Nonsense Numbers

Choose this exercise

Purpose: Collect and sum numerical facts across group members to share biographical details in a light team format.

Use it when: Use during team kickoffs or orientation sessions when participants want a low-stakes icebreaker with a clear group task.

Skip it when: Skip when participants are uncomfortable sharing personal trivia or when group sizes vary drastically, making sum comparisons uneven.

Group arrangement: Small teams of 4 to 8 people; if an odd number remains, form groups of 4 to 7 or assign a scorekeeper role so team sizes stay as close as possible.

Timing: Source suggests 15 to 20 minutes. 20 minutes accommodates instructions, team tallying, and group sharing.

Materials and tools

• One Nonsense Numbers score sheet per team
• One pen per team
• Scratch paper or a calculator per team (optional)

Before participants arrive

1. Print one copy of the Nonsense Numbers worksheet for each small team.
2. Form tables or seating clusters of 4 to 8 people per team.

Say this to open

Welcome. We are going to play Nonsense Numbers. Your team has a worksheet with numerical prompts about everyday facts and personal trivia. Work together to answer each item, add your figures together, and calculate your team aggregate score. Participation is voluntary, so you can share approximate figures or substitute a zero if you prefer not to disclose. Let us begin.

How to run it

1. Form teams and distribute sheets 3 minutes

   Form participants into teams of 4 to 8 people. Hand each team one score sheet and a pen. Direct teams to select one person to record numbers, and remind everyone that responses can be passed or entered as zero.

2. Gather team data and calculate scores 10 minutes

   Teams discuss each prompt on the sheet. For each item, members state their individual numbers, add them together, and write the team subtotal in the box. When all questions are finished, the team sums the subtotals to produce their grand aggregate score. Stop when time expires.

3. Compare totals and announce results 3 minutes

   Call time. Ask each team to announce their final aggregate total. Identify the team with the highest combined score. If team sizes differed, divide each team total by its member count to compare per-person averages instead.

4. Share standout facts and debrief 4 minutes

   Invite two or three volunteers from different teams to reveal which specific question produced their team's most unexpected or extreme number. Close by reflecting on how non-traditional trivia reveals common ground.

Debrief questions

• Which prompt generated the most surprising number on your team?
• What was an interesting fact you learned about someone that would not normally come up in a regular meeting?

Finished output: Completed score sheets with team aggregate numbers and shared group trivia.

Remote

Create breakout rooms with 4 to 8 participants each. Provide a link to a shared digital document containing the score sheet prompts. One person per room types the entries and totals the sum. Return to the main room and type final scores in chat.

Hybrid

Seat remote participants together in dedicated virtual breakout rooms using digital sheets, while in-person participants work in local table groups with paper sheets. Compare scores across all groups during the joint debrief.

Access and participation choices

• Participants may estimate numbers, decline to answer specific questions, or report zero without explaining why.
• A team member who prefers not to share biographical facts may serve as the designated scorekeeper and calculator.

If the session gets stuck

Groups have unequal numbers of members, skewing aggregate totals.

Have groups calculate an average score by dividing their grand total by the number of people on the team.

A participant does not feel comfortable sharing personal history like age or travel.

Remind the group that questions can be skipped or answered with an arbitrary number, and anyone can pass freely.

Terms used here

• Aggregate score: The grand total obtained by adding together all individual item scores across the entire group.