Fist of Five
A quick consensus-checking technique where participants indicate their level of support for a proposal by showing 1 to 5 fingers simultaneously. Five fingers = full support, one finger = strong opposition with a blocking concern. It surfaces both enthusiasm and dissent at a glance, allowing the facilitator to decide whether to proceed, discuss, or revise the proposal.
Comment l'animer
- 1
Present the proposal clearly to the group.
- 2
Explain the voting scale: 5 = 'I love it, full support'; 4 = 'I like it, let's go'; 3 = 'I can live with it'; 2 = 'I have concerns — I need to voice them'; 1 = 'I strongly object and will block this'.
- 3
Count down '3-2-1' and have everyone show their hand simultaneously.
- 4
If everyone shows 3–5: the proposal passes. Proceed.
- 5
If anyone shows 1–2: invite them to share their concern briefly.
- 6
Address concerns and re-vote if needed. A fist (0) is used in some variants to signal 'I need more time to decide'.
Conseils
The simultaneity is crucial — if people vote sequentially they anchor on each other.
Never let a 1 or 2 pass silently.
Always give those voices space before moving forward.
Variantes
Use a simpler thumbs up/sideways/down for very quick checks. Combine with Gradients of Agreement for more nuanced discussions.
Contextes d'utilisation
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