I find that my favourite long conversations with larger groups (I think without any formal rules, it is possible. though quite infrequent to have workable longer conversations with up to about a dozen people) tend to oscillate between the two modes. It’s as if the conversation itself were breathing. The longest pauses and slowest pace would correspond to fully in, the acceleration that then takes place is breathing out, lots of interrupts and competitive yammering is fully out… and then somehow there is a shortage of breath and people slow down to process the fragmentary, multichannel stuff they just went through, the pace slows, until there are a few thoughtful silences… and the cycle begins again. Compared to that oscillation, extended ‘wait’ periods tend to become boring (I had this experience in university seminars) - of course, if uncertain terrain, open ended questions need to be traversed carefully, it may be just the thing. A great deal of value is lost in extended ‘interrupt’ mode. I wouldn’t say it is just a competition… but it does seem wasteful. Of course if the true gems need to be separated from a great deal of sparkly things, it may be just the thing.
I find that my favourite long conversations with larger groups (I think without any formal rules, it is possible. though quite infrequent to have workable longer conversations with up to about a dozen people) tend to oscillate between the two modes. It’s as if the conversation itself were breathing. The longest pauses and slowest pace would correspond to fully in, the acceleration that then takes place is breathing out, lots of interrupts and competitive yammering is fully out… and then somehow there is a shortage of breath and people slow down to process the fragmentary, multichannel stuff they just went through, the pace slows, until there are a few thoughtful silences… and the cycle begins again. Compared to that oscillation, extended ‘wait’ periods tend to become boring (I had this experience in university seminars) - of course, if uncertain terrain, open ended questions need to be traversed carefully, it may be just the thing. A great deal of value is lost in extended ‘interrupt’ mode. I wouldn’t say it is just a competition… but it does seem wasteful. Of course if the true gems need to be separated from a great deal of sparkly things, it may be just the thing.