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Lean Coffee is a structured, but agenda-less meeting format that allows participants to gather, build an agenda, and begin talking. The conversations are directed and productive because the agenda for the meeting was democratically generated.
This approach has been widely adopted in Agile and Lean communities for its simplicity and effectiveness in facilitating group discussions, especially when participants have varying levels of knowledge and interest.
What is Lean Coffee?
Lean Coffee was conceived as a way to facilitate conversations without the need for a predetermined agenda. It enables participants to surface topics they are interested in discussing, vote on them, and engage in time-boxed discussions. Originally developed within the Lean and Agile communities, Lean Coffee has gained popularity across various industries for team meetings, learning groups, and even networking events.
How does Lean Coffee work?
The beauty of Lean Coffee lies in its simplicity and adaptability. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how it typically works:
Set Up: Gather participants around a table or a virtual meeting space. Provide sticky notes and pens for in-person meetings, or use an online tool that allows for collaborative note-taking and voting for virtual sessions.
Generate Topics: Participants write down topics they’d like to discuss on sticky notes (one topic per note) and stick them on a wall or table. In a virtual setting, participants can list their topics in the shared tool.
Pitch & Vote: Each participant briefly pitches their topics to the group. Following the pitches, everyone votes on the topics they find most interesting or relevant. Typically, each person gets two or three votes, but this can be adjusted based on the group size and the number of topics.
Build the Agenda & Discuss: The topics with the most votes get prioritized on the agenda. Discussions begin with the highest-voted topic. Each topic is discussed for a time-boxed period, usually 5 to 10 minutes. A timer is set to ensure discussions stay on track.
Closing Discussions & Takeaways: After the time is up for a topic, the group decides whether to continue discussing the current topic, move on to the next one, or close the meeting. This process encourages concise, focused discussions and ensures that the meeting remains democratic and participant-driven.
Benefits of Lean Coffee
Lean Coffee meetings are highly effective for several reasons:
Democratic: Everyone has an equal opportunity to contribute topics and vote, making the meetings more inclusive and engaging.
Efficient: Time-boxing discussions keeps the meeting on track and ensures that multiple topics can be covered in a short period.
Flexible: This format can be adapted for various purposes, from team retrospectives to strategy planning sessions.
Participant-driven: The agenda is created by the participants, for the participants, making the discussions more relevant and engaging.
Lean Coffee is a powerful tool for facilitating effective and engaging meetings. By allowing participants to dictate the agenda, it ensures that discussions are relevant and time is used efficiently. Whether you’re looking to improve your team meetings, brainstorm ideas, or simply connect with others in your field, Lean Coffee provides a structured yet flexible framework for meaningful conversations.