fishbowl negotiation
n.— «When the various groups produced their recommendations, they were turned over to what was known as a “fishbowl negotiation.” Each small group selected a representative to negotiate for it with representatives of all the other tables. The representatives sat in a circle with those they represented behind them. Anyone could stop their representative and request a small group conference but only the representative could speak in the larger assembly. It worked remarkably well.» —“ From Our Overstocked Archives: Greening America” by Sam Smith Just Politics Aug. 19, 2007. (source: Double-Tongued Dictionary)