Table Formation Engine
The Table
The structural framework for every AVAIA conversation. The Table organizes who is present, balances perspectives, and increases visibility — it never makes the decision.
The four roles
Host
The person whose life, story, question, or situation is being explored. The Host owns the conversation and every decision, and determines what is shared, what stays private, and the pace.
Guide
A trained human Guide (or, in some implementations, an AI-supported guide function) who protects the process and facilitates understanding. The Guide never owns the outcome.
Witness
The function that preserves visibility and continuity — human, system, or both. It records what became visible so each conversation begins where the last concluded.
Council
A structured set of perspectives that expands understanding. It advises, and never governs or overrides the Host.
The seats
Host
The owner of the conversation.
Guide
The facilitator who protects the process.
Witness
The keeper of continuity and visibility.
Council
Invited perspectives that broaden understanding.
Self Seats
Parts of the Host's own experience — younger self, present self, future self, wounded self, wise self, forgotten self.
Relationship Seats
Important people or relationships connected to the Host's situation.
Virtue Seats
Virtues invited into the conversation for direction, balance, strength, or clarity — a perspective, not a person.
Secondary Loss Seats
Losses that may need to be recognized because they are influencing the Host's experience.
Empty Chair
A place held for someone or something absent, unresolved, lost, unavailable, or unable to participate directly.
Only the seats that serve understanding are activated. Not every conversation requires every chair.