Make better group decisions during the meeting
Surveylet Live Consensus Sessions help conferences, workshops, advisory boards, committees, and leadership groups collect independent input, share anonymized feedback, and document decisions in real time. Calibrum’s live consensus facilitation service supports session planning, preparation, and delivery.
When large-group discussion stops working
Traditional discussion is valuable, but it becomes difficult when many people need to contribute and the group must still make a decision within a limited agenda. The people who speak first, speak most confidently, or hold the highest-ranking positions can unintentionally shape the outcome before everyone else has been heard.
Not everyone gets heard
Sequential discussion can consume the available time before quieter participants, minority viewpoints, or remote attendees have a meaningful opportunity to contribute.
Hierarchy affects disagreement
Participants may be reluctant to publicly challenge a colleague, client, senior expert, board member, or organizational leader—even when they hold an important alternative view.
The meeting ends without clarity
A long discussion may reveal many opinions but still leave the group without a transparent record of agreement, disagreement, priority, or the final decision.
How a Live Consensus Session works
Calibrum helps translate the decision into a structured Real-Time Delphi workflow. The exact format is tailored to the event, but a typical session follows the steps below.
More than ordinary audience polling
Standard live polling can be useful for engagement. A Surveylet Live Consensus Session is designed for a more demanding purpose: helping a group deliberate and make a structured decision.
| Standard live polling | Surveylet Live Consensus Session |
|---|---|
| Usually captures one response | Can allow participants to review feedback and reconsider |
| Primarily displays vote percentages | Can show distributions, consensus indicators, comments, and unresolved disagreement |
| Often emphasizes majority preference | Keeps minority and divergent positions visible |
| Limited explanation of responses | Can collect reasoning, comments, or suggested revisions |
| Designed mainly for engagement | Designed to support a transparent, documented decision process |
Where Live Consensus Sessions fit
Conference decision exercises
Engage participants in evaluating recommendations, standards, priorities, definitions, or proposed actions during the event.
Expert advisory boards
Collect independent expert judgments before discussion and document where the advisory group agrees or remains divided.
Association and committee meetings
Support decisions involving professional standards, policy positions, strategic priorities, or proposed initiatives.
Strategic-planning workshops
Prioritize goals, risks, investments, scenarios, success criteria, or implementation actions.
Research and policy agendas
Rank evidence gaps, research questions, funding priorities, policy options, or implementation needs.
Guidelines and standards development
Evaluate proposed statements, criteria, definitions, recommendations, or areas requiring revision.
What Calibrum can provide
Before the event
- Planning meeting and decision-objective review
- Question, option, statement, and scale preparation
- Consensus or decision-rule planning
- Surveylet configuration and branding
- Participant instructions and access testing
- Technical rehearsal and moderator run-of-show
During the event
- Remote facilitation or technical moderation
- Participant access through a link or QR code
- Real-time participation monitoring
- Presentation of anonymized group feedback
- Management of reconsideration periods
- Identification of consensus and unresolved disagreement
After the event
- Final response and comment exports
- Participation and completion summary
- Consensus, disagreement, and priority findings
- Concise post-session results summary
- Optional detailed analysis and final report
- Optional follow-up Delphi round or study support
A Live Consensus Session tailored to your event
Each engagement is scoped around the decision your group needs to make, the event format, the participant experience, and the level of facilitation and reporting required.
Custom scope and quote
A typical remotely supported engagement may include planning, question preparation, Surveylet configuration, participant instructions, one technical rehearsal, live facilitation or technical monitoring, and a concise post-session results summary.
What affects the scope
The final scope depends on the number of participants, session duration, number and complexity of decision questions, facilitation needs, reporting requirements, technical environment, and whether support is remote or on-site.
- On-site support and travel are scoped separately
- Multiple sessions or breakout groups require a tailored plan
- Larger events may require additional technical preparation
- Detailed analysis and final reporting can be added
Recent conference example
In a recent live conference exercise, approximately 20 participants used Surveylet to evaluate options and support a decision during the event. Participants could provide independent input, review the group’s position, and reconsider their responses within the conference schedule. The session demonstrated how Real-Time Delphi can help a group move efficiently from discussion to a clear and documented outcome.
Frequently asked questions
Do participants need special software?
No installation is normally required. Participants access Surveylet using a supported web browser on a phone, tablet, or computer with a reliable Internet connection.
Can participants remain anonymous?
The session can be configured so group feedback is presented without identifying individual participants. The appropriate access and anonymity model is confirmed during planning.
Does the session replace discussion?
No. It helps focus discussion on the issues where views differ, while allowing routine agreement and straightforward priorities to be identified efficiently.
Can the results become a detailed report?
Yes. A concise post-session summary is included in the standard engagement, and a more comprehensive Delphi Analysis & Final Report can be added when needed.
Bring structured decision-making to your next conference or meeting
Tell us what the group needs to decide, how many people will participate, how much time is available, and what output you need afterward. Calibrum can recommend a practical Live Consensus Session format.