World Cafe, Fish Bowl and Open Space

World Café, Fishbowl, and Open Space are three formats that make this possible at conferences. All the methods presented emphasize exchange rather than one-way presentations and break with rigid hierarchies of lectures. The motto: Good food – good conversations – good ideas. Everyone contributes, from the agenda to the day’s conclusion.

Breakout Session

In a breakout session, small groups (up to 10 people) of participants discuss specific aspects of the conference topic.

This often happens after a short keynote presentation or within a moderated workshop. The advantage: The manageable group size encourages active participation and makes it easier to speak up spontaneously. Therefore, breakout sessions are no longer limited to interactive formats. Even traditional conferences now reserve fixed time slots for parallel sessions.

Barcamp

Barcamps operate on a unique principle, and that’s what makes them so exciting. Unlike breakout sessions, which are often part of a traditional conference program, a barcamp turns the conference itself on its head. It’s no wonder it’s often called an unconference.

The idea originally comes from the IT sector. There, people would meet for a weekend, sleep in tents (hence the term “camp”), and exchange ideas on current issues in an open atmosphere. The unique aspect: the agenda doesn’t exist beforehand. It’s created on-site.
All participants suggest topics at the beginning, and anyone who wants to can moderate a session themselves.
The result: maximum participation, relevant content, and tangible results.

Open Space

Coffee breaks sometimes generate more useful ideas than the regular program. That’s the principle behind Open Space. This conference format fosters creative solutions because it requires diverse perspectives and avoids easy answers.

Unlike the informal Barcamp, Open Space offers a clearer basic structure while still leaving responsibility to the participants.

How does the Open Space method work?
At the beginning, everyone sits in a circle. If there are more than 50 participants, they form concentric circles so everyone can see each other.

After a brief introduction, things get more concrete and the market phase begins.
Anyone who wants to contribute a topic goes to the center of the circle, briefly presents it, and posts it on the document board. This is a kind of pinboard and the central planning tool for the event.

From this moment on, everything organizes itself.
Groups form spontaneously around the suggested topics. Anyone who wants to participate signs up, finds a location, chooses a time, and gets started. Anyone who realizes they have nothing (more) to contribute joins another group.

There are breaks, but not according to a schedule.
Each group decides for itself when and how it works and when it wants to take a break. Every day, each group summarizes its results, ideas, and decisions. The documentation is then posted on the wall for everyone to see.

Finally, the participants receive complete documentation of the results of all groups and jointly develop corresponding action steps and common agreements.

World Café

A good conversation can change a lot. That’s why dialogue is central to the World Café format. It’s characterized by a coffeehouse atmosphere and is open, inspiring, and flexible.

At this point, we would like to quote Patricia Munro, Executive Board Member of World Café Europe: “At the heart of the World Café dialogue process are inspiring questions, unconditional listening, and intensive conversations. During successive rounds of discussion, participants rotate seats several times, so the table composition is constantly changing, and ideas and perspectives are passed on. In this way, the group’s understanding gains new dimensions, and new viewpoints open for each participant. From this movement of people and ideas, a collective creativity emerges, a kind of shared force field. New possibilities are explored, innovative approaches appear, and ideas are born. This generates and fosters the intrinsic motivation to put new thoughts into action.”

The format is therefore based on the principle: people start talking, ideas get moving. This creates a network of perspectives and a shared reflection process.

The World Café method works because it’s so simple. All it takes to explore topics together is a clear process, a relaxed atmosphere, and insightful questions.

Here you can experience a World Café in action:

Fishbowl

Listening or participating in the discussion is possible at any time.
The Fishbowl method uses two circles of chairs: the outer circle is for listeners, and the inner circle is for those discussing.

Anyone wishing to contribute to the discussion should change seats.
They can either sit in an empty chair in the inner circle or stand behind the chair of the person who is currently speaking. The person speaking may finish their thought but then yields the seat to the person who wants to speak.

This creates movement. The method works in a regulating way, entirely without moderation: Talkative people automatically take a step back, and new perspectives are given space. Thus, it’s not the loudest, the “talkative,” or the “self-important” who speak, but those who truly have something to say. This makes the Fishbowl method particularly effective with controversial topics or when it comes to making the diversity of opinions visible.

Conclusion: Real alternatives to traditional conference formats

Alternatives to traditional conference formats are no longer exotic. They are increasingly becoming established even at scientific conferences, where previously slides dominated and discussions often failed due to time constraints.
What all the presented methods have in common is that they get participants out of the passive role of listener. They promote exchange, open opportunities for action, and thus create productive energy and real results.
Whether World Café, Barcamp, or Fishbowl: these formats make the group’s knowledge visible, motivate implementation, and often generate more than just a good conversation. They provide impetus that extends far beyond the conference.

The advantages of these methods are obvious:

• The joint discussion is encouraged
• All participants act responsibly and are truly engaged.
• Action plans are developed and agreed upon. Ideally, this fosters a sense of personal responsibility and a proactive approach, which then impacts the entire daily work routine.

Our thanks go to

www.worldcafe.eu
For explanations about the World Café and the image for this post.

www.boscop.org
Here you will find brilliant explanations as well as numerous examples & templates.