Initially the moderator calls for proposals for the theme. Two to five proposals are collected and may be combined or rephrased. A referendum is held with each person having two votes. The top two themes are announced and a further vote is taken. (This method is used in Berne's famous Philosophische Cafe.)
Members of the audience are invited to comment on the theme and to respond to the comments of others. The moderator may guide the discussion or summarize at various points.
At the end of the discussion, several problem or questions may be defined- These should be solved or answered during the second half of the meeting, and groups will be formed to work on them.
During the dinner break, discussions continue in the working groups. The aim is to prepare a solution which will then be presented by the group during the second half of the meeting.
After the presentations, there will be a summary and evaluation session. Constructive evaluations of both presentation technique and English usage will be made according to Toastmasters principles.
Format: Half discussion, half problem solving and presentation
A light dinner will be served at 2000.
Discussion Theme: proposed and voted on at each meeting
Dates:
Time: 19:00-21:30
Location: Rest. Galaxy
Fee: 20.- plus your dinner, or 100.- for 6 meetings
Moderator: experienced communicators and workshop leaders
Web page: swissenglish/cafe
Mailing list: swissenglish-c
Registration by email
The cafe is announced in advance in the mailing list and a report on
it may be posted following the event.
| 1900 | Welcome, introductions to participants, the programme |
| 1910 | Any language or communication problems may be brought up |
| 1920 | Selection of a theme, and moderated discussion |
| 1950 | Summary, definition of a problem, and building workgroups |
| 2000 | Dinner break and discussion in workgroups |
| 2030 | Preparation of presentations |
| 2040 | Presentations by each workgroup |
| 2110 | Evaluations and summary |
| 2130 | Registration for next time |