Conversation Cafe: A World Dialogue Relay

This template has been designed for hosts planning a World Dialogue Relay event for UN75 on 24 October 2020.

This Conversation Cafe agenda includes a series of step-by-step elements that will help you guide a group through a structured discussion. This template has been developed by the team at X360 for open use drawing on the UN75 Toolkit and the UNA-USA resources. It is available for use by Connected Conversations dialogue hosts and facilitators everywhere

The agenda elements are designed to be delivered over 2 hours, however, please feel free to adapt this based on the size of your group, and your own facilitation and hosting style. You can even adjust the Conversation Cafe format for your own events and needs!

Before your session

1. Review the hosting and facilitation guide at https://connversations.x360.co/relay/
   
2. Register your session on the IdeaSphere at https://ideasphere.x360.co/add-listing/
3. Encourage participants to take the UN75 survey in advance, to get the conversation going in their minds and online: www.un.org/UN75
   
4. Designate a note-taker to capture the key points from your dialogue

Capturing feedback

We will provide you with a link to an online feedback form in a format provided by #UN75 to capture your group's conversation. This form will include the following details:

1. Main topics covered (from the UN themes + any others)
2. Dialogue type (online or in-person)
3. Country where the dialogue was hosted
4. The top 1-3 ideas for each topic discussed and/or a summary in max 750 characters
5. Nationality of participants
6. Education level of most participants
7. Occupation of most participants

You can choose to complete this feedback process during your session as a group, or summarise notes for submission after the session.

Tips for hosting the session

The facilitator plays a crucial role in these conversations. Some broad guiding principles include:

• Communicate clearly on why the dialogues are taking place, and where the discussion will go
• Respect and facilitate the sharing of different perspectives
• Constructively address conflicting positions and power imbalances
• Adapt to local needs
• Ensure some element of recording and feedback (an online feedback form will be provided)

Tips for running the session online

• Choose a video conferencing tool to host the your group conversation - Zoom, Google Hangouts, Adobe Connect or whatever tool your group prefers is most familiar with is your best bet.
• If facilitating with very large groups, use breakout rooms to help facilitate productive conversations in smaller groups before bringing them back into the main room.

• You might want to posit your questions alongside visual resources and collect feedback and notes using an online whiteboard tool. This is great for creating a resource people can revisit after the session. But don't forget that you'll need to share a summary of the group discussion via the online feedback form provided.

• When facilitating group discussion, we’d recommend that participants use non-verbal means to indicate they’d like to speak. You can use tools like Zoom’s nonverbal feedback tools, a reaction emoji, or just have people put their hands up. The facilitator can then invite that person to speak.

• Use an online engagement tool such as Mentimeter or Poll Anywhere to get quick feedback at the start of each conversation point, or where it feels appropriate.

Need help?

Don't hesitate to reach out to the X360 convening team if you need assistance or you have any questions. You are also invited to join the online collaboration space for the World Relay at https://ideaspace.x360.co.