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Get to Know Activity

Guess the Background

Share an interesting fact about yourself and let others guess who it is

No facts yet. Start sharing!

Everyone submits a surprising fact about themselves, and the group guesses who each belongs to. It works particularly well with teams who have worked together for a while without knowing much about each other.

Collecting the facts privately beforehand is what makes it work. Announcing them live removes the guessing entirely.

How to run it

  1. Collect a surprising fact from each person privately in advance.
  2. Read the facts out one at a time without naming anyone.
  3. Let the group guess who each belongs to.
  4. Reveal the answer and let the person add context.

Running it well

  • Collect facts in advance and privately, or there is nothing to guess.
  • Ask for facts that are surprising but comfortable to share publicly.
  • Read them in random order rather than the order received, which otherwise gives clues.
  • Let people elaborate after the reveal. The story behind the fact is usually the best part.
  • Keep it to one fact each so the activity stays within a reasonable length.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to prepare this in advance?
Yes. Facts must be collected privately beforehand, otherwise there is nothing to guess. This is the one icebreaker here that genuinely needs preparation.
What kind of facts work best?
Genuinely surprising ones that people are comfortable having read aloud. Unusual hobbies, unexpected past jobs, and unlikely places lived all work well.
How long does it take?
Around a minute per fact including guessing and the reveal, so roughly fifteen minutes for a team of twelve.