[wbeckler]

Maybe you can "force" people to contribute. If someone signs up to attend a many-to-many gathering then they are agreeing to be more than a passive observer.

One way to facilitate this is to have "go arounds" in which everyone says something, in order to get a sense of people's reactions and the best direction for the conversation. Another option is for the facilitator to know something about everyone and then to call on people (without their raising their hands) to keep the conversation moving.

[jarofgreen]

From my experience as an event organiser, there are some ppl who just won't come if you do that.

We run a popular Meetup that does introductions. You can say lots or you can just say "I'm james and I'm here For The free drink." And even with that easy out, there are still occasionly ppl who don't want to say a single word and wont.

You can try and set the tone that everyone can contribute. The moderator can say things like "does anyone who hasn't spoken yet Want to add anything?". Rounds and moderators calling on ppl is good to.

I wouldn't like to try actually forcing tho.