The Voice and Diction of Conversation : Page 80

If in a general conversation of more than six persons, one person starts talking so low that only the two next to him can hear, he can quickly ruin the general conversation, and force it to disintegrate into twosomes and threesomes. A general unified conversation of many participants is talk at its most cultivated and stimulating level. This should be every hostess's aim and guest's hope. As long as it is on this level, one for all people in the room, you should be especially careful to talk loud enough for everyone in the room or circle to hear easily. You should not be the one who causes it to dissolve into smaller groups. This is true, too, at a dinner table. While the conversation embraces the whole table, a person should take care to have his voice reach everyone. On the other hand, once the talk has broken into several sectors, then he must moderate his voice so as to reach only the reduced circle. It should not impose itself on those outside it. Properly, it is the privilege of the host or hostess, by