Method guide · Work with a structured grid
Rotating Table Dialogue Planning
Use to align a rotating-table dialogue’s purpose, questions, access, records and safety arrangements before considering it ready to run.
- People
- 3–12
- Base procedure time
- 60 minutes
- Recording
- Shared record
Purpose: Make a decision; Explore through dialogue.
English guide
Text acceptance is not approval of this rendered page, its media, or publication.
How this method works
Plan rotating-table dialogue by aligning purpose, question, participation options, records and safety on one sheet. Define why the event is held, who it is for and how its outputs will be used afterwards, then compare questions with different focuses. Alongside the number of tables and three rounds, design stationary participation, dictation, drawing, interpreting and passing. Decide record content, readers, disclosure scope, retention deadline and handover beforehand. Do not treat a plan as feasible while the organiser, safety lead, consultation route or venue barriers remain unresolved. This is an independent adaptation of material published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, without reproducing its planning template. The planning notes do not replace facility decisions, organisational rules or professional safety judgement.
Phase schedule
Minutes are cumulative from the start of the base plan, not a live timer. Read scaling for any additional time. Phase controls do not advance automatically.
Use the arrow keys, Home or End while these controls have focus. The complete phase schedule remains below, including without JavaScript.
- Redefine purpose, participants and use0–10 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Define. Participation: Groups of 2–4.
Shared record
- Compare differently focused questions10–25 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Compare. Participation: Groups of 2–4.
Shared record
- Arrange tables, rotation and stationary participation25–40 minutes from the start (15 minutes)
Action: Arrange. Participation: Groups of 2–4.
Shared record
- Bound recording, disclosure and handover40–50 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Bound. Participation: Groups of 2–4.
Shared record
- Hold plans with safety or access gaps50–60 minutes from the start (10 minutes)
Action: Hold. Participation: Groups of 2–4.
Shared record
Facilitation steps
- For 10 minutes, write the event purpose, intended participants, later use and organiser on the original planning form.
- For 15 minutes, compare up to three question candidates with different focuses and response approaches, then select one provisionally.
- For 15 minutes, design tables of 4–6, three rounds, and stationary, dictated, drawn, interpreted and pass participation options.
- For 10 minutes, decide what remains on table sheets, who may read it, disclosure scope, retention deadline and handover after the event.
- For 10 minutes, check the safety lead, consultation route and venue barriers. Do not approve the event if anything is missing.
If something changes
If
At the 20-minute point from the start, the purpose, intended participants or later use is still undecided.
Then
Do not decide the question or table layout. Record an owner and deadline for checking the undecided items in the planning notes.
If
At least one intended participant lacks a participation method addressing movement, hearing, vision, language or reading/writing.
Then
Do not treat the design as feasible. Specify alternatives such as stationary participation, dictation, drawing, interpreting or an assistant.
If
Even one of organiser, safety lead, record readers or post-event consultation route is undecided.
Then
Do not approve the event. Hold the plan until roles, contact methods and handover scope are decided.
Preparation
Materials
- One blank form per group for purpose, intended participants, question, participation options, records, use and responsible people
- One venue-condition and participation-barrier checklist per group
- Role, contact-method and handover-scope cards: one per role
- Broad-tip pens: 2 per group
Room and setup
- Use an original blank form that does not reproduce the official guide’s template, and first record the event purpose, intended participants and disclosure scope.
Adjust for people and time
For 3–4 people, plan as one group. For 5–12 people, distribute people into groups of 2–4 differing by no more than one person, creating plans for different intended-participant conditions. Do not combine plans until each has its purpose, question, participation options, records and safety lead in place. For 13 or more people, use separate sessions.
Safety and non-applicable situations
Do not mark a plan feasible or approve an event while organiser, safety, consultation, access or record arrangements are unresolved. Provide concrete alternatives for participation barriers. Do not reproduce the source planning template or substitute planning notes for facility decisions, organisational rules or professional safety judgement.
Manuscript's recorded references
These translate the original manuscript's source and rights claims. They remain separate from any current-page notice below; they do not establish new verification.
- Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology: Gender Equality World Cafe Practice Guide, PDF part 1 Planning a World Cafe
https://www.mext.go.jp/a_menu/ikusei/kyoudou/detail/1367502.htm
CC-BY-2.1-JP adaptation; changes made
- Conditions applying to CC-BY-2.1-JP
https://www.mext.go.jp/b_menu/1351168.htm
CC-BY-2.1-JP
Diagram, print, and video language
Original Japanese guide, diagram, and print view. Their labels and print text have not been translated; an English print edition is not provided here.
English video-library navigation. Original Japanese audio, subtitles and transcripts remain labelled Japanese resources. Their translations are separate later work. No remote player is embedded here.
The manual English phase controls are a navigation aid, not a live facilitation timer. Interactive diagram motion remains pending.
Editorial provenance
Japanese source status and logs are provenance only. They do not mean this English text or interface was field-tested. Historical fixed-text acceptance and hold records remain specific to their recorded versions; displaying them neither asserts current acceptance nor resolves source-specific restrictions.