The Conversation Cafés arose from the questions, "How can we create a culture of conversation? What is the minimum set of conditions that will allow strangers in public places shift from 'small talk to BIG TALK?'" and from the believe that conversation is an antidote to loneliness and social isolation, that it's democracy in action and that it could counteract the dumbing down of America.

In July 2001, Susan Partnow, Habib Rose and Vicki Robin began hosting weekly conversations in cafés to experiment with variations of this theme. Over the summer they developed the basic process and agreements and some of the outreach strategies that form the backbone of the Conversation Cafés. Flushed with their small success, Susan and Vicki and two other inveterate conversationalists met to wonder together how they might expand the experiment citywide - nay! nationwide. Then September 11 hit, and within a week they were grabbed with the passion to spread the Cafés throughout Seattle as a way to process this event and respond thoughtfully as citizens.

Make it a Meme
Richard Dawkins coined the term 'meme' to mean a cultural gene - a bit of information that self-replicates through a culture. A whole field of viral marketing has arisen from this idea - an effort to create ideas that spread through word of mouth with little input from the originator. The initial core team sought to make Conversation Cafés memetic so designed them to be fun, simple, clear and inviting.

Trick or Treat
The "look and feel" - tone, visuals, language - invoked a "trick or treat" feel - a combination of risky yet safe. Talking to strangers is certainly risky - Conversation Cafés make that safe. The taboos against talking with folks you don't know are major - they might hurt you, reject you, ridicule you or follow you home. At Conversation Cafés you are safe because there's a host who will be friendly, manage the weirdos, keep things going. You don't have to speak, but you'll get a turn to speak. And our promise to everyone: "No committees will be formed." You will not end up with a "to-do" list or further commitments. Many interesting people can't afford one more thing to do - but they would love a weekly conversational oasis.

Mottos and Sound Bites
They have lots of mottos; Some are: We are the talk show! Mama was wrong - talk to strangers! Tired of small talk, try some big talk Conversation - soul food for hungry minds; or Think globally - talk locally...

Hosts
If people are going to sit down at a table with strangers, there has to be a seed person, someone who is warm, welcoming, and gets the ball rolling. Hosts don't have to have facilitation skills - they just have to run the process, watch for drift outside the agreements and end on time. A Conversation Café is like a dinner party where the host just wants the guests to all enjoy themselves.Once trained, the hosts were invited to become part of the Host Learning Circle, a rich community of practice that meets about once a month to deepen our capacity to host, to build the initiative, to eat good food and have fun conversations.

Youth for a New World
Conversation Cafés are sponsored by the Youth For a New World, a non-profit educational and charitable organization that seeks to promote awareness, caring and action. They strengthen connection and compassion by linking youth through schools and other organizations in joint study and projects.

Some quotes:
"The Conversation Café project addresses the need to increase social intelligence, to build social capital and generate the social engagement so we can actually HAVE a wise democracy. I am doing this by building a network of Cafés where people can have weekly drop-in dialogues about the key inner and outer issues of our times.

"These Conversation Cafés are about free speech. Not as something that can be taken away in an era of repression, but as something one strengthens through self expression in the presence of those who do not agree. Free speech is our birthright. Repressive societies can change the consequences of speaking, but they do not govern our souls.

"I envision a culture of conversation — a culture where people talk freely — without fear or taboos — with friends and strangers alike. I once asked a Dane how Denmark had resisted the pressures of globalization. He said two words: study circles. Most Danes throughout their adult lives have the habit of conversation about things that matter in small groups.

(Vicki Robin, co-founder)

During the Conversation Café participants are not supposed to achieve an agreement, nor to drive to shared conclusions, organize the group to take action together or promote their projects or products. That gives them freedom - nothing to read before, to deliberate, to conclude, to do.

After what is called "the final round", however, people are free to exchange flyers for events, business cards, invitations or ideas for future actions that some might enjoy. None of this impacts the next Conversation Café, which will simply be another opportunity to freely explore themes around the times we are living through.