Bloghound

There’s no better resource for understanding how to tap into the power of conversations than the World Cafe and the organization’s book, The World Cafe: Shaping Our Futures Through Conversations That Matter.

As marketers look for ways to create authentic dialogue with customers and others important and influential to their success, here are the seven World Cafe principles for hosting conversations that matter. These principles apply to both face-to-face and online conversations. Many thanks to Juanita Brown and David Isaacs of the World Cafe for sharing so much with so many.

1. Set the context: Clarify the purpose and broad parameters within which the dialogue will unfold.

2. Create hospitable space: Ensure the welcoming environment and psychological safety that nurtures personal comfort and mutual respect.

3. Explore questions that matter: Focus collective attention on powerful questions that attract collaborative engagement.

4. Encourage everyone’s contribution: Enliven the relationship between the “me” and the “we” by inviting full participation.

5. Cross-pollinate and connect diverse perspectives: Intentionally increase the diversity and density of connections among perspectives while retaining a common focus on core questions.

6. Listen together for patterns, insights, deeper questions: Focus shared attention in ways that nurture coherence of thought without losing individual contributions.

7. Harvest and share collective discoveries: Make collective knowledge and insight visible and actionable.

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