It's a poll ✅, not a vote 🗳️🚫

You're in a meeting with seven colleagues. You're about to make a decision^[1] and there are a handful of options. This is the point where someone says, "let's vote!"

Stop.

It's (probably) not a vote.

It's (probably) a poll. Let me explain.

Votes typically reveal a winner.^[2] Polls typically reveal a distribution of opinion.

Questions I like to ask myself if I'm about to solicit input from a lot of folks:

🗳️is the answer sought more opinion or fact? If we're asking about the maturity of a control^[3], there is only one true answer and if there are four 1 votes and four 5 votes, the control probably isn't a maturity 3... in this case, the poll reveals the need for information sharing and some robust debate^[4]

🗳️what does the vote do to the fidelity of data input to decision-making, are we using ratio or ordinal scales?^[5] I see this often when looking at opinion-style surveys, e.g. which-of-these-risks-worries-you-most? Compare the relative rankings^[6] of car color preference with the ultimate result in sales,^[7] which view are we creating as we vote?

🗳️Do the inputs fairly represent the affected constituency? Are the individuals in the room able to adequately reach — and own — a binding, consequential decision that represents everyone who will live with its outcomes?

None of this means you shouldn't go ahead. Definitely ask for input. Benefits include:

✅Even if you're looking for facts over opinions, a poll can quickly reveal consensus — or highlight the need for a deeper dive.^[8]
✅If the decision requires more fidelity than a poll can directly provide, it still can lighten cognitive load and reduce the decision space.^[9]
✅If you're needing to capture the rationale behind a decision that affects many, a poll captures expert opinion and can feed into a new round of the decision loop.

So go ahead. Ask everyone to rank things 1-5 or declare a favorite. Just call it what it is. Happy polling!