How to facilitate a Lean Coffee: a step-by-step script

What the facilitator actually does

A Lean Coffee runs mostly on its own process. The group writes the topics, the group votes, and the group decides when to move on. So the Lean Coffee facilitator isn't there to steer the content. Your job is to protect the format:

• Explain how it works, briefly and clearly.
• Keep time, and call the vote when a timebox ends.
• Make sure one topic is discussed at a time.
• Invite quieter people in and gently rein in the loudest.
• Make sure takeaways and actions are written down.

If you're new to the format itself, start with what is Lean Coffee and come back here for the practical script.

A good rule of thumb: the less people notice you, the better you're doing. You should be talking in the opening, at each timebox boundary and in the wrap-up. In between, mostly listen.

Before the session

Preparation for a Lean Coffee is light, but not zero. Ten minutes beforehand is usually enough.

1. Decide the purpose. One sentence: "Our team Lean Coffee, for anything about how we work together." It helps people write relevant topics.
2. Pick the length and timebox. 45 or 60 minutes is typical, with a first timebox of 5 to 8 minutes.
3. Prepare the board. Three columns: To Discuss, Discussing, Discussed. Add an area for actions if you can.
4. Set up a timer that everyone can see or hear.
5. Decide how you'll capture notes. A shared doc, the board itself, or a tool that does it for you.
6. Send the invite with the purpose and a line like "no need to prepare, but feel free to think about what's on your mind."

In person, have plenty of sticky notes, thick markers and dot stickers ready. Remote, check that everyone can reach the board before the meeting starts, not during it.

Lean Coffee agenda template: 60 minutes

This is the most common format and works for teams of roughly five to ten people.

Expect to cover four to six topics. If the group extends a lot, that's fine: the discussion is clearly valuable.

Lean Coffee agenda template: 45 minutes

A tighter version for regular team syncs or groups that already know the format.

Plan on three to five topics. For a regular session, you can also let people add topics before the meeting starts and skip straight to pitching, which buys you another five minutes of discussion.

The opening script

Here's a script you can read out almost word for word. Adapt the purpose and numbers to your session. It takes about two minutes.

Welcome, everyone. Today we're running a Lean Coffee. That means there's no agenda yet: we're going to build it together in the next few minutes.

The purpose of this session is [purpose]. Anything related to that is fair game.

Here's how it works. First, everyone writes down topics they'd like to discuss, one per note. Keep them short: a few words or a question. You can add as many as you like.

Then each of you gets a few seconds to pitch your topics. Just what it is and why it matters to you; we'll save the discussion for later.

Next, everyone gets [three] votes. Put them on the topics you most want to talk about. You can put more than one vote on a topic.

We'll discuss the topics in order of votes, one at a time, for [seven] minutes each. When the timer goes off, we'll do a quick thumbs vote: thumbs up means keep going, sideways means no preference, thumbs down means let's move on. If most people want to keep going, we'll add [three] more minutes.

Before we move on from a topic, we'll write down any takeaways or actions, with an owner. Anything we don't get to today, we'll carry forward to next time.

Any questions? Great, let's start writing. You have [five] minutes.

For a recurring group that knows the drill, shorten this to: "Same as always: write topics, pitch, three votes, seven-minute timeboxes. Purpose today is [purpose]. Go."

Running each phase

Gather

Keep it quiet. Silent writing produces more and better topics than brainstorming out loud, because nobody anchors on the first idea. If someone says they have nothing, suggest a prompt: "What's slowing you down right now?" or "What do you wish we talked about more?" Our list of Lean Coffee topic ideas has more prompts.

Pitch

This is where sessions most often lose time. Be firm and friendly: "Great, that's enough to vote on, we'll come back to it." Merge duplicates on the spot, with the authors' agreement.

Vote

Remind people of the number of votes, give them a clear time limit, and sort the board as soon as voting closes. Break ties quickly; nobody needs a debate about whether topic four or five goes first.

Discuss

Move the top topic to Discussing and ask the author to open: "What would you like to get out of this?" That one question frames the whole conversation. Start the timer when they start talking.

At the end of the timebox, call the Roman vote without hesitation. Count roughly. If it's clearly up, extend. If it's mixed or down, ask "Any takeaway or action before we move on?", capture it and move to the next topic.

Wrap-up

Read back the actions and owners. Ask what to do with leftovers (usually: carry them forward). Finish with one quick feedback question, such as "One word on how this felt?" or "Anything to change next time?"

Handling common problems

Every facilitator runs into the same handful of situations. Here's what tends to work.

Dominant voices

Some people naturally talk more, and in a short timebox that leaves little room for anyone else.

• Use structure, not confrontation. "Let's hear from someone who hasn't spoken on this yet."
• Invite by name, kindly: "Priya, you voted for this one, what's your take?"
• Try a quick round. For a topic with high stakes, go around the group with one sentence each before opening it up.
• Talk privately afterwards if it's a pattern. Most people don't notice they're doing it.

Silence

Silence after a topic is introduced is normal. Give it a few seconds longer than feels comfortable. If it persists:

• Ask the author a follow-up: "What made you put this on the board?"
• Ask the people who voted for it to share why.
• Offer to move on. A topic that nobody wants to talk about is information too, and the Roman vote exists precisely for this.

Too many topics

Twenty topics for a one-hour session is common, and fine. Voting takes care of it. A few tricks help:

• Merge aggressively during pitches.
• Keep pitches to one sentence when the board is full.
• Don't raise the number of votes. More votes flatten the ranking.
• Carry leftovers forward and re-vote next time. You'll often find some topics no longer matter.

Topics that are really decisions

Sometimes a topic sounds like a discussion but is really a decision someone needs made, such as "Should we move the release to Thursday?" Lean Coffee can surface these, but a 7-minute timebox rarely closes them well.

• Clarify the ask at the start: "Are we deciding today, or collecting input?"
• If the decision is small and the right people are in the room, make it and write it down.
• If it's bigger, use the timebox to gather perspectives, then capture an action: who decides, by when, and how.
• If it keeps coming back, it probably needs its own meeting with a proper proposal.

Remote attendees

Remote participants are easy to lose, especially in hybrid sessions where part of the group shares a room.

• Use one shared digital board for everyone, including people in the room. A physical board plus a webcam does not work for remote people.
• Make votes private until everyone is done, so remote people aren't voting after seeing the room's dots.
• Do the Roman vote on camera or with reactions, and read the result out loud.
• Call on remote people first when opening a topic; they have the hardest time jumping in.

See our guide on remote Lean Coffee for hybrid setups in more detail.

Facilitator checklist

Print this or keep it next to you.

Before

• Purpose written in one sentence
• Length and timebox decided
• Board ready with To Discuss, Discussing, Discussed
• Timer ready and visible
• Note-taking method decided
• Invite sent, with the link for remote people

During

• Opening script read, with purpose, votes and timebox
• Silent writing time given
• Pitches kept short, duplicates merged
• Votes counted and board sorted
• Author opens each topic with what they want out of it
• Timer respected, Roman vote at every timebox end
• Takeaway or action captured before each move
• Quieter voices invited in

After

• Actions and owners read back
• Leftover topics carried forward
• Notes shared with everyone, including absentees
• One piece of feedback noted for next time

Running it in LeanBrew

Much of the facilitator's admin, such as the board, the timer, the voting and the notes, can be handled by a tool so you can focus on the people. In LeanBrew, a session moves through Gather, Vote (people spend a few beans, and votes stay private until the reveal) and Discuss, where the top topics go on stage in timeboxes and the room votes Keep going, No preference or Move on when time is up. Notes, actions and owners land in the minutes, which you can export as PDF, Markdown or CSV, and leftover topics roll over to the next session with votes reset.

Guests join with a link by typing their name. For a recurring Lean Coffee you can keep a reusable board, schedule sessions weekly or biweekly, and send a Slack reminder a few minutes before the start. Try it free for 30 days, or see pricing.

Frequently asked questions

How do you run a Lean Coffee for the first time?

Explain the format in two minutes, give people five minutes to write topics, let them pitch briefly, dot-vote, and discuss in vote order in 5 to 8 minute timeboxes. Call a thumbs vote at the end of each timebox and write down actions as you go.

What does a Lean Coffee facilitator do?

The facilitator protects the process rather than steering the content. They explain the format, keep time, call the vote to continue or move on, make sure everyone gets heard, and ensure takeaways and actions are captured.

Is there a Lean Coffee template I can use?

Yes. The basic template is a board with three columns (To Discuss, Discussing, Discussed) plus a timed agenda: opening, gather, pitch, vote, discuss, wrap-up. The 45- and 60-minute agendas in this guide can be used as they are.

How many topics can you cover in a Lean Coffee?

With 6 to 8 minute timeboxes, most groups cover three to five topics in 45 minutes and four to six in an hour. Leftover topics can be carried forward to the next session.

Should the facilitator participate in the discussion?

In a small team, the facilitator often participates too, which is fine as long as they keep the process running. If the topics are sensitive or the facilitator is the manager, it usually works better to stay neutral or rotate the facilitator role.