dark in Seattle,
> Peggy
>
> ________________________________
> Peggy Holman
> The Open Circle Company
> 15347 SE 49th Place
> Bellevue, WA  98006
> (425) 746-6274
>
> www.opencirclecompany.com
>
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Dave Cox" <dwcox at ASTATE.EDU>
> To: <OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU>
> Sent: Tuesday, May 03, 2005 8:02 AM
> Subject: [OSLIST] The World Cafe
>
> >A new book just came out. The World Cafe: Shaping Our Futures Through
> > Conversations That Matter by Juanita Brown with David Isaacs. It describes
> > a group process where participants move (through several rounds) from
> > table to table making connections among conversations devoted to a guiding
> > question. A host remains at each table to welcome the new group. The
> > process seems very compatible with Open Space. I was wondering what
> > experienced Open Spacers think of The World Cafe process and how you would
> > differentiate between their use?
> >
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