The spotlight

As you play the game, you'll change who you're addressing, moment to moment. Whoever you're talking to right now is in the spotlight.

Sometimes you'll keep the spotlight unfocused and address the group as a whole. Often, you'll focus it on just one character. When lots of action is happening simultaneously, you swing it back and forth between individuals and groups.

There's no formal process for managing the spotlight. The most obvious time to move the spotlight is after you resolve a PC's action. Address a different character and describe the situation to them. Make a soft move at them. Ask them, "What do you do?"

You can, however, move the spotlight whenever it makes sense. For example, if you ask "What do you do?" and...

… the player freezes or stalls, then shift to someone else, giving the first player time to think. Come back to them later; or...
… the PC does something that will take time, then shift to someone else. Come back to the first PC as they finish (or as something interrupts them); or...
… they make a move and you're not sure how to resolve it, then buy yourself time to think by shifting to someone else. Come back to resolve the first player's move later.

Use the spotlight to be a good facilitator. Keep everyone involved. Make sure everyone gets some good screen time and has a chance to contribute.

It's okay if players interrupt each other, or kibitz, or have their characters act "out of order." Some moves (like Defend) give them explicit permission to do so!

With that said: don't be afraid to shut down an overly eager or aggressive player with a polite-yet-firm reprimand. "Andrew, you're being rude. I'm talking to Jamie right now."

Box

Split the party

It's going to happen. The PCs will split up—intentionally or because you separate them or capture someone—and now you've got two smaller groups. It's okay. Splitting the party can be a lot of fun.

Splitting the party means that you're juggling multiple conversations and scenes at once. Move the spotlight back-and-forth between the different scenes, the way a film editor smashcuts between scenes in a movie.

Don't linger too long on one group. Try to keep everyone involved and interested in what's going on in the other scenes. You might cut between scenes on every "action" or player move, or resolve a few "loops" of conversation between each cut. There's a rhythm and an art to this, and different types of scenes benefit from different approaches. Exploration and dialogue benefit from longer cuts. High-tension, high-action scenes work well with short, quick cuts and lots of cliffhangers.