explore · Knowledge Sharing, Communication · 90–120 min · 16-32 people · medium energy

Gurteen Knowledge Café

A facilitator poses one open question, then people talk in groups of four or five for three short rounds, moving to new tables between rounds. There is no table host, no note taker and no reporting back; the café ends with the whole group in one circle sharing what they noticed. The value is in the conversation, not in a written output.

When to use Gurteen Knowledge Café

Use at a conference or offsite when a group needs to think out loud together about a question with no settled answer, before anyone tries to decide anything.

What it solves

Knowledge-sharing sessions turn into presentations, and nobody gets to think aloud with people outside their own team.

How to run Gurteen Knowledge Café, step by step

  1. Introduce the café, its dialogue-not-debate spirit and the question (10-20 min).
  2. Optional: a guest speaker introduces the theme in five minutes or less (5 min).
  3. Round one in groups of four or five. No leader, no note taker (10-20 min).
  4. Everyone moves to a new table with new people for round two (10-20 min).
  5. Move again for round three (10-20 min).
  6. Whole group in one circle to share thoughts and insights (15-30 min).

Materials needed

  • Small tables seating four or five
  • Refreshments
  • A space for a closing circle
  • No flip charts

Facilitator tips

  • Spend real time on the question. One powerful, open question is the whole design.
  • Do not appoint table hosts or ask for reports. That is what makes it different from World Café.
  • Walk around and listen, and gently remind tables of the dialogue rules if a debate starts.

Common pitfalls

  • The organiser adds flip charts and outputs, and people start writing instead of talking.
  • The guest speaker overruns and eats the conversation time.

Variations

  • Online Knowledge Café with breakout rooms and a closing round in the main room.

Running it online or hybrid

Use breakout rooms of four or five and reshuffle them between rounds; close in gallery view.

What it produces

No formal output by design. Participants leave with a richer view of the question and their own notes.

Origin

Developed by knowledge-management practitioner David Gurteen in the early 2000s; the tip sheet credits an earlier version by Steve O'Hagan. — source

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