Final answer:
Large group meetings struggle to foster conversation due to the number of participants, leading to division and lack of cohesion. Small groups, by contrast, can achieve greater community and open dialogue. Large groups may require structured formats to facilitate effective conversation.
Step-by-step explanation:
Big group meetings often don't foster conversation because they include too many participants to allow everyone to speak and be heard effectively. This can lead to division and lack of cohesion, as individual voices may be drowned out by the sheer volume of participants. In contrast, small groups tend to have stronger internal connections and can achieve a greater sense of community and open dialogue.
In large groups, not every voice can influence the outcome, and a consensus becomes more challenging to achieve. The risk of free-riding also increases with group size, as individuals might not exert as much effort or feel as accountable as they would in a smaller setting. Nonetheless, large groups can garner more attention and put significant pressure on achieving set goals.
Effective collaboration and conversation can occur in large settings through structured formats, such as breaking down the large group into smaller ones for discussions. However, these mechanisms must be intentionally crafted to overcome the challenges inherent to large group dynamics.