Dotmocracy/Speed Geeking

Dotmocracy is similar to other facilitation techniques such as "multi-voting", “dot-voting”, “sticky-dot voting” and “sticker voting”. However, there are quite important differences between "dotmocracy" and traditional dot-voting methods, given that dotmocracy should be more efficient in providing the greatest opportunity for identifying an answer with the highest possible level of agreement.

Dotmocracy can be helpful for:

• recognizing priorities of all participants (even from the quite and shy ones);
• empowering the group;
• finding solutions to a problem while avoiding power dynamics;
• providing results about the group's collective preferences;
• supporting friendly discussions that can easily lead to practical conclusions.^[1]

Before starting a Dotmocracy session

1. Inform the participants on the issue to be discussed.
2. Present the issue and post the questions that need to be answered during the dotmocracy process.
3. Let participants suggest their answers to the given questions. They can brainstorm in small groups as well as individually.

Running a Dotmocracy session

1. Let participants write their ideas on "dotmocracy sheets". This kind of sheets enables participants to express their opinion of the idea mentioned by dotting the most suitable attitude: "Strong Agreement", "Agreement", "Neutral", "Disagreement", "Strong Disagreement" or "Confusion".
2. Post dotmocracy sheets on a wall or let participants pass them to each other.
3. Let participants fill the dotmocracy sheets and write comments on them.
4. Let participants discuss again their ideas in the light of the comments made and post new ideas to be dotted.
5. Collect all the sheets and report back the results to the plenary.
6. Publish the results and underline which are the most popular ideas and which ones have aroused the strongest disagreements.
7. Announce a decision, aiming at having the most agreement with minimal disagreement.

General rules to follow

• Facilitator should be neutral on the content.
• Each participant should only fill one dot per sheet.
• Participants may dot as many sheets as they want.
• Participants can also contribute anonymously.
• Ideas shouldn't be changed once dotting has started.
• Participants can post new ideas at any time.^[2]

Job Aid

Conducting a Dotmocracy session