5 ways polls can increase engagement in online meetings

Real-time polls can be used to plan an event, start a conversation, or break up the monotony of a long presentation. Before you write your poll questions, know what you want to accomplish. For example:

• Get immediate feedback on a big announcement.
  
  
• Identify topics to cover in future meetings.
  
  
• “Break the ice” during a social hour.

Online poll data is only valuable if employees respond honestly. Follow these tips for writing higher-quality polls that attendees will want to participate in:

• Consider making sensitive topic polls anonymous.
  
  
• Write clear, concise questions.

• Use language that is respectful and non-judgmental.

Some online polling tools offer an open-ended option that displays participants’ responses in a word cloud. This helps to gauge the audience’s response to an announcement and create an “icebreaker” for internal conversation.

You should also plan when each poll will appear during a meeting, how long it will be available, and when you’ll share the results. Tips include:

• Designating an individual to post, manage, and close the polls.

• Identifying when each poll question should appear during the event.

• Posting social questions during breaks to spur conversation.

Free online polling tools offer varying degrees of quality and ease of use. Conduct a poll “rehearsal” to ensure the polling tool is compatible with your existing virtual meeting software and that it performs to your satisfaction. Evaluation criteria should include:

• Was it easy to prepare, launch, and close the poll at the right time?
  
  

• Was there a lag between posting the poll and seeing it on the viewer side?
   

• Was the poll intrusive or distracting from the primary content?
   

• Was the overall poll experience smooth for your sample audience?
   

• Were the results accurate?

People are naturally curious and want to see if their opinion matches the majority. Share poll results throughout meetings to help drive participation in later polls and provide a brief break during longer discussions. Sharing immediate results also shows that you’re listening to what employees have to say.

Online polls are only valuable if you convert learnings into action. Listen to the data and look for trends that show you what is going well and areas for improvement. Then, formulate a plan for using employee feedback. Positive input may spark ideas for employee rewards, team events, or future business strategies. Results can also provide a roadmap for improving the employee experience, which in turn can help retention rates.