I think the designation of a facilitator and the guideline for one conversation around the table makes a significant difference and lets everyone become better

I think the designation of a facilitator and the guideline for one conversation around the table makes a significant difference and lets everyone become better acquainted. Priya Parker's "Art of Gathering" (https://www.amazon.com/Art-Gathering-Transformative-Meetings-Experiences/dp/0241973848/ https://www.amazon.com/Art-Gathering-Transformative-Meetings...) offers helful guidelines for planning a serious conversation 1. Purpose: a gathering starts with the invitation which should define its specific purpose. This purpose should be repeated at the formal start of the gathering. 2. Welcome List: deciding who to invite and who is not invited are critical steps in supporting a gathering’s purpose. 3. Venue: consider how it will help to support the purpose of the gathering. The size of the gathering will give it a different ambience with thresholds for a different experience roughly at 6, 12-15, 30 and 150. 4. Larger Purpose in Community: in addition to its primary purpose, a gathering should also serve to foster connections among attendees and increase a shared understanding of their needs and goals. This helps connect them with a community and a larger purpose that continues after the gathering. 5. Active Host: The host needs to act with “generous authority” to spell out and gently enforce clear rules of conduct to support the purpose of the gathering. 6. End cleanly: a gathering needs to have a clear end so that it finishes cleanly and energizes the attendees to fulfill its purpose. I have blogged about facilitation and the value of roundtable conversation in https://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2019/08/02/key-lessons-from-priya-parkers-the-art-of-gathering/ https://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2019/08/02/key-lessons-from-pr... https://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2014/05/12/circle-the-chairs/ https://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2014/05/12/circle-the-chairs/ https://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2014/09/15/guidelines-for-an-online-community-of-entrepreneurs/ https://www.skmurphy.com/blog/2014/09/15/guidelines-for-an-o...