The round table

Original non-fiction-style practice text.

For the rehearsal supper, the organiser ordered one round table instead of two long ones. She hoped that everyone would be able to take part in the same conversation. When the guests arrived, however, a tall flower arrangement occupied the centre. People could hear voices across it without seeing who was speaking.

Two confident guests began separate conversations with those nearest them. At the other side, a quieter guest repeatedly leaned forward, then sat back. The organiser moved the flowers onto a side shelf and introduced a shared question about the following day's event. Gradually, the table began to work as she had intended.

Afterwards, she said the furniture had offered a possibility rather than a guarantee. A circular edge did not by itself make a group attentive to one another. The arrangement needed a clear view and some deliberate help with who entered the conversation. She kept the round table on the next booking and removed the flowers from its centre.

Explain why the round table alone does not create the conversation the organiser hoped for.