To not have an interesting fact...

[crabbingbucket]

You know when you're in a meeting or training event and they make you go around the room with an interesting fact about yourself or "something no body knows" or "claim to fame"

I've had so many of these come up and I never know what to say. Just thinking about it is making my heart race.

Am I the only one??

It is not just you. I always feel the same way. It is tricky to think of something interesting but bland at the same time. You don't want to give too much away!

Learn how to say the alphabet backwards very quickly...

"nobody knows how much i hate rubbish icebreakers. Oh, wait..."

Interesting fact "icebreakers often backfire. The trivial activities often insult the intelligence of what are normally groups of professionals and insinuate that they don't have the social skills to converse with people on their own. They can also further alienate shy people who like to avoid the spotlight".

I also find this unnecessarily stressful. Logically, you can simply make something up or there is no requirement that your answers are very interesting. So I could say, for example Something no one else knows- either I have written a novel under an pen name (I haven't) or I like to eat crisp sandwiches when my family are out. My claim to fame could be that I once served Judy Dench when I worked in a hotel (I didn't) or I can eat an entire packet of chocolate digestives in one sitting.

Yet whenever this question is asked I feel nervous and panic that my answer will be wrong- that I will either be a ostracised for being too dull or asked to prove my claims. I know that everyone else who is not a tosser hates this shit too so neither will happen.

Luckily my grandfather was a Sioux first nation person. Other than that there's nothing I would like to share with a group of strangers.

I make things up for these all the time. That I raise fancy rabbits for rabbit crufts, or rescue woodlice. Breaks up the monotony.

I'm so making one up next time. I'm off to try and think of just about believable ones
I nursed a famous rock star who'd come to the home under a pseudonym?

I once passed X famous person on the street.

I went to school/college/uni with Y person.

I've been quoted in the Daily Heil (it's happened to most of us on Mumsnet!).

I used to play Z instrument (I didn't even get to 1st grade on the viola, but it sounds fancy that I used to play - I was 12).

I could go on mastermind and answer questions about Last of the Mohicans (film).

I've never seen Game of Thrones.

Hardly ground-breaking stuff, but you can steal one of you like

But yes, I also hate that question, my life's been pretty run of the mill.

I bet you do have something OP. I used to feel like this and a friend actually gave me a long list of random things that have happened to me. A lot of people who don't think they're interesting actually are.

Just use one of somebody else's that you've heard in another setting, or prepare a fib.

You once got stuck in a lift in Harrods
You sat next to Barbara Knox on a train to York
You have a large collection of taxidermy
You still hold the record for egg and spoon race in your primary school

Nobody is actually interested in the fact unless it's especially amusing, it's just a tired and predictable method of getting quiet people to use their voice.

Threads like this remind me why jumping out of the corporate barrel was the absolute best thing I ever did!

Make something up. Say you have 7 toes on your right foot, then refuse to show them. Say you grew up in Iceland/Stuart island (NZ)
You have 20 cats/a snake collection.

It's all shite,... no one enjoys it & it achieves nothing except stress!

Nobody is actually interested in the fact unless it's especially amusing

Exactly. I have one I use all the time now so I don't even think about it any more (but I might revise it having read some of these posts) but I've sat though so many of these things where people say "I haven't got one". Everyone is just worrying about their own, they don't care about anyone else's.

What a bloody daft idea.

I'd find that stressful as well.

Not quite the same thing but I was once asked in a job interview to tell them about a conflict I'd had at work and how I resolved it.

I've never had any conflicts in any job I've ever been in but that wasn't good enough apparently, because according to the interviewer I must have done at some time.

It's stupid corporate box ticking, thought up by people who don't know any better.

I was at one of these recently (online) where it was switched up - say something that’s completely uninteresting or normal about yourself. It ended up with lots of people fetching their pets and houseplants to show off. It actually did a good job of getting people relaxed with each other.

I'm so glad it's not just me! Love some of the ideas and I'm definitely making something up next time.

I do actually have a colourful story about a dalliance with a footballer but I'm hardly going to use that!

Thing is I'm actually really good and making conversations and would usually have chatted to most of the people in the room already, introduced myself etc. The pressure of the icebreaker just breaks me!

I find that Trainers/Hosts that initiate these 'great' 😏 ice breakers..

don't pay attention and as such don't notice the quieter attendees sink into the background whilst the super confident enjoy sharing who they are ..

I’ve had the dull fact one too @murmuration. I like that one.

Charles Kennedy bought me a pint once. That's literally all I've got.

I wouldn’t make something up unless it’s a) people you won’t see again or b) something you’re prepared to talk about forever. I used a true, unexciting (or so I thought) anecdote and years later colleagues I don’t know very well still keep bringing it up in conversation.

I’ve got a lot of interesting stories and a fair amount of “claims to fame” but I’m sure as hell not going to tell a bunch of randoms about them & I’m pretty sure 99.99% of them are wildly inappropriate in that setting or most settings to be honest. So I’d be stuck for words too OP!

Sounds horrendous (another one of reasons why Im so glad I left the corporate world early). I like the idea of a dull fact - far more likely to get people relaxed and talking.

I puked on quite a famous DJ in Ibiza when I was a teenager. Literally leaned over the barrier and vommed on him as he was spinning.

@ponoka7

I met Geronimo III,
(well that's who he claimed to be...)

Oh I hate this but I do have a fact relating to my family history that is mildly interesting so always revert to that...

I've also been on tv a few times so have that as a back up too!

@pigsDOfly

What a bloody daft idea.

I'd find that stressful as well.

Not quite the same thing but I was once asked in a job interview to tell them about a conflict I'd had at work and how I resolved it.

I've never had any conflicts in any job I've ever been in but that wasn't good enough apparently, because according to the interviewer I must have done at some time.

It's stupid corporate box ticking, thought up by people who don't know any better.

I ask this question in interviews mainly because I want to see how the interviewee gets on with people.

The perfect answer (for me) is "I get on with most people and avoid conflict. If there does happen to be conflict I walk away and get on with my job"

You can have that one for your next interview 😂😂

Just say "Nope I have nothing. Next."