The World Café method for engaging groups in conversation: Practical considerations and an agenda for critical evaluation

Abstract

The World Café is a method for facilitating conversations that seek to engage groups in discussing important issues, aiming to generate insights in an egalitarian and welcoming environment. With roots in community action, it has recently been adopted as a method for gathering qualitative data. It can be treated as a data collection technique but is also deployed as part of interventions. However, because it has only recently been adopted for use in academic work, there has been as yet little evaluation of whether the World Café succeeds in its aims. In this paper, we introduce the method and discuss its application while identifying critiques and recommendations for realist evaluations of the World Café.