One Campus: Many
Perspectives
Uniting and Engaging
Student Leaders through
Powerful Conversations
Session Objectives
1. Describe the World Café as a leadership learning tool
2. Highlight Virginia Tech’s Stepping Into Leadership
Conference as an example of using a World Café
3. Demonstrate World Café techniques for practical
application
Key Concepts
• Learning is a relational, social
process
• Conversation and interaction leads
to new meanings, interpersonal skills,
and identity development
•Increases capacity to practice
effective citizenship (Baxter-Magolda, 2004)
• Increases capacity for leadership
The World Café
A simple, effective, and flexible format for facilitating group
dialogue that is designed around the following design principles:
1. Creating a Hospitable Environment
2. Clarify Purpose and Set Context
3. Explore Questions That Matter
4. Engage in Small Group Conversation (Multiple Rounds)
5. Collect and Share Insights and Results
6. Connect Diverse Perspectives
Stepping Into Leadership Conference
Uniting Student Leaders
Residential Leadership Community
Student Centers and Activities
Goals for these Student Leaders
•Engage in meaningful conversation around knowledge
and experiences
•Learn from leaders in various communities
•Synthesize and apply concepts from the conference
concepts to their lives
Let’s try it out …
Topic: Using a world café strategy in your own learning
environment/contexts
Round 1
•What are some topics or
contexts in which you could use
a world café?
•How do you see yourself using
the world café?
•Why do you think the world
café would be effective?
Topic: Using a world café strategy in your own learning
environment/contexts
Round 2
•What are some key learning
considerations for you and your
context as you seek to use this
strategy?
•What would help you be
successful? What could be a
challenge?
•What value does a world café
bring to your learning context?
Final Round/Reflection
If there was a single voice in the room, what would it be saying?
What deeper questions are emerging as a result of this
conversation?
Do we notice any patterns and what do those patterns point to,
how do they inform us?
What do we now see and know (or plan to do) as a result of
these conversations?
World Café Resources
World Cafe images in this presentation are sourced from The
World Cafe Community Foundation (http://www.theworldcafe.com/tools.html)
and used by permission.
For more information about the World Cafe and to access their
numerous resources including a large international community,
visit their website at http://www.theworldcafe.com.
References
•Baxter Magolda, M. B. (2004). Self-authorship as the common
goal of 21st century education. In M. B. Baxter Magolda and P.
M. King (Eds.), Learning partnerships: Theory and models of
practice to educate for self-authorship (pp. 1-35). Sterling, VA:
Stylus.
•Brown, J., Isaacs, D., & Associates (2005). The world cafe:
Shaping our futures through conversations that matter. San
Francisco: Berrett-Koehler Publishers.
•Komives, S. R., Owen, J. E., Longerbeam, S. D., Mainella, F. C., &
Osteen, L. (2005). Developing a leadership identity: A Grounded
theory. Journal of College Student Development, 46(4), 593-611.
DOI: 10.1353/csd.2005.0061