1. Method Name

Nominal Group Technique (NGT)

2. Alternative Names

Nominal Group Technique

3. Brief Description

NGT is a structured method for generating and prioritizing ideas in a group that minimizes the negative aspects of conventional brainstorming. It combines silent individual work with guided group discussion and voting.

4. Purpose / When to Use

It is used in situations where it is necessary to ensure that every team member has an equal opportunity to contribute, and where there is a risk that dominant individuals will dominate the discussion. It is ideal for generating and quickly prioritizing sensitive or controversial topics.

5. Procedure / How to Apply It

1. Introducing the Topic: The facilitator presents a question or problem.
2. Silent Brainstorming (5–10 min): Each team member silently writes down their ideas on paper, working independently.
3. Collecting Ideas (Round Robin): The facilitator asks each team member, one by one in turn, to read one of their ideas aloud. The ideas are written on the flip chart so that everyone can see them. This continues until all ideas are on the board.
4. Discussion and Clarification: The team reviews all the ideas on the board. Everyone has the opportunity to ask for clarification or briefly discuss the pros and cons of each idea.
5. Voting and Prioritization: Each team member silently selects the 3–5 best ideas and assigns points to them (e.g., 5 points for the best, 1 for the fifth-best). The results are tallied, and a final, prioritized list is created.

6. A Real-World Example

Management wants to gather ideas from employees on how to improve the work environment. However, they are concerned that employees will not be honest. They will use NGT. Everyone will quietly write down their ideas. The ideas will then be collected anonymously, and during the discussion, it will become clear that the biggest problem is noise in the open-plan office.

7. Benefits

- Gives everyone a voice: Even introverted or junior members have equal opportunity to express themselves
.- Reduces conflict and group pressure: Silent brainstorming and voting minimize the influence of dominant personalities.
- Structured and efficient: It leads to a clear, prioritized outcome in a relatively short time
.- High engagement and a sense of fairness.

8. Risks / Limits

- It can be mechanical and less creative: The structure may stifle the spontaneous group synergy that arises during free-form brainstorming.
- It requires a good facilitator who strictly adheres to the process.
- Time-consuming: It is slower than regular brainstorming.
- Limited discussion: The discussion phase is relatively short and focused solely on clarification.

9. Practical Tips

- Clearly define the question in advance: It must be unambiguous and understandable to everyone.
- Maintain silence during the brainstorming session: This is key to independent thinking.
- When voting, use multiple criteria if necessary (e.g., importance vs. feasibility).