To hate icebreakers

I like this girl very much.

My issue with the "just make something up" approach is that it doesn't actually address the underlying issue - the expectation that we make our personal and private lives available to people at work. It's kind of irrelevant whether the information is made up or not, the point is still that we're expected to share the information.

Yeah, the ball catching I would absolutely make that my interesting fact. It's relatively unusual, it's insignificant, and it's funny because it's relevant.

If stuck for one I always say come up with something you've never done/owned etc that most people have. You can follow up with a brief explanation that gives a small, but insignificant insight into you.

I just lie. I have three things up my sleeve that I use on rotation!
I'm not sure why they do it as there are much better things I think to make people more comfortable. I have done one where it was a game (a little like the articulate example above) and whilst people groan at first, everyone has real good fun in the end.
But yes, I agree. I think those "say something interesting" intros are awful.

@TheGoddessFrigg in the past that ball catching thing would have definitely given me anxiety like the way you describe.
But this is what I mean by learning not to care.
You can't catch a ball.....so what?
You just laugh it off. Say "no one chuck it at me - I can't catch" and if someone does you say "told ya" as the ball rolls away.
You don't need to be anxious 💐

Some colleagues once ran an icebreaker type thing where the team lead apparently stood at the front and did articulate. Got everyone shouting out answers and laughing apparently

I've once been involved in a ball under ball over pit of hell.

Never again ! I will steal the articulate idea !

Just say ‘I’m the most boring person in the world, and I have no secrets, unusual skills, unique qualities, or favourite foods, and my idea of a perfect day is sitting looking at the wall’?

When I was a teenager we had a new, overly keen youth leader at a club i attended who liked this sort of thing.. One day he asked the group what's the worst thing that's happened this week? One of the more confident, don't give a shit girls replied, deadly seriously
'I've found a lump near my clitoris, I think it could be VD, so i am going to have to get that checked out'
He never did it again. Problem solved... Not sure i recommend it though...

EVERYONE hates icebreakers! I really dont know why trainers insist on using them as they cause so much stress (ironically).

The worse one was you have to catch a ball and say an interesting fact about yourself. My interesting fact is that I cannot catch a ball to save my life, and I was practically hyperventilating with anxiety

I just make stuff up.

I used to hate stuff like this but now I am almost 50 I just don't care.
Either make up some answers or just answer them - be proud of your personality and who you are.

And once I did share something about me that no one knew, that I actually thought was quite cool and interesting - definitely unique - not one person commented or asked me about it after so I felt really embarrassed.

Yup hate that. Yesterday someone at a work event asked me what my best recent meal was - I had no idea 😂😂

I hate it too.

I refuse to share anything remotely private with my work colleagues.

For these kinds of tasks, I always just stick to work-related topics for these questions and never stray into anything personal.
I was pulled up on this in the past because I made a few tasks very weird and awkward.

Totally agree. The only thing they achieve is making everyone feel uncomfortable. I actually remember phoning in sick one day as I knew we were going to be asked to do it. I haven't been asked to do it for a long time, but I'd have to confidence now to just say 'no, I'd rather not thank you'