Polls are an efficient way to gather information or insights from people. You can use polls to learn about someone else’s preferences, opinions, interests, and even attitudes. Polls are also useful to get honest, unbiased feedback from someone. To gather these insights, you will need to first create a poll and one of the tools you can use to create polls is Discord. 

Poll creation on Discord is a fantastic way to engage with users on your server and build a connection. If you’re a member of the Discord community, you can create an entirely new channel for polls, add a bot, or use a third-party site.

In this article, we will discuss how you can create a poll on Discord, but before we delve in, let’s discuss the reasons why you should make polls on Discord.

Setting the Stage: Why Use Polls on Discord

1. Enhancing Interaction and Engagement: The first and most important part of using Discord to create a poll is that it is a good way to encourage people to join the conversation and interact. It’s like asking, “Hey, what do you think about this?” This helps to make your Discord server more friendly and welcoming. The trick is to start a poll about a topic everyone can relate to, whether it’s favorite games, movies, or weekend plans. To achieve this, you need to ask open-ended questions in your polls.
2. Making Group Decisions Efficiently: Polls can simplify the decision-making process and help everyone in the group arrive at a consensus. For instance, if you and your community members are uncertain about the game to decide on or an event to organize, you can simply create a poll and have everyone decide. This helps eliminate friction among your community members. 
3. Gathering Feedback and Opinions: Polls are your direct line to understanding the interests of your community members. Having insight into what excites your community can help you tailor your server to them. You can create polls about server rules, event feedback, or content preferences to gather valuable information.

How To Create Polls On Slack

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Make a Poll on Discord

• Step 1: Choosing the Right Discord Channel
  • Open your Discord server, and select a channel that is relevant to the topic of your poll and where the intended audience is active. 
• Step 2: Adding a New Message
  • Ensure that you begin the poll with a clear and concise message. This message should explain the purpose of the poll and how to participate. You can do this by clicking on the Text Box and starting a new message in the channel.
• Step 3: Using Discord Poll Commands
  • The method you’re using to create the poll will determine if there will be specific commands to initiate and manage the poll. For instance, if you’re using a bot like Simple Poll, you would use the /poll command. Follow the command with your poll question and options, separated by quotes.
• Step 4: Crafting Poll Questions
  • Your questions must be easy to understand. Avoid using jargon or complex language that might confuse your community members.
• Step 5: Adding Poll Options
  • When creating your poll, provide multiple choices for users to select from. The options should cover all possible opinions or answers to avoid bias. List your poll options, and separate each with quotes.
• Step 6: Setting the Poll Duration
  • Another important part of creating a poll is deciding the duration of the poll. You must decide how long you want to collect votes. This could range from a few minutes for quick decisions, to several days for more significant topics. You must also consider your community members while deciding so they don’t feel rushed. To set your your poll duration, use time commands. Specify the duration of the poll using time commands (e.g., 1d for one day, 1h for one hour).
• Step 7: Posting the Poll
  • Once everything is set, post the poll to the selected channel. Ensure that the poll is visible and accessible to all intended participants.

Interacting with the Poll: How Members Can Vote

• Step 1: Members React to the Message
  • One cool and fun thing Discord did with their poll is allowing community members to make a vote using emojis. Members can use a corresponding emoji to react to your poll message because each emoji represents a different option in the poll.
• Step 2: Monitoring Real-time Results
  • As members vote, you can monitor the results in real-time. The number of reactions under the poll message indicates the number of votes each option has received. This process is very transparent.

Closing and Analyzing the Poll

• Step 1: Ending the Poll
  • Once the poll duration is over, it’s important to close the poll to prevent further voting. This can be done manually or automatically depending on the poll settings. You should also notify members that the poll is closed and thank them for their participation.
• Step 2: Reviewing Results
  • Analyzing and Understanding the Collected Data: After closing the poll, the next step is to analyze the results. This is how you can understand the preferences of the participants based on their votes.
  • Noting Key Takeaways and Trends: While analyzing, look for key takeaways and trends in the data. These insights can guide future decisions and strategies.

Tracking Polls in Survey Research

Best Practices for Discord Polls

• Crafting Engaging and Relevant Poll Questions: The success of a poll largely depends on the questions. This is why there’s an emphasis on putting together questions that are engaging, clear, and relevant to the participants.
• Encouraging Participation Through Incentives: Offering incentives can boost your Discord community members’ participation. These could be recognition, rewards, or simply the satisfaction of contributing to a community decision.
• Moderating Polls to Ensure Constructive Engagement: Moderation should not be lost while you ensure that the poll remains a constructive platform for engagement. This involves monitoring responses and managing any inappropriate behavior.

Advanced Polling Techniques

• Implementing Advanced Poll Features (e.g., Ranked Voting): Advanced features like ranked voting allow participants to rank their preferences instead of choosing just one option. This can provide more nuanced insights into participant preferences.
• Integrating Bots for Enhanced Poll Functionality: Bots can automate many aspects of polling on Discord, from creating polls to collecting and analyzing responses. This can greatly enhance the functionality and efficiency of polls.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Even with the best intentions, issues may arise when you’re conducting polls on Discord. Here’s a guide to troubleshoot common problems and maintain a positive polling experience for your community:

Addressing Common Problems and Solutions

1. Low Participation: You can encourage members’ engagement through announcements, incentives, or by simply sending reminders.
2. Confusing Polls: Review your poll questions for clarity; consider seeking feedback on question wording.
3. Technical Glitches: Verify that your Discord is updated; if issues persist, seek help from Discord support or community forums.
4. Inappropriate Behavior: Establish clear rules, moderate discussions, and address inappropriate behavior promptly.

Handling Discord Poll Misuse or Abuse

1. Spamming or Manipulation: Implement slow mode to prevent spam and keep monitoring reactions for unusual patterns.
2. Bias or Unfair Influence: Keep your eyes out for reactions and comments that attempt to manipulate poll outcomes and take corrective action if needed.
3. Toxicity in Comments: Set clear community guidelines. Also, moderate comments to maintain a positive environment.

Conclusion

Creating polls on Discord is a powerful way to amplify community engagement and gather insights. As you navigate the Discord polls, remember that they are a means to foster inclusivity, gather diverse perspectives, and make decisions collectively. So, encourage your community to actively participate, and embrace the democratic spirit that polls bring to your Discord server.