// description
The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a structured decision-making method that begins with silent individual idea generation, moves to round-robin sharing, proceeds to group discussion for clarification, and concludes with anonymous voting or ranking. The word "nominal" reflects the fact that participants function as a group in name only during the ideation phase, preventing groupthink and anchoring.
// history
Delbecq and Van de Ven developed NGT in 1968 while researching program planning at the University of Wisconsin. They were looking for a method that captured the benefits of group interaction without the well-documented downsides of unstructured discussion, where dominant personalities tend to steer outcomes. The technique became widely used in healthcare, social services, and public policy settings where equitable participation matters.
// example
A small KDP team uses NGT to decide which new product category to enter. Each team member silently writes their top three category ideas. During round-robin, 14 distinct categories emerge. Discussion clarifies overlaps and surfaces concerns. Anonymous dot voting reveals "activity books for seniors" and "profession-specific planners" as clear winners, despite the most vocal team member having championed "pet memorial gifts" throughout. The anonymous structure lets data speak without deference to whoever is most enthusiastic in the room.
// katharyne's take
This is the method to use when you're co-creating with people who have very different experience levels or personality types — like when you're getting input from your community on what course to build next. The silent generation phase stops your most enthusiastic members from anchoring everyone else's thinking. I've used a simplified version in community surveys: ask everyone to submit their top three product ideas privately, then aggregate and share results before any discussion. The results are always more diverse and more interesting than what emerges from open conversation.
// creative uses
- Use NGT to decide your next course topic with your community: send a private form asking each member to rank their top three topic choices, aggregate the results without revealing individual answers, share the ranked list, then run a short discussion before a final private vote. The output is a course that actually reflects community demand rather than the loudest voices.
- Apply NGT to Etsy product direction decisions in a small team: each person writes their top three product ideas privately, you round-robin share them anonymously (read each one aloud without attribution), discuss, then use a simple ranked-choice vote. The anonymity often surfaces ideas team members were nervous to propose out loud.
- Run a NGT-style product research session with your email list: send a "pick your top 3" survey with 10 options, require subscribers to rank rather than just select, and share aggregated results in your next email. The transparency builds community trust and the data guides your product roadmap.
// quick actions
- Run a simplified NGT with your next mastermind or team meeting: before discussing anything, have each person silently write their answer to the meeting's key question on paper or in a private chat. Collect all answers before anyone speaks. You'll immediately see how much diversity exists in the room that open discussion would have collapsed.
- Create a TypeForm or Google Form with your top 5–10 product ideas and ask your email list to privately rank them. Share the aggregated results in a community post or email, then invite comments. This is NGT adapted for async audience research.
- Use NGT's anonymous voting principle for your own decision-making: when you have three product directions to choose between, write pros and cons for each on separate cards, shuffle them, and "vote" on them as if you don't know which card is which. Removing your attachment to each idea while evaluating them often produces a cleaner decision.
// prompt ideas
Design a Nominal Group Technique session I can run asynchronously with my [community / email list / mastermind group] to decide [the decision — e.g. "which course topic to build next" or "which product direction to take"]. Write the exact survey or form questions, explain how to aggregate and present results anonymously, and draft the follow-up message sharing results before discussion. Keep it completable in under 5 minutes for participants.
I want to use Nominal Group Technique principles to get better product feedback from my audience without the loudest voices dominating. My audience is [describe — e.g. "KDP creators in a Facebook group"] and I'm trying to decide between [list 3–5 options]. Write me the exact poll or survey structure, explain how to run the clarification and voting phases, and tell me how to interpret and act on the results.
Simulate a Nominal Group session for me as a solo practitioner. I'm trying to decide [your decision — e.g. "which niche to enter next" or "how to structure my next digital product"]. Play the role of three different types of advisors — a conservative one, an experimental one, and a market-data-driven one — have each generate their top three ideas silently, then aggregate the nine ideas, flag the ones that appeared more than once, and give me a ranked list I can use as my decision input.