Example polls
Paste any of these into the message box in Slack.
Choice poll. The simplest straw poll, labelled as non-binding.
/poll "Straw poll, not a decision: should we move standup to 10:00?" "Yes" "No" "No preference"
Free
Choice poll. An anonymous read on readiness, so nobody feels pressure to say ready.
/poll "Quick temperature check: are we ready to cut the release branch today?" "Ready" "Need a day" "Not close" anonymous
Free
Anonymous
What it's good for
- Testing whether an idea is worth a meeting. If 90% already agree, skip the meeting.
- Finding the split early. If the room is 50/50, you know where to spend the discussion.
- Making quiet opinions visible. A poll gets answers from people who wouldn't speak up in a thread.
The mistake people make
Treating it as the decision. People answer a straw poll quickly and without full context,
and they vote differently when it counts. Say "not a decision" in the question. If the
result is close or the stakes are high, follow up with a proper vote: limit 1 (Premium)
for one vote each, or a ranked poll when there are
several options.
Running one in Slack
A straw poll should take seconds to post and seconds to answer. In Simple Poll that's a
plain /poll with a question and two to four options, no settings needed, on the Free
plan. Add anonymous if you want people's honest lean rather than their public
position.
Questions
Is a straw poll binding?
No. It's a read of opinion. If you need a decision, run a vote with clear rules and a deadline.
What is the difference between a straw poll and a regular poll?
Intent. The mechanics are the same; a straw poll is explicitly informal and doesn't settle anything.
Related
- How to create a poll in Slack
Slack has no poll button of its own. Its help centre suggests two routes: install a polling app, or post a message and ask people to vote with emoji reactions. This guide covers the app route with Simple Poll, used by 945,000+ teams, because it gives you a real poll: counted votes, anonymous voting, one-vote limits and a clean result.
- How to use the /poll command in Slack
/poll is Simple Poll's slash command. Typed on its own, it opens the poll form. Typed with a question, options and a few keywords, it builds the whole poll in one line, shows you a preview, and posts it. This page is the reference for the one-line version.
- What is an anonymous poll?
An anonymous poll records votes without showing who cast them: everyone sees the totals, and nobody can see which person picked which answer. In Simple Poll that includes the person who created the poll.
- What is a single-choice poll?
A single-choice poll lets each voter pick exactly one option. The result shows how a group splits when everyone has to commit to a single answer.