Making decisions as a team

Making choices as a team is important for getting stuff done together. First make sure everyone has context and that they understand the idea or plan being proposed. It’s also crucial that everyone gets a say in what you decide.

Once you’ve all chatted about the topic, you’ll need to pick an option. Some ways teams vote are:

Polling

For in-person & Zoom meetings, a Roman voting technique can be employed. Members express support with a thumbs-up, concerns with a thumbs-down, or neutrality with a sideways thumb.

Fist to Five

This is one of my favourite techniques that helps gauge agreement levels. Members show a closed fist for disagreement or display fingers (from one to five) indicating their level of support. If anyone shows fewer than three fingers, further discussion is necessary before voting again.

Dot Voting

Ideas are presented, and each member uses a sticky note or dot to vote for their top choice. Tallying the votes determines the option with the most support. In case of a tie, repeat the process or explore alternative voting techniques.

As I mentioned in a recent post, dot voting has some troubles that can cause false or misleading results.

The key is making sure all voices are heard, opinions understood, and you agree as a group on the best path forward. Communication and compromise are crucial to making team choices that work for everyone.