Select One and Talk helps filter and manage time while a group of people has conversations about several items of a (large) list. It is a good alternative for dot voting or some other style of group voting, to filter the conversation to fewer items.

Running the activity:

  1. Decide the order in which participants will talk (e.g., name alphabetic order, age order or position order—from left to right).
  2. Decide the limit of time for each item conversation (e.g., at most three minutes per item conversation) and the activity time (e.g., thirty minutes).
  3. The first person chooses an item, reads it out loud, then the group has a conversation about it.
  4. Go to the next person/conversation until the activity time is over or all items have been covered.

This activity promotes a faster option for filtering, as it does not require time for voting. It also brings a different perspective to the group dynamic, as it fosters a conversation about what is important to each person.

At times, some people feel frustrated because a specific topic has not been selected for conversation. This typically happens because of voting systems. This activity addresses such situations, allowing individuals to select a topic which is important to them.

 

Remote-team advice: This activity works well for remote teams. Share a remote board with the participants, then ask everyone to enter their name. Organize the names in a sequence and follow it for the activity.