FREE online courses on Effective Meeting Facilitation - Sample Forms Tools Checklists - 2 NOMINAL GROUP TECHNIQUE

 

Frame the question -- this takes thought before the group assembles. What do you want the group to tell you?

 

Pose the question in clear, simple language (so that it can be answered with a simple idea or sentence). Encourage participants to think for a few minutes, or write down their thoughts before speaking.

 

After a few minutes of thinking individually, ask the participants -- in "round robin" style -- to respond to the question with one (only one response at a time) of their ideas. Give instructions that this step is accomplished by just listing the ideas, discussion will follow. The facilitator puts the ideas up on flip chart paper (alternating two colors) without numbering the items.

 

After all the ideas are up on the flip chart paper, review the list by discussing each item briefly. The purpose is to clarify and understand the logic behind the idea. Unless there is direct overlap of ideas, keep items separate. After discussion, number each item.

 

Encourage participants to speak in favor of an idea they believe particularly worthy -- or explain why they find an idea troublesome. (This is a key part of understanding diverse points of view.)

 

Ranking the items can be accomplished in a number of ways. The easiest is to use sticky dots. Give each participant five dots and instruct them to write number each dot 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Then direct the participants to select from the list the five most significant or useful ideas.

 

Tell the participants, "Now that you have selected in your own mind the five most important ideas -- of those five items, give the dot with five points (the number "5") to the most significant and the dot with one point ("1") to the least significant of your five favorites. Continue giving points according to preference (four points to next most favorite idea, three, and two respectively). (Participants can walk up to the items listed on the flip chart paper posted on the walls, and stick the dots directly on the items.)

 

Tally the totals.

 

Ask for discussion on the results. Do the top ranking ideas make sense?

 

Note: Nominal group technique works when you want to determine priority concerns or priority directions. For example, the question (# 1 above) might be framed: "If you were writing your organization's annual report a year from now, what accomplishments would you like to be able to include?"

 

The process can be used with large or small groups. It should not be used to bring the group to a final decision. Action planning is often the next process step after nominal group technique surfaces concerns and priorities.