CB.4:4.2 - Choose the form, timing and size together
Compare serious forms against the action and participants’ conditions.
| Interaction needed | A suitable starting form | Main condition to check |
|---|---|---|
| A question can be understood from prepared material and participants are available at different times | Asynchronous request and responses | The material is interpretable, the return window remains useful, and someone can close the thread or route. |
| The result depends on rapid clarification or joint attention | A bounded live conversation | Relevant people can meet, hear one another and see the needed material. |
| Several contexts must be compared | Prepared displays or a common set of questions, followed by comparison | Entries concern comparable questions while retaining the conditions that explain differences. |
| A larger group needs one developing conversation | A small speaking circle with an accessible way to enter and leave it | Listening, joining and turn-taking are feasible for the whole group. |
| Many perspectives should be connected | Several conversations with deliberate movement and preserved context | Each new group can recover the previous discussion and contribute a distinct perspective. |
| People need experience of an action | Demonstration, joint practice or a bounded role-play | The domain method, material, competent support and applicable protection are available. |
A combination is often useful: an advance written question can reduce live explanation, and a later response can report what happened in practice. Specify what passes between the parts and who returns it. A recording does not automatically supply that connection.
Separate timing from medium. Asynchronous contribution can use paper, shared artefacts or messages as well as an online space. A digital channel can support a live conversation or a delayed response. Choose from the work and access conditions, rather than treating online, remote and asynchronous as interchangeable.
Check the attention budget. Multiply a proposed round by the number of speakers, then allow time for understanding, comparison and closure. If it does not fit, shorten the requested contribution, use advance material, divide work with a meaningful return, select a smaller relevant group or change the scope. Do not merely announce a shorter time while retaining all the work.
Small size alone establishes neither trust nor confidentiality. Large size alone establishes neither diversity nor useful coverage. Inspect who is present, whose contribution is missing and whether the selected form actually lets that contribution matter.