How to create a poll in Slack
Simple Poll makes it quick and easy to create polls in Slack. There are a couple of ways to do so, so let’s start with the easiest.
1. Create a poll using a shortcut
A quick way to create a poll is by using a shortcut. You can access the Simple Poll shortcut by clicking the Run shortcut button in Slack. It’s the little / symbol in the bottom left of the message window.
If Create poll with Simple Poll is not in the list already, you can search for it by typing "poll":
After selecting the shortcut for Create poll with Simple Poll, a modal window that lets you create your poll will open:
Fill in the details of your poll and select any settings you want to apply. When you’re ready, click Preview to check what your poll will look like.
💡 Tip: If you want a safe place to experiment with creating polls, you can post one in a private channel, or even in a direct message to yourself!
2. Create a poll using the /poll command
You can create polls by using the /poll command. You can use this command in two ways:
1. Type in /poll and press Enter. This will open the modal window in the same way as using a shortcut.
2. Type in /poll directly followed by the question/topic you want to ask and the options you want to include. Surround your question and each option with quotation marks.
For example, typing this:
/poll “What times would work for a quick team meeting later?” “1pm” “2pm” “3pm”
Hitting enter, or send, will show you a preview, and then you can post the poll:
You can still make use of the settings from the modal window, by adding keywords after your question/topic and options. Keywords are not surrounded with quotation marks.
- The keyword anonymous makes the poll anonymous
- The keyword allow-options lets team members add options to your poll
- The keyword limit 1 limits how many votes each respondent can cast to 1
For example, you can create a poll that is both anonymous and allows people to add options:
/poll “What do you want to make sure we cover in the company meeting later?” “Hiring progress” “Party update” “Financials” allow-options anonymous
Here is what that poll would look like:
If you get stuck, don’t hesitate to get in touch via [email protected]