Run the conversation
Lean Coffee
A meeting with no fixed agenda: people propose topics, vote, and discuss them in order in short time-boxes.
- Time45 to 60 minutes
- People3 to 12 people
- Steps4
What it's for
Lean Coffee builds the agenda from the people in the room. Topics are voted in, each gets a short time-box, and the group votes to carry on or move to the next one. Nobody sits through a topic that doesn't matter to them, and the quiet person's topic gets the same chance as the loud one's.
It works for community meetups, team syncs and any session where the right topics aren't known in advance.
How to run it
Propose topics5 min
Everyone writes topics, one per note.
Vote3 min2 votes each
Vote on the topics you most want to talk about.
Discuss in order40 min
Move the top topic to Discussing and set a timer. When it runs out, thumbs up to continue, or move on.
Capture outcomes5 min
Move finished topics to Discussed with any decision or action.
Tips
- Five to eight minutes a topic is plenty. Extend once by a few minutes, then move on.
- Write the outcome on the topic when it's done, even if the outcome is "no decision".
Where it comes from
Started by Jim Benson and Jeremy Lightsmith in Seattle in 2009 as a format for meetups without speakers.
Pairs well with
Dot voting
Everyone gets a few votes to place on the options they prefer, which shows where the group leans in a couple of minutes.
1-2-4-All
Think alone, then in pairs, then in fours, then as a whole group, so every voice shapes the answer before the room converges.
Check-in round
Everyone says how they are arriving before the work starts, so the room knows who is tired, distracted or keen.