Almost like the opposite of 'palaver'. I like the word 'palaver' but it generally (as I understand it) means a needlessly long conversation. I'm thinking more like a short, or intensely focused conversation. Ideally not a common word like 'chat', which is so generic as to mean any kind of short talk.
Edit:
I'm pretty flexible on the context, but for the sake of scoping the question, let's say it's between a handful of colleagues with the intent of building understanding or figuring something out.
Best Answer
Depending on the context, this could be called a breakout session. This term is typically used at academic/industry conferences, and refers to time set aside for smaller groups of people to discuss a narrow focus area related to the main topic of the conference. It's useful for conveying the focused nature of the discussion compared to the relatively broad content of the meeting.