Delphi Emoji Voting & Tally

What participants gain

• Apply critical evaluation to prioritize competing hypotheses
• Achieve rapid, objective consensus among a massive cohort
• Visualize the collective intelligence of the group in real-time

Materials needed

• The finalized numbered list from the previous activity on the shared screen
• Unified chat channel
• Spreadsheet or digital whiteboard for live tallying
• Timer

How to run Delphi Emoji Voting & Tally, step by step

1. Display the finalized 8-10 numbered themes clearly on the shared screen.
2. Instruct participants to silently identify their top 3 choices from the list.
3. Direct participants to type their three chosen numbers separated by commas into the chat box (e.g., '2, 5, 8').
4. Remind the group strictly not to press send until the countdown.
5. Count down from three and command a simultaneous vote submission in the chat.
6. Acknowledge the influx of votes and begin a rapid live tally on the shared screen next to the numbered list.
7. Scan the chat visually to identify the obvious high-frequency numbers if a precise manual tally is too slow.
8. Highlight or bold the top 3 emerging priorities on the shared screen as the consensus becomes clear.
9. Facilitate a brief 2-minute chat-based reaction phase for any final objections or observations.
10. Lock in the final top 3 hypotheses and clear away the unselected options from the screen.

Facilitator tips

• Do not use external polling software (like Mentimeter) as it breaks the 'one screen, one chat' constraint.
• If a precise manual tally of 60 votes (180 data points) takes too long, look for the 'heat' in the chat and call out the obvious winners.
• Have a co-facilitator copy-paste the entire chat log into an AI tool or spreadsheet off-screen for an exact count while you manage the room.
• Maintain high energy during the tally phase by narrating the 'race' between different numbers.
• If there is a tie for the 3rd spot, run a rapid sudden-death waterfall vote between just those two options.

Common challenges

• People vote for more than 3 options - Announce that any vote with more than 3 numbers will be entirely disqualified to enforce constraints.
• Tallying is too slow and energy drops - Narrate the process out loud and focus on finding the top 3 rather than getting a perfect count for the bottom 5.
• Disagreement with the results - Remind the group that this represents the collective intelligence of all 60 people, mathematically eliminating individual bias.
• Chat channel crashes or lags - Have a backup plan to do a simple 'type 1 for option 1' sequential vote if simultaneous voting fails.

Running it virtually

This method relies entirely on the chat function. Ensure remote participants have the screen share pinned so they can see the numbered list clearly while typing in their separate chat window.

Expected results

A definitive, mathematically backed ranking of the top 3 customer churn hypotheses to investigate further.

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