3 Ways to Make Your Online Meetings Engaging and Productive with Polls
Online meetings can sometimes feel disconnected, but here are three ways to make online meetings productive with polls. Polls allow you to quickly gather opinions, ensuring everyone feels heard without putting anyone on the spot. By utilizing polls effectively, you can save time, keep meetings on track, and make decision-making smoother.
1. Check if Everyone Understands the Material
Use polls to quickly assess whether everyone is on the same page. For example, you can ask a multiple-choice question to gauge understanding of a topic discussed in the meeting. This helps you identify if any further explanation is needed, ensuring all participants are aligned before moving forward.
2. Identify Areas of Disagreement
Polls are a great way to discover where people disagree on key topics. For instance, if you’re discussing a policy or a plan, use a poll to ask participants whether they agree or disagree with certain points. This will help highlight areas that need further discussion and allow you to address concerns without embarrassing anyone.
3. Find Common Ground and Build Consensus
Polls are also effective for identifying where the group agrees. When you need to make a decision or choose a direction, use polls to see what everyone’s thoughts are. Recognizing common ground helps you move forward with confidence and ensures you’re aligned on the next steps.
Example: Using Polls for Policy Decisions
Imagine you’re leading a large meeting for a nonprofit organization, and you need to make a decision on a complicated policy. Start by using a poll with true/false statements about the policy. This helps uncover where confusion or misunderstanding exists, without embarrassing anyone. It also highlights areas that need further explanation. If the policy is controversial, follow up with a poll asking participants to identify what they think might be wrong with the policy. This allows you to see where people agree or disagree and guides you in addressing the controversial aspects.
I hope these tips help you run better online meetings. If you like these ideas, please share them and look for more tips on our blog.
