Cori Hall
11/11/03
Yamamoto
Conference Program Proposal Project
Introduction:
I attended a retreat a few weeks ago sponsored by the “Raise Your Voice” Campaign
committee at Humboldt state University. The theme of the retreat was encouraging civic
engagement and community building on college campuses across Oregon and Northern
California. At the retreat we discussed controversial issues such as activism, elections, politics,
and racism. In order to create a safe space to talk about these issues in depth and create action
plans for the campuses involved, a format called, “The World Café,” was used. The purpose of
my program proposal is to demonstrate this model as a way for other campuses to facilitate
purposeful large group discussions.
An appropriate conference to present this program at is the 20th Annual COOL (Campus
Outreach Opportunity League) Idealist National Conference on March 12 – 14, 2004 at the
University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. This conference invites college students,
administrators, and nonprofit organizations to come together in order to make a positive impact in
the community through civic engagement. There is no set theme of the conference, but there is a
focus on student leadership through service, activism, and politics and the intersections of student
engagement with the broader non-profit community. My program topic is appropriate to this
conference because active dialogue between campuses and communities is necessary to create a
civically engaged campus. The World Café is a tool to create this kind of atmosphere.
In order to submit a proposal to the COOL Conference, there is an on-line workshop
proposal form on the COOL website. The submission link is not available yet, so I have not
attached a copy of it to this document. There are two deadlines for proposal submissions, an
early and a late deadline. The dates are January 21, 2004 and February 11, 2004. Attached to
this document are copies of the references that I used in writing this proposal.
PROPOSAL
Program Title:
The World Café: A Systems Approach to Engaging Discussions for Change
Name of Presenter:
Cori Hall, First Year Master’s Student in the College Student Services and Administration
Program at Oregon State University
Program abstract:
An overall awareness and the ability to address controversial topics among diverse groups to
encourage collaboration are very important in creating a comfortable environment for students to
talk about controversial issues. This program demonstrates the World Café Model as a method to
initiate in depth purposeful conversations.
Program description:
The university is a dynamic organizational system, functioning with many layers. Decisions are
made each day due to conversations that occur between diverse groups and individuals on
campus. This type of dialogue creates a network of people that can potentially work together to
bring about change. Because the connections between people in an organization are so essential,
it is vital to engage in dialogue that has meaning. Learning to attend more consciously to our
conversations will help to move your organization in a positive direction. Compelling questions
should be raised in order to initiate these conversations. The World Café is a methodology that
links small group conversations with large group discussions to focus on critical issues in a
comfortable environment in order to enhance collaborative thinking. It has been used to initiate
various types of change in diverse organizations all over the world. Global companies have used
Café principles to integrate marketing strategies. Maori leaders in New Zealand have used the
Café model during treaty negotiations. American and European faculty are creating virtual cafes
online to conduct distance-learning programs.
This presentation will take the world café methodology and apply it to the setting of a university.
The presenter will first discuss the importance of discussion in an organization and the
background of the world café model. She will then describe the methodology by talking about
the five principles that are essential to the success of the world café. These principles are as
follows:
1. Create a hospitable space and a welcoming environment for dialogue. Instead of a
cold unfriendly meeting space, set up the room so the group members feel
comfortable. Set out tables that seat four or five individuals in a group. Use
decorations, food and music to create a warm friendly atmosphere.
2. Explore questions that matter. Construct compelling questions that focus the
conversations and bring about knowledge. Form the questions so that they discuss
what can be actively done about the issues at hand.
3. Connect diverse people and perspectives. Cross pollinate the small group
discussions by holding several rounds of conversations. The group members will
move to a new table to continue their discussions with different people during each
round. Have a host stay at each table for the following round in order to weave the
past conversation into the conversation with the new group of individuals at the table.
4. Listen together for patterns, insights, and deeper questions. Emphasize the idea of
shared listening as a group and gathering collective insights. Active listening skills
are essential!
5. Make collective knowledge visible to the group. Provide paper and markers at each
table to create a shared space. People can write down their ideas and build on ideas
that were written from a previous round. Reflect on the collective thoughts that were
generated after the discussions commence.
The presenter will then distribute the reference guide for putting conversations to work. This
packet contains hints and tips to create meaningful dialogue. The importance of creating
questions that matter should be emphasized. There are times when the World Café should not be
used as well. It shouldn’t be used if the group is driving toward a previously determined solution
or answer, or if one-way information is being conveyed. In making detailed implementation
plans, the World Café isn’t helpful. Groups of less than 12 people are too small to utilize the
World Café methodology as well.
The next part of the presentation involves the audience. An abridged version of the world café
will be demonstrated. The large group will break into groups of four or five and each small group
will have discussion questions to talk about a specific topic. The dialogue will last ten minutes
and then all of the groups will change except for one host at each table. There will be three
consecutive rounds.
The large group will then reconvene and reflect on the audience’s experience in the World Café.
The presenter will conclude the workshop by posing questions about the quality of their
discussions and about how comfortable they were able to talk about controversial topics. She will
then discuss the nature of their conversations and the types of meaningful dialogue she heard.
Finally, the audience will be able to ask questions of the presenter.
Outline of the Program Presentation:
I.
Background of the World Café Model
II.
The Five Key Operating Principles of the World Cafe
III.
When and How To Use the World Café Model
IV.
Putting the World Café Model to Practice
V.
Reflecting on the World Café Experience
Intended Learning Outcomes:
Participants will have an opportunity to:
-Become aware of the collective learning that takes place throughout interconnected
conversations in an organization
-Learn how to keep a conversation meaningful by creating questions that matter
-Practice the World Café model
-Learn how to apply the World Café model to discussions at their campus
Relationship of Program to Conference Theme:
Civic engagement on a college campus is centered around critical issues that are not always easily
discussed. Purposeful dialogue is essential to discussing service, civic action, and politics. The
World Café model is an excellent methodology to bring about these types of discussions.
How Audience Members Will Be Involved in the Presentation:
This program will provide an opportunity for educators to experience a discussion using a
shortened version of the world café model. After reconvening in a large group, the presenter will
ask for the audience members’ reactions to the World Café.