Make your fun fact more than fun

Use icebreakers to do something useful

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:03):
Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.
Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.
Today's tip is for when you are asked to share
a fun fact to introduce yourself. Use the fun fact

(00:24):
to enable connection, help people remember you, or turn attention
to the work at hand. So when new groups of
people come together to form a team or to experience
something together, they are often asked to introduce themselves by
sharing a fun fact. Lots of people find this a

(00:47):
bit annoying. I will admit that I am one of them.
Many fun facts are boring. Many truly fun facts could
send the entire gathering off the rails if you share them,
so best to avoid that unless that is your plan.

(01:09):
But even if the question feels annoying or awkward, stating
a fun fact can be approached as an opportunity to
do something a little more than fun. You can use
the fact to do something useful for yourself or the gathering.
The first approach is to choose a fun fact that

(01:31):
intentionally sparks conversation. Later, try a few out in different
gatherings until you get one that leads to people asking
direct follow up questions that you actually want to talk about.
For instance, I lived on a boat for a year,
you might say, if you did and like to talk
all things nautical, or I have five daughters. If you

(01:53):
do and you want to talk about kids, Share a
fun fact about a hobby or someplace you travel frequently,
and you will give your new teammates an obvious topic
to ask you about. This is a gift to everyone
for the next break time conversation. Another very useful approach
is to choose a fun fact that helps people remember

(02:16):
your name. So, for instance, if your parents named j
Rosie because you had pink cheeks as a baby, sharing
that as a fun fact means people will be more
likely to remember you. If you are in a region
where double names like Mary Douglas are unusual, your fun
fact can be that you were named for your mom's

(02:39):
sister Mary and your dad's brother Douglas, and that your
family has lived in the same town in North Carolina
for four generations. Everybody will know to address you as
Mary Douglas, not as Mary, and they may ask you
about your hometown and your extended family. In this vein,

(02:59):
I could share as a fun fact that my mother's
maiden name is incredibly close to my last name, which
is to say, my father's name. But my parents don't
find that a strange coincidence at all, because in the
ethnically Dutch community where they grew up, a lot of
people had names starting with Vander, so two Vander names

(03:22):
are not the same name at all. A final approach
is to share a fact that connects you to the
purpose of the gathering. Unlike the other approaches, this version
of the fun fact would have to be tailored to
each specific gathering, but when you can do it, this
may make the whole exercise feel a little less awkward,

(03:45):
since you are focusing attention on the work at hand
and not on yourself. So, for instance, if you are
asked to share a fun fact about yourself with the
newcomer ministry team at your church, you could disc I
have your first visit to the church and explain how
that motivated you to get involved. If you are on

(04:06):
the Angel Tree team at your workplace, your fun fact
might be that you received Angel Tree gifts as a kid,
so you are grateful to be able to give back.
If you are sharing a fun fact in a beginner's
yoga workshop, your fun fact might be that this is
the first organized physical activity you've done since your third

(04:27):
grade soccer team, so your teacher and classmates will know
to be especially gentle. When we think of fun facts
is more than just fun. They can become tools for
building meaningful connections that can make the whole experience a
little less annoying. Do you have a fun fact that

(04:51):
you love to share in groups? You can let me
know at Laura at Laura Vanderkamp dot com. In the meantime,
this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making
the moose of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to

(05:16):
hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,
or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,
and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the
number four then Breakfast p o D. You can also
shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i
heeart Media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out

(05:39):
with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward
to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of
I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,
visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever
you listen to your favorite shows. Word don't get get