Field guide · How many

The Size of the Table

Choose a size for the conversation you want, then adjust the setup so everyone can hear, join in, and respond.

Counts include you and everyone taking part in the exchange. Count observers separately: two interview participants with fifty spectators still have a two-person exchange, with added audience pressure. If spectators join a discussion, include them in that segment’s participant count.

Choose by purpose

Open conversation

Connect with people and follow interest. Two allows sustained attention; four to six offers more connections. At larger sizes, smaller exchanges may serve the purpose.

Topical focus

Develop understanding of one subject. Four gives frequent turns; six adds perspectives. At larger sizes, decide how smaller discussions will contribute to the shared question.

Shared decision

Leave with a choice or agreement. Include the people whose input and authority it needs, then choose a format that lets them contribute. Agree how the decision will be made.

These are tendencies. Seating, noise, familiarity, and interest in the subject can change what works at the same headcount.

Connections and airtime

Possible connections

A group of n has n(n − 1) / 2 possible pairs: six at four people, fifteen at six, thirty-six at nine. These are opportunities for people to connect. A shared conversation still has one main speaking floor.

Look for whose contributions connect with others. You do not need to activate every pair.

Airtime per person

For 60 minutes of speaking time, an equal share would be:

4 people: 15 min
6 people: 10 min
9 people: 6 min 40 sec

The baseline is 1/n of speaking time, including yours. Silence and other activities reduce speaking time within an hour together. These are illustrations, not targets; participation needn’t mean equal minutes.

Airtime per pair

Divide 60 minutes of speaking time equally among every possible pair:

4 people: 10 min
6 people: 4 min
9 people: 1 min 40 sec

Each pair gets 60 ÷ [n(n − 1) / 2] minutes, shared by its two speakers. This assumes one pair talks at a time; simultaneous pair conversations have a different time budget.

Size by size, purpose by purpose

Make a change of purpose explicit: name the question to explore or the decision to make.

Diagrams show example exchanges over several turns, not simultaneous speech or every possible pair. The filled seat is the host. The divided groups are possible arrangements, not required formats.
Size	Open conversation	Topical focus	Shared decision
Twosustained attention	Alternate sharing and asking. If successive questions make one person do all the work of disclosure, offer something of your own. “For me, the hardest part was starting.” Drawing Out	Follow an answer into detail. In an interview, attention stays on the guest; let an answer settle before adding another question. “What happened when you tried it?” Letting Silence Work · Dossier	State the choice and hear both people’s constraints. Check that agreement is explicit before moving on. “What would this option need to work for you?”
Threethe first table	Three possible pairs give each person listening time. If one pair keeps closing the third out, invite that person’s experience. “Sam, what has this looked like in your work?”	Use the third perspective to widen the discussion. Avoid making that person referee a disagreement between the other two. “What else should we consider?” Surfacing Difference	Hear all three sets of constraints before settling on an option. Watch for two people aligning before the third has been heard. “Before we choose, what would each of us need?”
Fourfrequent turns	Six possible pairs allow frequent back-and-forth. If a pair dominates, make space for someone who was trying to enter. “Dana, you were about to come in.” Inviting the Quiet Voice	Keep examples connected to the shared question. Let guests respond directly to one another instead of routing every turn through you. “Who has seen a different result?” Cross-Pollinating	Compare options against agreed criteria. Invite reservations before treating a promising option as settled. “What concern have we not addressed about this option?” Sequencing
Five–sixmore perspectivesSix shown	Six can sustain a shared exchange and may offer richer connections than four. Connect related contributions when guests lose a way in. “Maya, does that connect with what you were saying earlier?” Cross-Pollinating	Use the additional perspectives on one concrete question or case. Try connecting remarks before formal turns; use a round if entry remains difficult. “How does that change our reading of this example?” Asking the Table · The Round	Gather constraints before debating solutions. Keep the proposed choice visible so parallel objections concern the same version. “Here is the current proposal. What still prevents it from working?”
Seven–nineshared or smaller exchangesEight shown	Around seven or eight, separate conversations become more likely. Let productive exchanges continue; help anyone stranded between groups. “Jo, this connects with the trip you mentioned.” Stay together or split	One thread needs shared commitment and audible contributions. If you divide, give the groups a common question and time to compare what they find. “Keep this example in view as you discuss it.” Amplifying · Harvesting	Small groups can explore options. Bring everyone back to hear the proposal and contribute before applying the agreed decision rule. “Let’s bring everyone back for this decision.” The Wheel for supported turns
Ten and upplan the formatTen shown	Arrange places for smaller exchanges and make introductions. Ten may share a table; twenty or fifty can connect through several groups without everyone hearing every contribution. “You two were both describing a similar experience.” Participants	Possible formats: ten in one focused discussion; twenty at tables of four or five; fifty in a plenary plus smaller discussions. Adjust to the room and topic. “We’ll hear the question together, then discuss it in groups of four.” Run of Show	Specify who decides, how input reaches them, and how the outcome is recorded. Smaller groups can prepare proposals; do not assume a large-room discussion gives everyone a turn. “Who needs to contribute before this can be decided?” Event Packet

Helping six stay in one conversation

Everyone can hear. Lower background sound or move closer before adding turn-taking rules.
Everyone can see. Shift seats or remove an obstruction so guests can address one another.
The subject offers entry points. Supply missing context and explain connections between unfamiliar guests.
Contributions receive responses. Leave space for a reply; connect related remarks when they are being missed.
Guests can enter. Hold a place for someone whose attempts are being interrupted.
Side exchanges remain audible. If they separate, decide whether the moment still needs one conversation.

Stay together or split

Does everyone need this information or decision? Keep one conversation. Name why everyone’s attention is needed and check that all can hear.
If not, are smaller exchanges productive? Let them continue while people are engaged and have a way to participate. Reconsider if their sound prevents another group from hearing.
Is anyone stranded between groups? Help them join an exchange or adjust the seating. Bring everyone together if the topic needs their combined perspectives.

Leave a working conversation alone. When guests address one another, take up each other’s contributions, and can enter when they want to, keep listening. Unequal speaking time alone is not a reason to intervene.

When people start performing

Observers can add pressure even at two. Within a larger discussion, watch for speeches replacing replies, repeated bids for laughter that stall the subject, or speakers checking only your reaction.

If performance is crowding out exchange, ask for a response to a specific contribution: “Alex, what in Jo’s example matches your experience?” If a presentation is the purpose, make its listening and discussion segments explicit.

Three patterns across sizes

Routing and speaking time are different. At two, every exchange includes you. At four to six, guests can carry it among themselves. Larger groups may need more coordination, even while you say little. Track who addresses whom and whose permission people wait for; your talk share alone does not measure host centrality.
Silence changes meaning. At two, it leaves space for one person; at six, it may be unclear who should enter; in a larger group, it can mark a segment boundary.
Preparation shifts: person → pairings → format. Use a Dossier at two; prepare pairings and shared interests at three to six. For larger groups, decide how shared and smaller conversations fit together; use a Run of Show for planned segments.

See Shape. In Palette Draw, use Drawing Out moves for two and Table moves for six.

On film: Parkinson widens a two-man duel to the whole hall (29:39).