# Bum Steer

Participants tear off squares from a toilet paper roll before learning that each square requires them to share one fact about themselves. The group then takes turns sharing facts corresponding to the number of sheets they hold.

**Time:** 15 minutes. UWT suggested duration based on participant count; 15 minutes allows up to 20 people in subgroups or a single circle of up to 8.
**People:** 4 to 20. Single circle for 4 to 8 people, or subgroups of 3 to 6 people for 9 to 20 participants

## Choose this exercise

**Purpose:** Share introductory personal facts using a lighthearted, blind quantity mechanic.
**Use it when:** Use at the start of an informal retreat or casual team workshop to quickly introduce participants.
**Skip it when:** Skip in formal executive contexts, situations where trick mechanics create distrust, or settings where sharing personal trivia is inappropriate.

## Materials and tools

- 1 to 2 rolls of standard perforated toilet paper
- 1 trash bin for used paper disposal

## Before participants arrive

1. Arrange chairs in a circle or set up tables for small groups of 3 to 6.
2. Have an unrolled toilet paper roll ready at hand.
3. Place a trash bin nearby.

## Say this to open

Take this roll of toilet paper and tear off as many sheets as you think you will need for our session today. Pass the roll to the person beside you once you have taken yours.

## How to run it

### 1. Distribute sheets (3 minutes)

Pass the toilet paper roll around the circle. Instruct each participant to tear off as many squares as they think they will need. Do not explain the purpose yet. Make sure everyone holds their torn paper.

### 2. Reveal the twist (2 minutes)

State the reveal clearly: for each individual square of toilet paper a person holds, they must share one brief fact about themselves. Announce that anyone holding more than five sheets may cap their sharing at five facts, or offer extra sheets to willing volunteers.

### 3. Share facts (8 minutes)

If the group has 9 or more participants, divide into subgroups of 3 to 6 people. Participants take turns in their groups. For each square of paper, the speaker states one brief fact (such as a hobby, favorite food, or neutral work preference) and sets that square down. A participant may pass on any turn.

### 4. Dispose and debrief (2 minutes)

Collect all used and leftover toilet paper in the trash bin. Facilitate a brief whole-room debrief using one or two prompt questions. Take three or four brief comments from the room.


## Debrief questions

- What was your reaction when you discovered what the sheets were for?
- How did you decide what kinds of facts to share?
- What is one interesting thing you learned about a colleague?

**Finished output:** Every participant introduces themselves with between one and five brief personal or professional facts, or passes.

## Remote

This physical prop activity does not run identically online without physical rolls. For a remote alternative, instruct each person to privately choose and write down a number between 1 and 5 in a notebook before revealing that their chosen number equals how many facts they must share. Run turns sequentially via video call.

## Hybrid

In-person members use the physical toilet paper roll while remote members choose and write a number from 1 to 5 on a private notepad. The facilitator shows the room camera so remote participants see the reveal simultaneously, then alternates turns between in-person and online participants.

## Access and participation choices

- Participants can cap their facts at five or give excess squares away to willing volunteers.
- Participants may share professional trivia, favorite movies, or neutral work preferences instead of personal history.
- Participants may decline to speak entirely and drop their sheets into the bin without explanation.

## If the session gets stuck

**A participant takes an enormous length of paper, such as 20 or 30 squares.**

Intervene during the reveal step. Reiterate the universal cap of five facts, or invite others to volunteer to adopt their extra sheets.

**A participant tears off only one square and finishes immediately.**

Respect their choice. One fact fulfills the activity requirement.


## Terms used here

- Square: A single perforated sheet of toilet paper.

## Sources and adaptation

Observed on Playmeo, where it is titled Bum Steer and attributed to Mark Collard.

Retained the core Playmeo mechanic of taking toilet paper sheets blindly and revealing that each sheet requires one fact. UWT added a five-fact cap to manage runaway time, explicit subgroup sizing for groups larger than 8, psychological safety options to prevent forced disclosure, and debrief prompts.

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/ice-breakers-get-to-know-you-games/bum-steer)

[Playmeo](https://www.playmeo.com/activities/ice-breakers-get-to-know-you-games/bum-steer/)

Current run sheet: https://unitedwetransform.com/exercises/hilarious-unique-icebreaker-activity-with-a-twist-bum-steer/