A great way to generate conversation within your virtual meetings is to add some interactive team activities into the mix. Not only will this keep participants engaged, but it can also make your meetings more memorable and something everyone can look forward to each time it happens! In addition, adding an interactive element to a meeting over Zoom or any other video conferencing tool will allow you to observe the room and get an idea of everyone's engagement - giving some ideas for topics that could drive further discussions or let everyone know each other a little bit better.
One of these team activities can be a live poll - made up of questions or prompts related to the ongoing discussion. A live poll is a real-time survey or vote that allows people to participate in answering a question or expressing their opinion on a particular topic. Live polls are often conducted during events or presentations, and the results are often displayed in real-time for all participants to see. They can be used for a variety of purposes, such as gathering feedback, gauging opinions, or simply engaging the audience. Live polls are often conducted using interactive software or a dedicated polling platform that allows participants to submit their responses electronically, either through a web browser or a mobile app.
But how do you incorporate a live poll, or prepare one ahead of time before the meeting is due to begin? Read on to discover our list of recommended live poll tools you can use within your next virtual team meeting!
Why incorporate live polling as a team activity?
Live polling is a real-time survey or vote that allows people to participate in answering a question or expressing their opinion on a particular topic. In addition, lice polls can serve be a useful tool for improving engagement, enhancing understanding, facilitating decision-making, increasing transparency, and encouraging collaboration.
Below is a list of just a few benefits of live polling as a team activity:
- To gather feedback on a specific topic or issue: A live poll can be used to gather input and opinions from team members on a particular issue or topic being discussed during the meeting.
- To gauge understanding: A live poll can be used to assess how well team members understand a particular concept or topic being discussed during the meeting.
- To make decisions: A live poll can be used to facilitate decision-making by allowing team members to vote on a particular course of action.
- To engage team members: A live poll can be used to engage team members and encourage participation during a remote meeting, especially if the team is spread out across different time zones or locations.
To conduct a live poll during a remote team meeting, you will need a tool or platform that allows you to create and distribute the poll to team members and to display the results in real-time. Some options for conducting live polls remotely include Poll Everywhere, Slido, and Mentimeter.
#1: Brightful ‘Super Poll’
Exclusive to Brightful, Super Poll is a fun way to energize your team meetings with the addition of a poll that can be run alongside your current team meeting. Super Poll covers a wide selection of topics and questions that everyone needs to answer to - with results of who voted for what shown afterwards.
There are plenty of prompts and topics to get everyone in the room thinking hard and ultimately, taking a stand by choosing what they believe in the most. Super Poll questions and prompts range from questions about work-life to personal preferences, all the way to some ridiculous and hilarious 'what if' scenarios that would theoretically require you to make a quick decision on the spot.
Furthermore - Super Poll is easy to set up and play with your team! There is no additional software required for anyone to either set up a new poll or to join a poll that is already good to go and launch - all you need to bring is your device of choice and an internet connection.
If you want to create your own live poll content with questions and options you come up with, Super Poll allows you to customise it to your liking! You can either choose one of Brightful's many pre-prepared polls or create your own live poll to play with your team and fellow Brightful users!
#2: Livestorm.co
If you are hosting a live webinar for your company, whether in-house or with a widespread, international audience who could be viewing from anywhere in the world, Livestorm offers an excellent live polling tool to use during the course of your webinar - allowing viewers/participants to place their votes whilst a speaker leads the presentation.
#3: Sli.Do
Need some kind of online interaction for an online, offline, or hybrid meeting amongst your team or colleagues? Sli.do has got you covered - with live polls, Q&As, quizzes, and word clouds available as ways for meeting attendees to interact live. Best of all, Sli.do polls don't even require your audience members to sign up for accounts or download any software/apps to participate.
Plans on Sli.do range from a free 'Basic' plan, up to a monthly plan that brings all available features for $8 a month.
#4: Polls in Microsoft Teams
If you use Microsoft Teams to host your virtual team meetings, the resources you need to create an instant poll are right in front of you, literally.
Within Microsoft Teams, you can instantly create a poll within your chosen Teams channel. Simply select 'Forums, then add your question and answer options. You can also select the option for multiple answers as well as choosing as to whether results will be shared automatically after everyone has voted, or keep all responses anonymous.
What group settings can be useful for Live Poll tools?
Live polls can be used in a variety of settings, including:
- Conferences and presentations: Live polls can be used to engage the audience during a presentation or panel discussion, and to gather feedback or opinions on specific topics.
- Market research: Live polls can be used to gather real-time insights and opinions from a targeted group of people, such as customers or potential buyers.
- Political campaigns: Live polls can be used to gauge public opinion on candidates or issues during an election.
- Television and radio shows: Live polls can be used to engage the audience and gather feedback during a live broadcast.
- Social media: Live polls can be used on social media platforms to gather real-time feedback or opinions from followers.
How can Live Poll tools be best utilized for remote meetings?
- To gather feedback on a specific topic or issue: A live poll can be used to gather input and opinions from team members on a particular issue or topic being discussed during the meeting.
- To gauge understanding: A live poll can be used to assess how well team members understand a particular concept or topic being discussed during the meeting.
- To make decisions: A live poll can be used to facilitate decision-making by allowing team members to vote on a particular course of action.
- To engage team members: A live poll can be used to engage team members and encourage participation during a remote meeting, especially if the team is spread out across different time zones or locations.
How can Live Polling be beneficial to you as a team leader?
There are several benefits to incorporating live polling tools as a team leader:
- Improved engagement: Live polls can help to engage team members and encourage participation, especially if the team is spread out across different locations or time zones.
- Enhanced understanding: Live polls can be used to assess team members' understanding of a particular topic or concept, allowing the leader to identify any areas of confusion and address them in real-time.
- Better decision-making: Live polls can facilitate decision-making by allowing team members to vote on a particular course of action.
- Increased transparency: Live polls can help to increase transparency by allowing all team members to see the results and the opinions of their colleagues.
- Enhanced collaboration: Live polls can encourage collaboration by allowing team members to share their ideas and opinions in real-time.
In short - live polls can be a useful tool for team leaders to facilitate communication, collaboration, and decision-making within their team.
How can Live Poll results be presented visually?
There are several ways that poll results can be presented, depending on the purpose of the poll and the audience. Some options for presenting poll results have been listed below, but don't be limited to just this list alone!
Graphs
Graphs are a common way to visually represent poll results. Different types of graphs, such as bar graphs, pie charts, or line graphs, can be used depending on the nature of the data.
Tables
Tables can be used to present poll results in a clear and organized manner. They can be used to show the number of responses for each option or the percentage of respondents who selected each option.
Word Clouds
Word clouds can be used to visually represent the most common responses to a poll. Words that appear more frequently in the responses are displayed in a larger font size.
Infographics
Infographics are visual representations of data that use a combination of graphics, text, and data visualization to present information in a clear and concise manner. They can be used to present poll results in a visually appealing way.
Narrative Summary
A narrative summary is a written description of the poll results, highlighting the key findings and trends. This can be a useful way to present the results to an audience who may not be able to view a visual representation of the data.
Ultimately, the best way to present poll results will depend on the poll's specific goals and the audience's needs.
Conclusion
It's better to engage the room than make a general assumption to get a better idea of what everyone is thinking or feels about a certain topic, idea, or question. Live polls are easy to set up and launch within minutes, so don't be afraid to incorporate a quick poll into your next virtual presentation or team meeting - live polling may be the missing link between your audience that you could greatly benefit from!
