Nominal (meaning in name only) group technique (NGT) is a structured variation of a small-­group discussion to reach consensus. NGT gathers inform­ation by asking indivi­duals to respond to questions posed by a moderator, and then asking partic­ipants to prioritize the ideas or sugges­tions of all group members. The process prevents the domination of the discussion by a single person, encourages all group members to partic­ipate, and results in a set of priori­tized solutions or recomm­end­ations that represent the group’s prefer­ences.

NGT is a good method to use to gain group consensus, for example, when various people (program staff, stakeh­olders, community residents, etc.) are involved in constr­ucting a logic model and the list of outputs for a specific component is too long and therefore has to be priori­tized. In this case, th
e questions to consider would be: “Which of the outputs listed are most important to achieving our goal and are easier to measure? Which of our outputs are less important to achieving our goal and are more difficult for us to measure?”

The Meeting Room
Prepare a room large enough to accomm­odate 5-9 nine partic­ipants. Organize the tables in a U-shape, with a flip chart at the open end of the U.
Supplies
Each U-shaped table set up will need a flip chart; a large felt-tip pen; masking tape; and paper, pencil, and 3” x 5” index cards for each partic­ipant.

This statement clarifies member roles and group object­ives, and should include: a warm welcome, a statement of the importance of the task, a mention of the
importance of each member ’s contri­bution, and an indication of how the group’s output will be used.

Discussion should be equally balanced among all ideas. The facili­tator should not allow discussion to turn into argument. The primary purpose of the discussion is clarif­ica­tion. It is not to resolve differ­ences of opinion.
Keep all ideas visible. When ideas overflow to additional flipchart pages, post previous pages around the room so all ideas are still visible to everyone.
See brains­torming for other sugges­tions to use with this tool.

The moderator presents the question or problem to the group in written form and reads the question to the group. The moderator directs everyone to write ideas in brief phrases or statements and to work silently and indepe­nde­ntly. Each person silently generates ideas and writes them down.

Group members engage in a round-­robin feedback session to concisely record each idea (without debate at this point). The moderator writes an idea from a group member on a flip chart that is visible to the entire group, and proceeds to ask for another idea from the next group member, and so on. There is no need to repeat ideas; however, if group members believe that an idea provides a different emphasis or variation, feel free to include it. Proceed until all members’ ideas have been docume­nted.

Each recorded idea is then discussed to determine clarity and import­ance. For each idea, the moderator asks, “Are there any questions or comments group members would like to make about the item?” This step provides an opport­unity for members to express their unders­tanding of the logic and the relative importance of the item. The creator of the idea need not feel obliged to clarify or explain the item; any member of the group can play that role.

Indivi­duals vote privately to prioritize the ideas. The votes are tallied to identify the ideas that are rated highest by the group as a whole. The moderator establ­ishes what criteria are used to prioritize the ideas. To start, each group member selects the five most important items from the group list and writes one idea on each index card. Next, each member ranks the five ideas selected, with the most important receiving a rank of 5, and the least important receiving a rank of 1. After members rank their responses in order of priority, the moderator creates a tally sheet on the flip chart with numbers down the left-hand side of the chart, which correspond to the ideas from the round-­robin. The moderator collects all the cards from the partic­ipants and asks one group member to read the idea number and number of points allocated to each one, while the moderator records and then adds the scores on the tally sheet. The ideas that are the most highly rated by the group are the most favored group actions or ideas in response to the question posed by the moderator.

It may be necessary to narrow the list through using the Multi-­Voting or 100 Votes proced­ures.
7. Ranked items are discussed.
All items receiving a rank are listed so all partic­ipants can view. The ranking of each item is design­ated. (The higher the total, the higher the rank.) Further discussion and clarif­ication of the ranked items is led by the facili­tator to ensure that all partic­ipants understand what is meant by each priority.
8. 2nd Ranking.
From among the ranked items on the previous list, each partic­ipant ranks the ten items he now considers most important. This is done silently and indepe­ndently as in step 6. (This ranking might be limited to five items per person.) The rankings are again averaged.
9. Final rankings are discussed.
The group reviews the ranking and discusses the outcome of the activity.
10. Format for sharing results.
Create a table listing all ranked items, beginning with the item ranked the highest. Include a column indicating the total votes each item received and the number of persons casting a vote for that item.