{"id":14026,"date":"2025-08-03T16:49:05","date_gmt":"2025-08-03T23:49:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/?p=14026"},"modified":"2025-08-03T16:49:07","modified_gmt":"2025-08-03T23:49:07","slug":"world-cafe-in-south-africa-a-memory","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/world-cafe-in-south-africa-a-memory\/","title":{"rendered":"World Cafe in South Africa: A Memory"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

This story comes from the acclaimed author Alan Briskin<\/a>, as a contribution to the World Cafe’s 30th Anniversary:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Shortly after my book The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace<\/em> was released in paperback (1998), I received a phone call I initially thought might be a prank.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is Kim. I\u2019m calling from Investec, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wary, I offered a cautious \u201cYes,\u201d and asked what this was about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re hosting a global gathering of our investment professionals this summer. We\u2019d like you to give the keynote\u2014on how one sustains the soul, both individually and organizationally.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I hesitated. On the surface, I declined for scheduling reasons. But the truth ran deeper: I was afraid. I\u2019d never given a formal keynote before\u2014certainly not to a room of global executives convening in South Africa. And the question itself scared me. Sustain the soul?<\/em> I was a consultant and a reluctant author, not a performer\u2014and certainly not someone who could tell others how to sustain their souls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kim went on to explain that when she called her counterpart in London, she opened by saying she had found a book\u2014and an author\u2014she thought would be perfect for the event. Her colleague responded, \u201cSo have I.\u201d They had both chosen me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She encouraged me to reconsider.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While I wasn\u2019t sure a keynote alone could carry the spirit of my book, I did believe something meaningful could emerge if the participants were truly engaged\u2014if they could explore the question together<\/em>. That led me to call David Isaacs, whom I knew through mutual colleagues. I asked if he would walk me through how to host a World Caf\u00e9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With warmth and clarity, David described not just the logistics but the soul<\/em> of the Caf\u00e9 itself\u2014the spirit of collective inquiry, the importance of asking the right questions, and the tone of invitation. He emphasized the power of simply listening: that even in the uncertainty of not knowing where a conversation will go, something generative and unexpected can emerge\u2014if we trust the process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That was the turning point for me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I still wasn\u2019t sure how my talk would land, but I knew the World Caf\u00e9 experience would be meaningful for those who participated. And so, that\u2019s how\u2014at least to my knowledge\u2014the first World Caf\u00e9 came to South Africa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Recently, as I was reflecting on this memory, I found my notes from the talk I eventually gave. Reading them now, they hold even more resonance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You see, my understanding of soul has always involved contradiction\u2014our highest selves alongside our basest instincts. Both exist in us. And to hold them requires great faith in the deeper wisdom of the heart. A faith I don\u2019t always have.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Caf\u00e9, I believe, is a safe container\u2014one that can hold our contradictions, our complexity, and our longing to be whole. It offers a chance to speak from the heart, in community, in inquiry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alan Briskin, author and co-author of The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace<\/em>, Centered On The Edge<\/em>, The Power of Collective Wisdom<\/em>, and the upcoming Space Is Not Empty<\/em>: How Hidden Fields Are Shaping Your Life and Our World<\/em>, with Mary V. Gelinas<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This story comes from the acclaimed author Alan Briskin, as a contribution to the World Cafe’s 30th Anniversary: Shortly after my book The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace was […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"\n[et_pb_section][et_pb_row][et_pb_column type=\"4_4\"][et_pb_text]\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\nThis story comes from the acclaimed author Alan Briskin<\/a>, as a contribution to the World Cafe's 30th Anniversary:\n\n\n\n\nShortly after my book The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace<\/em> was released in paperback (1998), I received a phone call I initially thought might be a prank.\n\n\n\n\u201cThis is Kim. I\u2019m calling from Investec, based in Johannesburg, South Africa.\u201d\n\n\n\nWary, I offered a cautious \u201cYes,\u201d and asked what this was about.\n\n\n\n\u201cWe\u2019re hosting a global gathering of our investment professionals this summer. We\u2019d like you to give the keynote\u2014on how one sustains the soul, both individually and organizationally.\u201d\n\n\n\nI hesitated. On the surface, I declined for scheduling reasons. But the truth ran deeper: I was afraid. I\u2019d never given a formal keynote before\u2014certainly not to a room of global executives convening in South Africa. And the question itself scared me. Sustain the soul?<\/em> I was a consultant and a reluctant author, not a performer\u2014and certainly not someone who could tell others how to sustain their souls.\n\n\n\n\n\nKim went on to explain that when she called her counterpart in London, she opened by saying she had found a book\u2014and an author\u2014she thought would be perfect for the event. Her colleague responded, \u201cSo have I.\u201d They had both chosen me.\n\n\n\nShe encouraged me to reconsider.\n\n\n\nWhile I wasn\u2019t sure a keynote alone could carry the spirit of my book, I did believe something meaningful could emerge if the participants were truly engaged\u2014if they could explore the question together<\/em>. That led me to call David Isaacs, whom I knew through mutual colleagues. I asked if he would walk me through how to host a World Caf\u00e9.\n\n\n\nWith warmth and clarity, David described not just the logistics but the soul<\/em> of the Caf\u00e9 itself\u2014the spirit of collective inquiry, the importance of asking the right questions, and the tone of invitation. He emphasized the power of simply listening: that even in the uncertainty of not knowing where a conversation will go, something generative and unexpected can emerge\u2014if we trust the process.\n\n\n\nThat was the turning point for me.\n\n\n\nI still wasn\u2019t sure how my talk would land, but I knew the World Caf\u00e9 experience would be meaningful for those who participated. And so, that\u2019s how\u2014at least to my knowledge\u2014the first World Caf\u00e9 came to South Africa.\n\n\n\nRecently, as I was reflecting on this memory, I found my notes from the talk I eventually gave. Reading them now, they hold even more resonance.\n\n\n\n\nYou see, my understanding of soul has always involved contradiction\u2014our highest selves alongside our basest instincts. Both exist in us. And to hold them requires great faith in the deeper wisdom of the heart. A faith I don\u2019t always have.\n\n\n\nBut the Caf\u00e9, I believe, is a safe container\u2014one that can hold our contradictions, our complexity, and our longing to be whole. It offers a chance to speak from the heart, in community, in inquiry.\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\nAlan Briskin, author and co-author of The Stirring of Soul in the Workplace<\/em>, Centered On The Edge<\/em>, The Power of Collective Wisdom<\/em>, and the upcoming Space Is Not Empty<\/em>: How Hidden Fields Are Shaping Your Life and Our World<\/em>, with Mary V. Gelinas\n\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]\n","_et_gb_content_width":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1137,4],"tags":[862,62,1139,1138,50],"class_list":["post-14026","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-30th-anniversary-stories","category-africa","tag-alan-briskin","tag-hosting","tag-south-africa","tag-stirring-of-soul-in-the-marketplace","tag-world-cafe"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p6sDis-3Ee","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14026","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14026"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14026\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14047,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14026\/revisions\/14047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14026"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14026"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theworldcafe.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14026"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}