Also called: Thumb Voting, Roman Thumbs
Alternative plays: Dot Voting, Fist to Five, Note and Vote
See also: Fist to Five
Timing: Execution
Run time
1 minute
Group size
3-20
Why: Promote active participation in decisions through a visual representation of the group's preferences
When: Use to quickly gauge which of multiple options or alternatives has the most backing from the group
This workshop exercise is part of the Workshop Patterns printed card deck.
A collection of workshop exercises that will help you ditch dull meetings and facilitate with confidence. It will help you master the design process and have more productive time with your team. The card deck will be ready for purchase in the end of 2023 and is now undergoing rigorous testing.
Reserve your deck!Instructions for running this play
- Ask the group to show how they stand on an idea or proposal.
- Each person responds by showing a thumbs-up, thumb-sideways, or thumbs-down.
- The group moves forward only when everyone shows either a thumbs-up or thumb-sideways. Discuss until everyone has had a chance to express their view for disagreeing on the proposal and everyone agrees to move forward.
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Thumbs-up indicates agreement with the proposal as stated or presented. It’s a “Yes, I can accept that decision and want to move forward with consensus agreement.” |
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Thumbs-sideways indicates incomplete agreement or desire to modify the proposal, but does not rise to the level that would cause a member to block consensus.It’s a “It’s good enough, I can live with it, and want to move forward.” |
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Thumbs-down indicates a strong disagreement with the proposal and a block of the consensus on the proposal.It’s a “I do not like the proposal and want to share my opinion and ideas with the group before moving forward.” |
Related plays
- The Roman Voting Technique for Agile Teams by Carlton Nettleton