anyWare Polling
Demonstration of anyWare Polling by Ken Snyder and Jason Lally of PlaceMatters (May 6, 2009). Keypad polling is a decision support tool commonly used in public meetings to obtain anonymous feedback from participants at key decision points. This feedback is important in public processes as it allows the group to confirm whether consensus is reached or it may inform the process facilitator that additional information or discussion is required. Such technology consists of hand held keypads (similar to TV remote controls) that communicate via with a base station. Responses are recorded anonymously when each participant selects a number on his or her keypad corresponding to a multiple choice answer or preference along a scale (for example, “Enter 1 if you strongly disagree and 5 if you strongly agree”). Polling results are displayed on the projection screen seconds after each question is asked. One advantage of anyWare Polling over other polling applications is that it runs on a web platform instead of as a plug-in on top of PowerPoint. This makes it possible to synchronize keypad polling with online polling using computers or handheld devices like smartphones and PDAs and thus enables participants to take part in the decision-making process at a face-to-face meeting or remotely from home or work. Learn more at http://mgel.env.duke.edu/proj/mebm/funded-projects/anyware/index_html.