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Business English vocabulary · Meetings

Straw poll

Meaning in business english, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In business english, straw poll means: An informal vote used to discover opinion rather than make a binding decision.

In Turkish: bağlayıcı olmayan eğilim yoklaması

How it is used

Used before formal decisions to test support. Make clear that the result measures current preferences and does not itself approve the proposal.

Example sentences

  1. A straw poll showed support for Friday training, but the manager still needed to check shift coverage.

    The preference is visible, but operational checks still stand between it and a final decision.

  2. We used an anonymous straw poll to see whether staff wanted the proposed office move.

    Anonymity helps collect candid opinions; it does not turn the informal poll into binding approval.

Common collocations

  • conduct a straw poll
  • take a straw poll
  • consensusGeneral agreement among all or most members of a group about a decision or an opinion.
  • proposalA formal plan or offer, written or spoken, that is put forward for others such as a client or management to consider and accept.

More terms: Meetings

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