12 Step How To...

1. Do some Homework
   • Cafescientifique.org has its own how-to list
   • Cafescientifique.ca lists people closer to home who can help you out
2. Pick your place
   • A setting that already attracts the people you want as your audience
   • Places with food, drink and seating work well
3. Pick your style and schedule
   • The fist Tuesday of the month or three times a year; there are many options
   • There are many styles-check the websites for ideas
4. Pick your topic
   • Theft is good! Be inspired by topics tried elsewhere
   • Pick a story from your local paper and create a café around it
   • Controversy creates conversation- look for topics with multiple viewpoints
5. Pick your people
   • If you don’t have a direct line to experts you’ll need to do cold-calls and e-mails. Create a template to work from.
   • Make it easy on yourself- start soliciting your experts early
   • Faculty of Universities list their interests on-line. Sruf their sites. It takes time but it works.
   • Don’t forget about industry and writers as a source of experts.
6. Mould your people into café participants
   • Discourage (or ban) Powerpoint!
   • Limit speaking time
   • Remind them:
     • It’s a discussion –not a lecture! Ask provocative question to engage the audience
     • It’s OK to go beyond your expertise to spark debate- you can preface your remarks with any disclaimer you wish
     • The audience may not agree with you
7. Get the word out
   • Create a poster. Hang it in the neighbourhood of your event.
   • Create an electronic version of your poster to spread the word online
   • Post online at cafescientifique.ca
   • Contact your local entertainment newspaper. They often have a system for posting local listings
   • Ask the host venue to promote the event
   • Create a sign to hang at your event so participants know who is hosting
8. Be ready for company
   • You don’t have to use the sound system but having one available is a good idea
   • Set the room up to encourage discussion- avoid arranging the chairs so they all face the speaker/expert
   • Encourage people to move in from the doorway to leave space for latecomers
9. Be ready to moderate
   • Many participants will want to speak. Encourage them to put their hands up and do your best to keep track of who is next
   • You may need to intervene to focus away from the experts and give the conversation back to the audience
10. Gather e-mail addresses
    • Word of mouth –biological or electronic- is a good thing; create a mailing list and send our your poster
    • Create a dedicated e-mail address for your event and post it on all your materials so people can contact you later to join the list or ask questions
11. Listen-up
    • Invite feedback and suggestions for topics via a feedback form, discussions after the event or your official e-mail address
12. Enjoy