Works with Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, or your own local model: paste this prompt and your AI will co-facilitate this exercise with you.

Help me prepare and run the exercise below. First ask for my participant count, time, setting, access needs and intended result. Check these against the stated limits. Use the supplied rules and materials. Explain any proposed changes before using them, and label them as adaptations. Do not invent source claims or require personal disclosure. Give me one step at a time when I say start. I manage the people, physical activity and clock; do not claim to observe the room. Ask me what happened before choosing a next step.

Reference revision: b158186d71a1eb2ec9406b73b2e721ba29c2a4f0b0d097563ce54b6e724eaa70

# Story of Your Name

Participants meet in small groups of two to four to share the background, pronunciation, or meaning of their names. A brief full-room debrief highlights naming preferences and pronunciation.

**Time:** 12 minutes. Playmeo lists this as a low-effort icebreaker without fixed clock time; UWT specifies 12 minutes for introduction, small-group rounds, and short group debrief.
**People:** 4 to 24. Trios preferred, with pairs or quartets as needed to seat everyone, followed by whole-room debrief

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Exchange name backgrounds and preferred pronunciations in small groups so colleagues learn how to address one another accurately.
**Use it when:** Use during kickoffs, onboarding sessions, or workshops when people need to learn names and practice pronunciation.
**Skip it when:** Skip when participants already know each other well, or when exploring legal names and family lineage would create personal discomfort.

## Materials and tools

- Timer or chime to signal speaking turns

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange seating or floor space so small clusters of two to four people can converse without shouting over adjacent groups.

## Say this to open

We will take six minutes to share the stories behind our names in small groups. Your name might come from a relative, a cultural tradition, a book, or a personal choice. You can talk about your first name, middle name, family name, or a preferred nickname. I will model mine first: my name is Alex, named after my grandfather, and my family name comes from northern Greece. Now, please form groups of three, adjusting to pairs or quartets so everyone has a team.

## How to run it

### 1. Model and form groups (2 minutes)

Deliver the opening script and give a concise personal example of your own name origin. Divide participants into groups of three, adjusting to pairs or quartets so no one is left out. Direct each group to establish a speaking order before starting.

### 2. Share name stories in small groups (6 minutes)

Start the timer for small-group discussions. Each speaker takes up to 90 seconds to share what they choose about their name or pronunciation. Ring a chime or call out time checks at the 90-second, 3-minute, and 4.5-minute marks so trios and quartets stay on schedule.

### 3. Gather whole-room observations (3 minutes)

Bring the full room back together. Invite two or three volunteers to share one pronunciation tip, naming preference, or notable fact they learned about a partner, confirming first that the partner consented to sharing it publicly.

### 4. Debrief and close (1 minutes)

Ask the room the debrief question about how hearing naming preferences helps day-to-day work. Take one or two brief comments, thank participants, and transition to the next agenda item.


## Debrief questions

- What is one pronunciation or naming preference you learned that will help you address a colleague correctly?
- How did hearing the background of a name clarify something new about someone here?

**Finished output:** Every participant has shared or listened to name backgrounds and preferences within a small group.

## Remote

Deliver the introduction and model your name in the main meeting room. Create breakout rooms of two to four people for six minutes. Broadcast reminders via platform chat at 90 seconds, 3 minutes, and 4.5 minutes to prompt speaker rotations. Re-gather in the main room. Invite two volunteers to share a consented pronunciation tip or fact, or invite participants to type their answers in chat.

## Hybrid

Keep in-person participants grouped with in-room partners in pairs or trios, and assign remote participants to virtual breakout rooms of two to four to prevent audio feedback. Run the shared timer simultaneously across both environments, broadcasting interval reminders at 90 seconds, 3 minutes, and 4.5 minutes. During the whole-room debrief, call on one in-person volunteer and one remote volunteer.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants may discuss a chosen name, professional alias, nickname, initials, or handle rather than legal or ancestral names.
- Any participant may pass on speaking and serve as the group timekeeper or active listener without giving a reason.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant does not know their name origin or feels their name has no special story.**

Affirm that saying their family simply liked the sound, or sharing how they prefer to be called and addressed, is completely valid.

**One person dominates conversation time in a small group.**

Remind groups before starting to follow the 90-second ceiling per turn, and sound a chime at 90-second increments to keep rotations moving.


## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Playmeo, where it is attributed to Mark Collard.

Retained the small-group name sharing mechanic, facilitator demonstration, and full-room share from Playmeo. UWT added explicit 90-second rotation intervals accommodating groups of two to four within a 6-minute window, safety options around chosen names and opting out, and explicit remote and hybrid coordination.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/ice-breakers-get-to-know-you-games/story-of-your-name)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/ice-breakers-get-to-know-you-games/story-of-your-name/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/fun-get-to-know-you-exercise-inspires-sharing-story-of-your-name/