Icebreakers · Get-to-Know-You

Story of Your Name

Personal and often surprising, everyone has a story about their name.

IcebreakerRapportPersonal Sharing

Duration: 30 min
Participants: 1–5, 5–10, 10–20, 20–50, 50+
Energy: Low
Difficulty: Beginner
Materials: None
Prep time: 5 minutes

2 min read · Delivery: Offline

Overview

Purpose. Personal and often surprising; everyone has a story about their name.

When to use. In the first 15 minutes of a session, once names are known and the group is settling in.

Best for. Any group size, in person.

Facilitator preparation

No materials to gather; just read through the steps once before you run it.

Room setup. Arrange seating so everyone can see and hear each other clearly.

Virtual setup. Works over video call, going around the participant list.

Hybrid setup. Alternate between an in-room and a remote participant for each turn.

Materials.

How to Conduct

Explain the prompt: each person will share any story, fact, or piece of history behind their first or last name, why they were named that, what it means, a mispronunciation story, and so on.
Give everyone a moment to think.
Go around the group, each person sharing their story.

WHAT TO EXPECT FROM THE GROUP

Expect a little shyness in the first 30 seconds, followed by a quick warm-up once one or two people go first.

After the activity

DEBRIEF QUESTIONS

What part of “Story of Your Name” felt easy, and what part felt harder than expected?
Did you learn something about a colleague's background you hadn't known before?

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

Where in your day-to-day work does understanding someone's name, and getting it right, matter more than it might seem?

Learning outcome. Participants leave having shared a personal story, and often having learned something about a colleague's background or family history.