Polling Techniques		page contents What How Go On
What Is It Good For? Polling is asking participants for their views--in discussions, ballots, multi-voting, etc.		This tool extracts information from a broad variety of people so you can develop options, evaluate alternatives, and build working relationships. Informal polls or discussions will often help uncover buried issues or tensions within a group. Polls also help provide a reality check on where you are in the process and what issues need to be addressed. Creating a Pareto Chart to rate the results of the poll could show you what you can address to achieve the most effect for the least effort.
How Do I Use It?		The more open the process, the more information you'll get. Polling can be formal or informal. Be sure to state the method you will use and the question that you are trying to answer. Questions might be about the group members, issues, options, or processes. You might:   Ask an open-ended question, e.g., what is the most important aspect, issue, etc., how do you feel about ____ how do you see _____ what do you think should (or will) influence the decision and go around the room. Each participant can then respond.   Ask everyone to write down ideas and then have them read one idea aloud at a time. This method (also called nominal group technique) helps to generate as many ideas as possible and ensure that everyone is heard.   Ask a ranking question and tally the answers. e.g., what is more important when should we ____ You can ask participants to numerically rank factors, issues, or options in order of importance and total the responses for an overall ranking.   Ask participants to draw or describe their view of the group dynamics, the process, or the future impacts of the study.   Check the actual level of optimism and comfort with the process by anonymously rating the chances of success on a 1 to 10 scale. After polling and tallying, discuss the results of the poll. Look for uncovered problems and address them as a group. You might have to close the door to do this. Additional Tips: Give the survey to the right people; identify who can best provide the information you need.   If it is impractical to survey everyone, identify a representative sample size of respondents.   Give the people answering the questions a clear idea of why you want the information, how you plan to use the information, and who will see it.   Make the survey as brief as possible. After completing your questionnaire, review why you need the answer to each question to ensure that you're only asking what you need to know.   Make the survey easy to participate in and to administer.   Consider preferences for presenting final results. If graphs are envisioned, try to develop questions that can be answered in numeric terms, such as responding on a scale of 1 to 5. Make sure that numeric scores have the same values and interpretation.   Phrase the questions in clear language that is appropriate to the audience. Avoid questions that are leading, biased, or could be viewed as offensive.   If narrative responses are preferred (as opposed to numeric or multiple choice), ask open-ended questions that go beyond a simple "yes" or "no" response. Leave enough space on the form so that answers can be recorded clearly.   Avoid excessive jargon and acronyms. Spell out an acronym at least once in the text.   Determine if demographics are needed to interpret and present data; if so, add these questions to your survey (usually asked at the very start of a questionnaire).   Consider automated survey instruments. Electronic mail surveys can be developed, issued, and replied to quickly.   Consider if results will be improved if the questionnaire is answered anonymously. If so, electronic mail would not be a desired survey instrument because respondents are identified.   A pilot test is crucial to gain feedback on the survey instrument. Include in your test group at least one manager who initiated this project.   After a survey is completed, share the results with respondents. If possible, ask them to comment and provide their interpretation of the results.
Go On		Toolbox Tool Selection Worksheet Tool List