OS Coffee promotes open-ended discussions without seeking solutions.
Establishing running rules for OS Coffee maintains a constructive and inclusive environment.
Deep dives
The Introduction of OS Coffee in the Podcast
The episode introduces the concept of OS Coffee, a unique meeting structure that encourages open and generative discussions about topics related to the operating system. OS Coffee provides a space for exploring various subjects within a shared context, where the container is clear, but the contents emerge. The format allows for informal and dynamic conversations, distinct from traditional work meetings.
Key Elements of OS Coffee Structure
OS Coffee meetings involve participants freely joining and leaving discussions, emphasizing voluntary participation. The format promotes open-ended and exploratory conversations, steering away from seeking solutions or making decisions. Facilitators play a vital role in guiding the discussion, collecting topics, maintaining time boundaries, and ensuring a focus on shared contexts rather than individual names or emotions.
Establishing Running Rules for OS Coffee
It is essential to establish running rules for OS Coffee to maintain a constructive and inclusive environment. Rules such as 'What happens in OS Coffee stays in OS Coffee,' 'Be yes-and in conversations,' 'Focus on topics, not individuals,' 'Stay above the line emotionally,' and 'Allow participants to come and go as they please' help cultivate a respectful and engaging discussion space.
Encouraging Active Participation and Equitable Talk Time
Encouraging step-up, step-back dynamics and utilizing the stack method in discussions facilitate active participation and ensure equitable talk time. The stack method enables participants to queue up to share their thoughts and ensures a balanced opportunity for everyone to contribute. This approach fosters a more inclusive and attentive environment, allowing individuals to be present in conversations and engage meaningfully.
What exactly is OS coffee? It’s a specific meeting structure we use to explore topics related to our operating system (a.k.a. our OS). But OS coffee isn’t meant to be a formal, note-taking, let’s-finally-get-to-agreement-on-X kind of deal; rather, it’s about making space for different subjects to emerge and to do some shared sensemaking. In fact, it’s so casual that it’s less like a meeting and more like a gathering.
In this caffeinated episode of Brave New Work, Aaron Dignan and Rodney Evans break down how to OS coffee, including:
How to keep OS coffee conversations informal yet impactful
How to ground the gathering in a “Yes, and…” headspace
How to stand one up inside your own system without it feeling like mandatory fun
How to use default agreements to create new group norms