People strike up conversations at coffee shops, coffeehouses, cafés, and other caffeinated conversation friendly places everyday. Appreciating the power of coffee and conversation, Susan Partnow and Vicki Robin started Conversation Café, a nonprofit organization to “…create a culture of conversation,” to promote community, democracy, and wisdom world-wide through generating millions of open, respectful public conversations.
Held in public places, Conversation Cafés are lively hosted conversations among small groups of people with diverse views and a shared passion for engaging with others; they provide an open forum to talk about important topics—issues that matter most to you—over a cup of coffee or tea.
Everyone is welcome. There are no books to read, no assignments, and no dues. All who participate are simply asked to agree to a set of guidelines that set the tone of the gathering. They include:
- Open-mindedness: listen to and respect all points of view
- Acceptance: suspend judgment as best you can
- Curiosity: seek to understand rather than persuade
- Discovery: question old assumptions, look for new insights
- Sincerity: speak for yourself about what has personal heart and meaning
- Brevity: go for honesty and depth but don’t go on and on
Hosts welcome and orient people to the Conversation Café process. They prepare the table, welcome attendees, and ensure that everyone present has the opportunity to speak twice before the conversation opens up.
Having attended many and hosted a few numerous Conversation Cafés, I can tell you that I have met some very interesting people including educators, environmentalists, political activists, state employees, ship captains, and the list goes on and on. All ages with varying backgrounds.
For people who have a difficult time striking up conversations with unfamiliar people and wanting to practice, or for those who simply want to meet new people and discuss whatever matters most to you, Conversation Café is worth checking out. Visit the website to find a list of hosted Conversation Cafés around the country that you can join.
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