Does anyone else hate ice breakers in meetings?

[asblindasabat]

I bloody hate them. Sometimes I just don’t know how to answer them. For example, “what are your dislikes?” - I can’t think of anything appropriate to respond to that in a professional environment - saying I dislike fake people probably wouldn’t look to good!

I also hate “what are your favourite movies?” - I don’t really watch movies so I couldn’t tell you the names of most of them and it really makes me look boring!

anyone else just hate them?

I hate ice-breakers and anything 'team building'. I work with professional people, we either know each other or we have appropriate skills for introducing ourselves formally to unknowns; and we are already a team, we don't need 'building' through some inane activity that just wastes time.

They're all just pure cringe. I don't see why people can't get to know each other by chatting like adults instead of being told to play games like children. Sadly for me I work in a team that can't get enough of bloody ice breakers, team building shite and 'activities' in general 🤦🏻‍♂️

Absolutely hate them. Would rather set my hair on fire. All of the "team building" nonsense is tortuous.

"What are your dislikes?"

"Ice breaker tasks"

There you go...

Yes, especially when everyone is asked to share something no-one else knows about them. I just make something innocuous up, but some people share cringeworthy personal stuff.

Lol! Love it!

I always seem to forget my own name when they go round the table asking you to introduce yourself!

I hate them. Skip them and maybe the meeting can finish a bit earlier.

I really hate the two truths and a lie one. I never know what to lie about, and don't have anything interesting to be a truth

Oh god I dread the day I get asked that one 🤢 maybe I should prepare an answer now!

Not so much a self ice breaker but a colleague once introduced me as this is “wxgddls” and she votes Tory. I received daggers from everyone around the table. I work for a very left wing organisation

@DuckWithOneWing As an autistic person who can't lie I find that one really anxiety inducing. I just refused to play the last time I was told to do it

If you have to do it, just think of something you'd ike to do but haven't done yet and write it as though you have, or something that happened to a family member not you but write it as though it happened to you.

The truths are just slightly quirky things that no one would know from meeting you professsionally but which show some slightly unusual aspect of you - something you enjoy doing (e.g. I play trumpet in a scout band and have since I was eleven) or have done (e.g. I have a tattoo of a dove on my ankle/I spent last weekend at a re-enactment of the Battle of Hastings)

It's about the only ice-breaker I don't hate as it can start some interesting coffee chats with colleagues you knew nothing about before. It does actually break the ice. I HATE the childish games ones.

I try to sabotage them as best I can. Or better still be in a position where I can set them for other people.

I find ice breakers very stressful. My mind just goes blank most of the time.

The absolute worst ice breaker I’ve seen was one where they asked us about accidents we’d had, and one colleague told us all, in great detail, about his wife’s recent fatal accident. He wasn’t responsible for it, but he’d witnessed the whole thing and was still traumatised 😢

I’ve no idea why the course organiser thought that would be a suitable ice breaker topic.

The truths are just slightly quirky things that no one would know from meeting you professsionally but which show some slightly unusual aspect of you

I really don't have anything quirky to tell people. I don't play a musical instrument, no tattoos, no hobbies to speak of, haven't been on holiday for years. I literally don't have anything.

Virtually everyone I know hates these, even professional facilitators, so why the hell do they keep happening?

EVERYONE hates ice breakers

Hate them. Waste of time. Stressful for introverts.

Stressful for introverts.

Yes. I really hate having to reveal anything about myself to a bunch of strangers, even silly stuff.

We had one recently where we had to line up in order of OUR SHOE SIZES

Safari Networking
<shudder>

It's like the anti-icebreaker. You've just got chatting some interesting people you've never met before, are starting to figure out some common interests... and then some twunt rings a bell, and you're off.

Yep, hate them too. Also hate the ground rules part where you have to list the roolz for adults who should know how to behave in public by now.

I'm a total introvert but I really like ice breakers! For some reason they kind of settle me.

I really hate the two truths and a lie one. I never know what to lie about, and don't have anything interesting to be a truth

My middle name is (or similar)
I always lie
I always tell the truth

Stumping! 😂