I’ve been intrigued by the proliferation of polls on LinkedIn of late. They can offer an opportunity to engage with an audience and allow people to express a perspective on an issue of interest. The response options in polls for the reader are intended to be quick and simple. Response options might indicate press here, select yes or no, choose one of a-b-c, etc.
Two recent polls I conducted on LinkedIn produced interesting results.
Poll #1: How Long a Continuing Resolution Would Last As We Move Into FY22?
One poll asked how long a continuing resolution would last as we move into FY22. The options were 30 days, three months, or six months. The unanimous response from the audience was three months, meaning people expect that we will not have a finalized FY22 budget before Christmas this year. It’s difficult to know exactly what this response means. It could reflect a lack of faith in Congressional action, or it could mean that most see the same pattern of prior years unfolding again. What is crystal clear is that all respondents see a continuing resolution in our future – this is consistent with conventional wisdom and general punditry this year.
Poll #2: What Piece of Legislation Would be Finalized First in Congress This Year?
A second poll asked a bit of a trick question. It asked the audience what piece of legislation would be finalized first in Congress this year: infrastructure, defense authorization, or defense policy? The results were decidedly mixed. In this case, two of the three choices were the same thing but were stated differently. Defense policy is contained in the defense authorization bill, one and the same. So, what does the mixed response tell us? I think this poll confirms a few important things:
- Audiences don’t necessarily know the definitions of terms used in a discussion. I see this play out in conversations on a weekly basis in my work, not just on LinkedIn.
- People are ok responding to questions and will offer unfiltered feedback when it is not attributable to them by name, as in anonymous polls.
- Each of the responses appeared plausible and nobody identified that two of the responses were synonymous.
Who in your organization might have answered my polls?
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