Pro Action Café
Pro Action Café is a conversation format in which participants who bring a real project or question host a table, and the other participants rotate through three rounds to help them move from question to next steps. It combines the self-chosen topics of Open Space with the rotating table rounds of World Café. It was developed in Brussels by Rainer von Leoprechting and Ria Baeck, growing out of von Leoprechting's 'Pro Action' peer groups, and spread through the Art of Hosting community.
Facilitation script
- 1
Welcome, explain the flow and invite callers to step forward with a project or question. Fill the matrix, one caller per four participants.
15 min - 2
Callers take their tables, guests choose where to sit. Explain the guest role for the first round.
5 min - 3
Round 1: explore the question behind the question at each table.
30 min - 4
Guests change tables. Round 2: what is missing, and what would make the project more complete?
30 min - 5
Callers reflect alone on learning, next steps and help needed. Guests take a break.
20 min - 6
Guests choose a final table. Round 3: callers share their conclusions and ask for the help they still need.
30 min - 7
Closing circle: each caller names what they are grateful for and their next steps.
15 min
Tips
Brief guests on their role in each round, because the pull towards advice in round one is strong and it flattens the question before it has been understood.
Keep the ratio of one caller to three guests; if more people step forward than there are tables, let them agree among themselves who goes ahead.
Protect the callers' solo reflection, since that is when the two rounds of input turn into decisions.
Leave paper on the tables so each new group can see what the previous one found.
Common pitfalls
Guests giving solutions in round one; the caller ends up defending the original framing and the question never deepens
Accepting more callers than a quarter of the group, which leaves tables with one or two guests and thin conversations
Dropping the callers' solo reflection to save time; callers then go into round three with a pile of input and no request
Callers retelling the whole story at the start of each round, which uses up the time new guests need to contribute
Ending without the closing circle, so guests never hear what their contribution led to and commitments stay private
Variations
With eight to eleven people, run two tables and shorten the rounds to twenty minutes. For a shorter slot, cut the opening and closing circles to five minutes each and the rounds to twenty, which fits about ninety minutes but leaves little depth. Online, use one breakout room per caller with a shared board per room, and let guests move themselves between rooms. As a recurring evening format, as in its Brussels origins, the café can stand alone; inside a longer gathering it is usually placed near the end to turn ideas into action.
Where it fits
When to use it
A conference or retreat has produced many ideas and the last half-day should turn some of them into concrete next steps
A network or community of practice meets regularly and members want help with their own projects
Several people in the room own initiatives that would benefit from outside eyes, and the rest are willing to contribute
You want the depth of small-table conversation while several topics run in parallel
The projects are real and owned; each caller can act on what they hear
When not to use it
The whole group needs to work on one shared question; use World Café, where every table discusses the same question
People need to set a full agenda of many parallel sessions over a day or more; use Open Space Technology
You have under an hour or fewer than eight people, the minimum for two tables; Troika Consulting or Wise Crowds gives quick peer help with less setup
Nobody owns the topics, or topics are assigned from above; without a caller who cares about the outcome the rounds have nothing to work towards
The group needs a joint decision; the format produces individual next steps for each caller, not agreement across the room
Related methods
Frequently asked questions
What is Pro Action Café?▾
Pro Action Café is a format for creative, action-oriented conversation in which some participants bring a project or question and host a table, while the others move between tables over three rounds to help them. It blends Open Space, where people bring their own topics, with World Café, where people mix between rounds. It was developed in Brussels by Rainer von Leoprechting and Ria Baeck.
How many people do you need for a Pro Action Café?▾
Each table has one caller and three guests, so twelve people give you three tables and enough movement between rounds. There is no upper limit as long as the room holds the tables. The number of callers is always about a quarter of the group.
What are the three rounds about?▾
The first round digs into the question behind the caller's question. The second looks for what is missing from the picture. After a period of solo reflection by the callers, the third round is about next steps and the help the caller still needs.
How long does a Pro Action Café take?▾
Plan two to three hours. A common timing is three rounds of about thirty minutes, twenty minutes of solo reflection for callers, and fifteen minutes each for opening and closing, which comes to roughly two and a half hours.
How is Pro Action Café different from World Café?▾
In a World Café every table discusses the same question set by the hosts, and the harvest belongs to the whole group. In a Pro Action Café each table works on a different project brought by a participant, and the main result is that caller's clarity and next steps.
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Try it freeMethod descriptions on Workshop Weaver are original content written by our team, based on established facilitation practices. This method was inspired by work from Rainer von Leoprechting and Ria Baeck (Art of Hosting community).