We develop methods that make it enriching and fun to get together with people who are different from you.
Better partner, friend and colleague
Better organization without silos
Better society with understanding of others
Conversation Lab & Fika Project
"Fika" is a metaphor for constructive conversations between people. The ideas from The Fika Project laid the foundation for the company Samtalslabbet.
Photo: Lars Joelsson
The journey began with the Fika Project, an international not-for-profit initiative we launched in Berlin in 2019. In Swedish, "fika" means to gather over a cup of coffee or tea and talk. It is an informal variant of "breaking bread," symbolizing the trust and exchange of ideas that we aim to develop.
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​Three years later, the Fika Project expanded to also encompass a company, Samtalslabbet AB, the Conversation Lab, which mainly operates in Sweden. We write books and articles, conduct research, hold lectures and workshops, and offer therapy and conversation coaching – all centered around the theme of constructive conversations.
Here we are.
"Fika" is a metaphor for fostering constructive conversations between people.
IKEA describes fika as:
“More than a coffee break, Fika is a time to share, connect and relax with colleagues. Some of the best ideas and decisions happen at fika.”
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Two American consultants define fika as:
”Fika is the communal use of food and liquid refreshment as merely the stated excuse for meeting: the real value is that it allows for informal cross functional conversations that might not normally happen.” ​​
From the basic ideas of fika we are practising and developing methods to work with in The Conversation lab.
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The team
Emma Stenström
Emma is an Associate Professor at the Stockholm School of Economics in Sweden. She researches and teaches social and existential sustainability, often with one foot in the arts.
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In 2023, she published the book "Bubblehopping: A Method for Understanding Others," which has been nominated for best marketing book and best HR book.
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Emma has won several teaching awards and is a frequently sought-after and appreciated lecturer and workshop leader. She has also been guest professor at Konstfack in Stockholm, hosted a tv-show on SVT, and a regular columnist in the daily business paper, Dagens Industri.
Mats Paulsen
Mats is a communication specialist and CBT therapist.
During the last ten years, Mats has handled strategy and communication in several change projects within government organizations and large companies. He also works within the Correctional Service to understand and try to change criminal mindsets.
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Previously, Mats was a reporter and editor for various newspapers and TV channels.
Jennifer Hansen
Jennifer is a systemic organizational consultant and facilitator with a focus on (social) impact-oriented strategy and management process development. She is passionate about making the world a more equitable and sustainable place. Supporting people and organisations striving for this goal has been the core of her professional life.
What is important to her:
Being curious, exploring and learning. Finding the right balance between structure and creativity. Challenging conventional thinking and looking at things from different angles.
Connecting people and organisations allowing them to come up collectively with creative solutions that no person or organisation could come up with or implement alone
Pierre Golbach
Pierre is a facilitator, energized by systemic, empathic thinking and problem solving. He organizes trainings in the public sector and international organizations on topics such as impact orientation, key performance indicators and collective leadership.
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Pierre is sparked by the experience of how invaluable a resilient and fun social fabric can be. His journey to become a faciliator started with Art of Hosting and System’s Thinking, as well as Theory U and Social Presencing Theatre.
Cyril Moulin-Fournier
Cyril is a facilitator and consultant change management. He designs and lead conferences and workshops on culture change, innovation, and transversal leadership.
Cyril has worked for the computer company HP. There he managed transversal programs in the EMEA region.
In 2013, he got through an extreme life changing experience (being seized by Boko Haram together with his family in Nigeria). He learned how powerful a diverse team can be to cope with adversity and uncertainty.
Cyril decided to transform this experience into helping CEO:s turn the fear of change into new opportunities for growth. He is convinced that companies with this ability also have an important role in bridging divides in the society.