World Café in Kölsch!
Dialogue knows no boundaries – and methods shouldn't create any either!
Every trainer, every group should have the freedom to think outside the box. If a space or a task doesn't allow for a method to be implemented in the usual way, then the method simply has to be adapted. We noticed this at the Future Conference for Idea Managers in Cologne. Holger Scholz, a Certified Professional Facilitator (International Association of Facilitators) specializing in preparing and facilitating change and necessary dialogues in large organizations, supporting management teams, team development, and unconferencing, spontaneously created a Word Café, something entirely new. We wanted to learn more and asked him how he came up with the idea!
As a native of the Rhineland, I naturally feel compelled to incorporate Cologne's way of life and Rhineland traditions into my large group work. A perfect opportunity arose at the Center for Idea Management's Future Conference in Cologne (!) in March. Around 160 idea managers from all the major companies in Germany gathered for three days to explore the future of idea management. We, the communication consultants, were responsible for concept development, moderation, and visual process support with a team consisting of a facilitator and a visual facilitator.
World Café with beer mats and pencils
On the first evening of the conference, we moved the event to the Früh am Dom brewery. An ideal location for a Cologne-style version of the World Café – complete with beer mats, pencils, and Kölsch beer. Instead of the usual paper tablecloths, participants used beer mats specially produced for the occasion, which proved to be just right for fostering closer conversations. At the tables, aspects of idea management were explored in a relaxed atmosphere. Cross-company dialogues over a glass of Kölsch – it was exactly what we needed for the first evening. If the World Café method and concept hadn't already existed, it would have been invented in Cologne that very day. 🙂
World Café etiquette, Cologne dialect
On the back, we roughly translated the World Café etiquette into the Cologne dialect:
“Et es wie et es” – Whoever gathers at their table, they are the right ones.
"Et kütt wie et kütt" – Whatever happens is fine.
“Et hätt noch immer jot jejange” – Trust the process… just keep talking.
"What's all this nonsense?" – the universal question! If something seems important to you, please write it down on a beer mat!
One more note: There are variations of the World Café. We jokingly called this one "World Café op Kölsch" (World Café in Cologne dialect). At the same time, the process was more like a lively dinner party. That was the intention. If I've piqued your interest in the World Café method, you can find out more here:
resources
literature
"Learning Map No. 2 – World Café" by Holger Scholz and Roswitha Vesper; Distributor: www.neuland.com, ISBN 978-3-940315-02-1
"The World Cafe: Creative Future Design in Organizations and Society" by Juanita Brown and David Isaacs, published by Carl-Auer Verlag, ISBN 978-3-89670-588-4
Free materials such as a guide for hosts, "Café to go," and articles such as "The Art of Powerful Questions" are available here: www.theworldcafe.com
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www.theworldcafe.com
www.theworldcafecommunity.org
www.kommunikationslotsen.de