Superlatives

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Acknowledge individual strengths and working habits across a team using brief, lighthearted peer nominations.

Use it when: Use during team retrospectives, milestone celebrations, or recurring team meetings where members know each other well enough to recognize habits.

Skip it when: Skip with newly formed groups or strangers who lack shared history to make informed, kind choices.

Group arrangement: Whole group with individual voting or nominations

Timing: 15 minutes, matching the source documentation.

Materials and tools

• A displayed list of 4 to 6 positive superlative prompts
• Scratch paper and pens for in-person voting, or a digital live polling tool for remote and hybrid teams
• A timer

Before participants arrive

1. Select 4 to 6 categories from the participant materials or create team-specific items.
2. Load categories into a digital polling tool or write them clearly on a visible board.
3. Ensure every participant's preferred name is visible on a roster or screen.

Say this to open

We are going to hand out a few positive, work-friendly superlatives today. For each award, think about who best fits the description and cast your vote. Keep your choices kind and constructive. You may vote for a teammate or yourself, or you may pass on any round.

How to run it

1. Introduce rules and categories 3 minutes

   Explain the voting method: private ballot via poll tool or paper slip. State the guardrail rule: each person can win a maximum of one award today. If someone who already won receives top votes in a later round, the award passes to the runner-up.

2. Vote on categories 6 minutes

   Present the categories one at a time. Give 45 to 60 seconds per item for participants to submit a name. For example, present 'Best person to have on a trivia team' and collect responses.

3. Announce awards and brief stories 4 minutes

   Reveal the recipient for each award. Invite one voter per category to share a 15-second concrete example of why they cast that vote. Recipient acceptance is brief.

4. Debrief appreciation patterns 2 minutes

   Ask the group one debrief question to close. Invite two or three volunteers to answer for the room.

Debrief questions

• What positive qualities showed up today that we rarely talk about during regular work?
• How can we make informal peer recognition a regular habit without needing an organized poll?

Finished output: A shared list of awarded superlatives with short peer commendations.

Remote

Present each category using an online polling tool or direct chat messages sent to the facilitator. Display final tallies on screen before inviting spoken comments.

Hybrid

In-person and remote participants both use the same digital polling link or message the facilitator directly to keep voting anonymous and simultaneous across locations.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may submit a blank vote or opt out of receiving an award by notifying the facilitator privately before the session.
• Provide written category text on screen and read each aloud for visual and auditory access.

If the session gets stuck

One or two highly visible team members receive nearly all the votes.

Enforce the one-award-per-person cap and award the runner-up, or prompt the group to name someone whose contributions happen behind the scenes.

A superlative prompt feels sarcastic or exclusionary to a participant.

Stick strictly to neutral, work-safe categories from the provided list, avoiding commentary on appearance, punctuality, or personal habits.

Terms used here

• Superlative: An award or label describing someone as having a high degree of a specific trait, such as 'most organized' or 'best troubleshooter'.