Venti SE

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I was immediately drawn to Street Epistemology in mid-2016 when I discovered it. The non-confrontational, methodical, friendly approach, I thought, would allow me to have interesting and effective conversations with anyone, about anything. I was correct.

First using the method online in text chats, and later organically in conversations (and with a few Jehovah's Witnesses!), I began desiring “real” SE interviews. Partially inspired by the Free Intelligent Conversation movement, I decided to set up regularly at my local coffee shop. As of this writing, I’ve done more than 20 interviews on topics such as God, Karma, nurture vs. nature, the existence of alien life, prayer, immigration, male circumcision and more.

The purpose of this blog post is to teach the reader how to do SE successfully in a coffee shop. For many people, coffee shops are close-by and accessible year-round. Below, I’ve outlined what I’ve learned, which I hope will inspire many others to do coffee shop SE.

My preferred location is a coffee shop, in this case a Starbucks, but a casual restaurant (in the United States think Panera Bread) also works well. Both of these establishments are amenable to people camping out for hours on end while working. It is good form to also be a paying patron.

The Essentials

The bare minimum for SE is: a sign, a notepad, a pen, and a friendly disposition.

Following is a complete list of what I bring. Keep in mind, I’m camping at these locations primarily to work, doing SE only as a hobby to break up the day. I bring a backpack, laptop, phone charger, light jacket (these places often crank up the A/C), Tic Tacs, gum, and business cards.

I try to wear a colorful shirt to stand out and in general look professional and approachable. Not to be captain obvious, but don’t wear a ball cap with a hoodie tightly drawn around your face and sunglasses. Also, don’t try too hard; people will think you are trying to sell them something.

The Method

I scout out a 2-person table where my sign will be visible to people entering and leaving. The high-top tables at Starbucks don’t work well, as people often sit across from you and wouldn’t give a prospective conversation partner a place to sit. Also, I don’t hog the large round tables.

I keep my radar on. If I spot someone reading my sign, I’ll smile, wave, and point to the sign. They will usually come over out of curiosity. Even a 30 second exchange when the person doesn’t have time for an SE interview might brighten someone’s day. “That’s really cool what you are doing”, “Maybe next time”, or “We could use more intelligent conversation” are just some of the comments I frequently get from would-be interlocutors.

Bringing the backpack helps me keep a clean, clutter free table. My table has the sign and my laptop, that’s all. I’ll pull my notepad out when someone sits down and close the laptop. Closing the laptop signals to your IL you aren’t half-working or distracted and are now focused entirely on the interview.

Details & FAQs

A printed sign is a must. I first experimented with a hand-written sign. Last year, I happened to be in a city where I had to work at a coffee shop for a week nearly 6 hours per day. I got no interviews with the hand written sign. Zero. None. What are my results with the printed sign? I get a few interviews each time I go out!

Do you need permission? I have not asked staff permission, since I’m passively getting people to sit down with me, but if it puts your mind at ease, mention it to the staff first. Reassure them that you are not selling anything and are only passively putting out a sign and won’t bug people. So, don’t bug people; let them come to you. I’m now somewhat known by the staff at my regular location, and some of the staff have even done interviews.

What are the drawbacks? The major downside to coffee shop SE is it’s a terrible location to record video or audio. If this isn’t your goal, as it isn’t mine (you won’t find me on YouTube, sorry), it’s a moot point. Also, it can take a while to get an IL, if you get one at all. I work while waiting for a conversation partner, so think about productive things you can do in the down time, such as reading AMFCA. In short, this isn’t the steady stream of interlocutors you see Anthony Magnabosco or others getting.

How do I initiate interviews? Here’s my lead in: “Hi, I’m Adam. I work from home, but like to work here a day a week to break up the routine. I came up with this hobby to have intelligent conversations and exercise critical thinking. What I do is interview people for 5 minutes, or more if you want, on a belief they hold to be true. What we do together is examine your reasons you believe it is true and how you determined it actually is true. It’s fun!”

Conclusion

I believe doing Street Epistemology in a coffee shop is a great idea for those interested in trying the method, but who don’t desire or have time to produce content. Coffee shop SE offers a low barrier to entry insofar as it only requires a sign. You don’t need a table, microphones, GoPros, editing software, etc. If you are one of the many people already spending significant amounts of times in coffee shops and casual restaurants, why not mix in a little SE with your Venti? You’ll be glad you did.



