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Group Poll
How do I create a group poll?
How do I create a group poll?

Learn how to create a group poll with Doodle using this video and guide. Choose meeting type, provide information, add times, and more.

Updated over a week ago

Check out the short video below, or keep reading for detailed instructions on how to create a group poll with Doodle.

Step-by-Step Guide:

Choose meeting type

  1. From your Doodle Dashboard, click on 'Create' in the top right corner

  2. Select 'Create group poll'

Provide meeting information

  1. Set the Title, Description, and Location of your meeting

  2. Toggle on Video Conferencing if the meeting is taking place remotely

    • Note: If your default connected calendar is a Google Calendar, Google Meet will also be connected to your Doodle account. If you want to use Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Webex instead, select it as the main conferencing tool in your account settings.

    • In the case of hybrid meetings, you can set an physical location in addition to providing a video conferencing link.

Add your times

When creating your poll, you can select either 'Week' view or 'Month' view.
​Tip: Use 'Month' view for more flexible starting times, for example, at 10:25, 10:47, etc.

Week view:

  1. Confirm you are using 'Week' view. 'Week' will be underlined.

  2. Select the duration of the times you would like to select. Every time slot will have the same duration.

    • Note: you can also select 'All day'. To add all-day sessions to your group poll, click beneath the date in the calendar grid.

    • Click 'Custom' to define a specific event duration. The minimum custom event duration is five minutes, and the maximum custom event duration is eight hours.

  3. Check your time zone at the top right corner. Your default time zone will be automatically applied. Make sure that this time zone selection is YOUR time zone. The group poll will automatically adjust according to the time zone of your participants.

  4. Check for conflicts with other calendars under '1 calendar shown' menu at the bottom left corner. Your connected primary calendar will be selected automatically, but you can also select any other calendar that you have connected to your Doodle account, or that you subscribe to (for example, shared calendars).

  5. Click anywhere on the calendar to create time slots.

    • Note: In 'Week' view, your start times can only be set in 15 minute intervals (e.g. 9:00 AM, 9:15 AM, 9:30 AM, 9:45 AM, 10:00 AM, etc.)

    • You can delete a time slot by hovering the cursor over the time slot and clicking on the little 'x' in the top right of the cell

    • You can click and drag a time slot to a different spot on your calendar

Month view:

  1. Confirm you are using 'Month' view. 'Month' will be underlined.

  2. Select the duration of the times you would like to select. Every time slot will have the same duration.

    • Note: you can also select "All day" and click directly on the dates to offer all-day options.

  3. Click on the days for which you would like to offer time slots.

  4. Add a start time to the time slots. If you want to have different times on different days, click "Add different times to dates". You can also add more time slots on specific date by clicking "Add times".

    • Note: In 'Month' view, your start times can be set with complete flexibility. To indicate a start time, select from the menu or type into the text field

    • If you choose to type your start time, you must follow a precise convention when typing your start time(s). For example, to indicate a start time of 1:00 PM, you will need to type it exactly as shown, including the colon and the space between the minutes and AM/PM

Enable special settings (Doodle Professional features)

You can enable a few special settings for your group poll. All the special settings require a Doodle Professional subscription.

To enable the settings, tick the corresponding box under 'Settings'.

  • Set a deadline (this feature is a Doodle Professional feature): after this date and time, no new responses can be submitted for your group poll, and existing participants will not be able to change their votes.

  • Limit participants (this feature is a Doodle Professional feature): set the maximum amount of participants that can select the same time slot.

    • Note: This feature can only be activated during the initial setup of the group poll. It is not possible to activate it after the group poll has been created.

  • Set automatic reminders (this feature is a Doodle Professional feature): we will send out reminders to the participants who still have not voted after a given time. Read here for more information about how automatic reminders work.

  • Hide participant list (this feature is a Doodle Professional feature): only you will be able to see the list of participants and their votes.

Finish up your group poll

  1. Click 'Create and share' at the bottom right corner to finish your group poll setup.

Share invite

Now it is time to invite your participants. You can invite your participants by sharing the participation link, or by inviting them via email.

Share with link sharing:

  1. Click 'Share invite'

  2. Distribute the link as you see fit

Share with email invitation:

  1. Click 'More'

  2. Click 'Email invitation'

  3. Enter the emails of your participants

  4. Edit the invitation message if needed

  5. Click 'Send'

Please note:

  • Free Doodle users can email up to 100 people

    • Invitations can be sent to groups of up to ten people up to ten times.

  • Paid Doodle users can email up to 1,000 people

  • Poll organizers cannot un-invite someone after they have been invited to participate in your poll

  • Poll organizers cannot delete or change a response of a poll participant

  • Poll organizers cannot delete a participant from the list of poll participants

Make sending invitations even easier by adding your Google or Outlook contacts to your Doodle account. Now when you start typing the emails of your contacts, Doodle can auto-fill their email.

Good to know

  • As the organizer, you will automatically have voted for all suggested meeting times in the group poll. However, you can change your participation at any time. Read about how to change your vote here.
    ​

  • Once you have the votes you need, select the final option and click 'Book it'. Read about selecting the final option here.
    ​

  • With your calendar connected to your Doodle account, your booked event will appear automatically in your calendar, and a calendar invitation will be sent to your participants.

    • Note: if you do not connect your calendar, you and your participants will receive an email notification about the final date and time for an event, but everyone will need to manually add the event to their calendars.

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