The language cafés should be organised at the time and on days that suit the participants and the hosts where the space selected is free to be used. The following things have to be considered when setting the time and days for the language café:

• A time and day that suits the host
• A time and day when people are likely to come (this will influence the types of people who will come)
• Times or days when the venue is less busy or underused

The frequency of the meetings depends on the availability and the schedules of the participants. However there are two main issues that may have to be considered:

• The time and frequency of the café should be fixed i.e. same day and time each week, but will need to be discussed with the host and participants so that everyone is happy with this. Weekly or fortnightly is best with the meeting lasting about an hour. In order not to lose contact, it is however recommended that the sessions should be organised at least once a week
• Regularity – people need to know that the Language Café will be where they expect it to be when they expect it to be!

Generally, the language café is open to anyone interested and there is no need for formal registration. However, during the formation of groups and language café sessions for young refugees there maybe challenges to consider.

• Group size: The group size should be controlled and it should be neither too big nor too small. The optimum size is 12 participants and the minimum size is 5. If groups are larger, they can be broken down into smaller groups of 3 or 4 within the language café session and where possible with a native speaker
• Level: There is no need for the language levels to be similar. People from different levels can participate. The participants at a lower level will be able to learn initially from listening. However, experience shows that natural groups form where participants are of a similar level.
• Topics: It is important that the participants decide which topics / subjects they may wish to discuss in the café. It may be that different groups talk about different things.
• Cultural Norms: Cultural norms should be considered where appropriate and if a problem arises. For example in cultures where women cannot speak freely in front of men, maybe it would be appropriate to create separate groups for women and men.
• Registration: In order to be able to consider and address the issues identified as a group is being formed, it is advisable to ask for prior informal registration through a simple e-mail, a telephone call or an SMS. This requirement does not mean that a person that will show up in the session should not be accepted.     
• Reminder: It is advisable that an e-mail notification or an SMS should be sent as a reminder to the participants in the language café sessions in order to remind them of the next session. This can also be achieved through a facebook group as long as all participants are members of facebook.

The facilitator is very important for the formation of the language café since s/he is the person who organises everything and facilitates the discussion in the session. In language cafés organized in libraries, it is not necessary for the librarian to be the facilitator. The librarian could be responsible for the venue and another person (volunteer, library staff, member of an NGO etc) could take the role of the facilitator of the discussions. The facilitator should have the following characteristics:

• Open-mindedness
• An interest in people
• Empathy with immigrants and the difficulties they face
• The ability to listen as well as speak
• A willingness to take responsibility for making the Language Café a success
• Should preferably be a native speaker or have an advanced level in the language of the café

Once the café is up and running the organiser’s role may include some or all of the following:

• To facilitate meetings e.g. keeping the conversation going, coming up with ideas for café activities
• To use icebreaking techniques and be able to propose new activities and topics for discussion
• Be a native/competent speaker of the language of the café
• To liaise with the librarian (in case they are two different roles) and deal with any issues that may arise in regard to the venue
• To engage with native speakers to encourage them to participate in the language cafes as volunteers
• To make sure that everybody is given a chance  to speak but  is also an effective timekeeper
• To encourage participants to ask questions and participate in discussion
• To invite external guests and experts, where appropriate
• To promote the language café in the local area surrounding the library