I have not given much thought to the title of this thread, my thoughts are focused on discourse. You ask about Benjamin Franklin's Junto and discourse. This is something I'm familiar with and have put some thought into.

Our debates were to be under the direction of a president, and to be conducted in the sincere spirit of inquiry after truth, without fondness for dispute or desire of victory; and to prevent warmth, all expressions of positiveness in opinions, or direct contradiction, were after some time made contraband, and prohibited under small pecuniary penalties.

Franklin's Junto met in a tavern owned by an individual named Skully. Franklin had a fondness for Ale, but he also spoke much about moderation and temperance. John Adams often complained that Benjamin Franklin was a bit of a lush. My point is that alcohol has two opposite characteristics. In some cases it lightens the mood where jest diffuses discourse. In other situations it heats up the discourse to the point of violence. Based on the popularity of Franklin and what has been written about him from his peers, I would suggest he leaned to the side of jest.

Franklin's quote above comes from his autobiography. Many refer to Franklin's Junto as a round table club. I often image this "pecuniary penalty" as a tin cup in the middle of the table where the funds were used to purchase a round of ale. Similar to the 7the frame of a bowling league, where the individual with the lowest score purchases a round of beer.

There are times when everyone else wants to move on, but I can't let go. If there were a tin cup in these occasions, I would be honored to buy a round of beer to have one last chance to get my point across. I find this method diffusing.

I would say that discourse is an attribute of collaborative communication. For the success and longevity of a group, finding a way to diffuse discourse in a manner which reduces dysfunction is imperative. I hope this helps.