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:
- Decide the order in which participants will talk (e.g., name alphabetic order, age order or position order—from left to right).
- 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).
- The first person chooses an item, reads it out loud, then the group has a conversation about it.
- 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.