On Tuesday 13 September, at the RSA in central London, I will be running a 1-day workshop on Implementing Knowledge Cafes for business purpose.
I have run dozens of these workshops around the world these last few years, most recently in Edinburgh and Copenhagen and have always had tremendous positive feedback.
Don't think for one minute that Knowledge Cafes are about idle chit-chat. They can and should be applied to a good business purpose. Here are some examples of how they can be used.
turn a traditional chalk and talk, death by PowerPoint presentation or meeting into an engaging learning event
transform an internal conference from a series of boring lectures into an exciting day
transform traditional management training courses where younger managers learn from more experienced ones
as a powerful sales tool to engage customers in conversation and thus better understand their needs for and them to better understand your product or service
surface hidden problems and opportunities that exist in the organisation or in a department or project - especially ones caused by lack of communication
break down organizational silos
encourage knowledge sharing and the creation of a knowledge sharing culture
give people a voice so that they feel heard and are thus less cynical and more engaged in their work
bring managers and technologists together after a merger to build relationships, surface new opportunities and address cultural issues
build and improve relationships
improve business networking and make new connections
solicit input and obtain buy-in for a new project or initiative
as part or replacement for a paper survey or interview (the problem is that until people talk - their knowledge fails to surface)
as a stimulus to innovation: Knowledge Cafes connect people to people; people to ideas and ideas to ideas; they challenge people to reflect on their thinking; surface new ideas and make new connections
The day is not just about the Cafe either - we take a look at the whole role of conversation in business. After all, conversation is not only a powerful learning technology, it is the best KM tool we have at our disposal.
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