Using World Café to capture diverse perspectives

This approach is based on the premise that people have good ideas that can be used to generate options for change and help deliver strategic goals. The World Café approach encourages diverse perspectives enabling the generation and exploration of ideas that may not have been considered previously.

The World Café format is flexible and can be adapted to different contexts. Set up a room with café-style tables and paper tablecloths that can be written on (or use Post-it notes) to capture ideas. Coloured pens should also be provided. A facilitator (or host) is needed for each table to guide the process and record the findings. Participants spend a specified amount of time (say 15-20 minutes) at each table having a conversation about a key issue (this is known as a ‘round’) before moving on to the next table.

 The following steps will help you create a productive World Café:

• The environment should feel conducive to learning, and the facilitators must be committed to using the ideas and information generated.

• There should be no more than four or five chairs at each table.

• Make sure that people understand why they have been brought together and the aim of the exercise.

• Articulate the context clearly and identify the broad themes that you want people to address.

• For each table, create a list of questions that capture real-life concerns facing the organisation.

• Table hosts should welcome each group, guide the first round and then summarise the contributions from previous rounds to each new group.

• Ensure everyone has a chance to articulate their views either in writing or verbally.

Make sure you have a way of capturing the ideas and themes emerging from the rounds. Schedule time at the end of your World Café to synthesise ideas and feed back to the group about how they will be used in any service improvement or change process.

See Clements et al. (2021) for an example of a research study that used a World Café approach to identify wellbeing challenges and solutions in an organisational setting. More information on the World Café approach can be found here. World Cafés can be conducted online as well as face-to-face; see here for guidance.