The Solution Focus Cafe

Petra Mueller-Demary & Jesper Hankovszky Christiansen

Introduced by John Brooker

I first noted the generosity of Solution Focus(SF) practitioners in organisations when I began to meet them 20 years ago. Their willingness to share their knowledge, experience, and materials is, if not legendary, quite remarkable. And it is infectious, too, infecting many new practitioners, all keen to share. This video and the accompanying materials are a perfect example.

Petra Müller-Demary and Ian Peatey developed the SF Cafe framework in Rumania, and Jesper Christiansen turned it into an online format. It is now used in many countries. It aims to introduce people to solution-focused conversations in a relaxed environment, using random SF questions. While the questions help people think, there is no pressure to reveal sensitive information. As such, it provides an excellent way to build interactions, develop relationships, and perhaps help people resolve problems.

In the video, Jesper and Petra demonstrate hosting an online version of the SF Cafe and what happens in a conversation. They also share their materials for the SF Cafe, both the virtual and the “over a coffee” version, so that you can freely host your SF Cafe with organisations, family, and friends. You can find the “over a coffee” version below along with a PDF of slides that contain links to other materials.

The framework is:

SIMPLE; as you would expect of SF, the instructions lead you step by step from start to finish, though you will need a little practice to make it your own. For participants, it is also made as simple as possible (but no simpler).

ELEGANT; it develops the Cafe metaphor, using a ‘meal’ of three courses to help people understand where they are in the process.

PRACTICAL; participants can obtain helpful insights with the questioner requiring no knowledge about the problem or the ‘right’ question to ask.

SOCIABLE; from my experience, it can help build relationships, even for people who struggle with interactions.

As Petra says, “The SF Cafe gives people the experience of the magic that can happen if we give people time and space to think and change their perspective to what is wanted.”

I encourage you to invest thirty minutes to watch this video, and if interested to read the materials and host your own SF Cafe. I leave you to choose the best tea or coffee to serve at the table.

Solution Cafe facilitator’s manual &

Solution Cafe slides

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