Workshop Exercises: Decide

Straw Poll

Each participant vote with one dot with their name on it

Illustration of Straw Poll
Run a Straw Poll play

Why: Promote inclusivity, ensures equal representation of individual voices, and help identify common ground or divergence

When: Use for quick insights or a general pulse of the group's majority opinion

Instructions for running this play

  1. Generate ideas or list a set of alternatives and put them on individual sticky notes on the same surface.
  2. Consider removing duplicates and clustering ideas through Affinity Mapping.
  3. Note the Vote. Each team member gets one or two votes. Ask each participant to make a (private) note of which one or two ideas they think are best within a Timebox of 3-5 minutes.
  4. Place the note. At the same time everyone places their votes using dot stickers or marking with pens on their chosen option.
  5. Discussion. Let participants take turns in explaining their vote.

Tips to perfect this play

Master and adapt the play to fit your context and needs.

Tip: Vote at the same time

The vote has to be simultaneous to avoid one person influencing the others.

Tip: Voting either / or?

If you are choosing between binary options, consider using a quick show of hands or an online yes/no vote.

Tip: OK to give more time

Give the group more time if they feel they need it.

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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 2025 and is now undergoing rigorous testing.

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Related plays

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