WEBVTT - Make your fun fact more than fun

0:00:03.400 --> 0:00:06.680
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of I Heart Radio.

0:00:09.200 --> 0:00:15.160
<v Speaker 1>Good Morning, This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast.

0:00:16.400 --> 0:00:19.680
<v Speaker 1>Today's tip is for when you are asked to share

0:00:19.760 --> 0:00:24.520
<v Speaker 1>a fun fact to introduce yourself. Use the fun fact

0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:30.600
<v Speaker 1>to enable connection, help people remember you, or turn attention

0:00:30.960 --> 0:00:35.360
<v Speaker 1>to the work at hand. So when new groups of

0:00:35.400 --> 0:00:38.840
<v Speaker 1>people come together to form a team or to experience

0:00:38.880 --> 0:00:43.360
<v Speaker 1>something together, they are often asked to introduce themselves by

0:00:43.400 --> 0:00:47.519
<v Speaker 1>sharing a fun fact. Lots of people find this a

0:00:47.520 --> 0:00:53.159
<v Speaker 1>bit annoying. I will admit that I am one of them.

0:00:53.159 --> 0:01:00.000
<v Speaker 1>Many fun facts are boring. Many truly fun facts could

0:01:00.160 --> 0:01:04.440
<v Speaker 1>send the entire gathering off the rails if you share them,

0:01:04.560 --> 0:01:08.440
<v Speaker 1>so best to avoid that unless that is your plan.

0:01:09.959 --> 0:01:15.320
<v Speaker 1>But even if the question feels annoying or awkward, stating

0:01:15.319 --> 0:01:18.440
<v Speaker 1>a fun fact can be approached as an opportunity to

0:01:18.480 --> 0:01:22.760
<v Speaker 1>do something a little more than fun. You can use

0:01:22.840 --> 0:01:27.360
<v Speaker 1>the fact to do something useful for yourself or the gathering.

0:01:29.040 --> 0:01:31.759
<v Speaker 1>The first approach is to choose a fun fact that

0:01:31.840 --> 0:01:36.520
<v Speaker 1>intentionally sparks conversation. Later, try a few out in different

0:01:36.560 --> 0:01:39.640
<v Speaker 1>gatherings until you get one that leads to people asking

0:01:39.880 --> 0:01:43.160
<v Speaker 1>direct follow up questions that you actually want to talk about.

0:01:43.959 --> 0:01:46.600
<v Speaker 1>For instance, I lived on a boat for a year,

0:01:46.640 --> 0:01:49.120
<v Speaker 1>you might say, if you did and like to talk

0:01:49.160 --> 0:01:53.120
<v Speaker 1>all things nautical, or I have five daughters. If you

0:01:53.200 --> 0:01:56.600
<v Speaker 1>do and you want to talk about kids, Share a

0:01:56.680 --> 0:01:59.600
<v Speaker 1>fun fact about a hobby or someplace you travel frequently,

0:02:00.280 --> 0:02:03.080
<v Speaker 1>and you will give your new teammates an obvious topic

0:02:03.240 --> 0:02:06.720
<v Speaker 1>to ask you about. This is a gift to everyone

0:02:06.840 --> 0:02:12.160
<v Speaker 1>for the next break time conversation. Another very useful approach

0:02:12.800 --> 0:02:16.600
<v Speaker 1>is to choose a fun fact that helps people remember

0:02:16.680 --> 0:02:20.679
<v Speaker 1>your name. So, for instance, if your parents named j

0:02:20.919 --> 0:02:25.120
<v Speaker 1>Rosie because you had pink cheeks as a baby, sharing

0:02:25.160 --> 0:02:27.679
<v Speaker 1>that as a fun fact means people will be more

0:02:27.800 --> 0:02:31.280
<v Speaker 1>likely to remember you. If you are in a region

0:02:31.320 --> 0:02:36.320
<v Speaker 1>where double names like Mary Douglas are unusual, your fun

0:02:36.400 --> 0:02:39.040
<v Speaker 1>fact can be that you were named for your mom's

0:02:39.080 --> 0:02:42.800
<v Speaker 1>sister Mary and your dad's brother Douglas, and that your

0:02:42.840 --> 0:02:45.400
<v Speaker 1>family has lived in the same town in North Carolina

0:02:45.520 --> 0:02:50.000
<v Speaker 1>for four generations. Everybody will know to address you as

0:02:50.480 --> 0:02:54.760
<v Speaker 1>Mary Douglas, not as Mary, and they may ask you

0:02:54.800 --> 0:02:59.040
<v Speaker 1>about your hometown and your extended family. In this vein,

0:02:59.639 --> 0:03:02.560
<v Speaker 1>I could share as a fun fact that my mother's

0:03:02.600 --> 0:03:06.080
<v Speaker 1>maiden name is incredibly close to my last name, which

0:03:06.120 --> 0:03:09.560
<v Speaker 1>is to say, my father's name. But my parents don't

0:03:09.560 --> 0:03:13.040
<v Speaker 1>find that a strange coincidence at all, because in the

0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:16.520
<v Speaker 1>ethnically Dutch community where they grew up, a lot of

0:03:16.560 --> 0:03:22.000
<v Speaker 1>people had names starting with Vander, so two Vander names

0:03:22.480 --> 0:03:26.280
<v Speaker 1>are not the same name at all. A final approach

0:03:26.400 --> 0:03:28.600
<v Speaker 1>is to share a fact that connects you to the

0:03:28.639 --> 0:03:33.720
<v Speaker 1>purpose of the gathering. Unlike the other approaches, this version

0:03:33.760 --> 0:03:36.240
<v Speaker 1>of the fun fact would have to be tailored to

0:03:36.280 --> 0:03:40.440
<v Speaker 1>each specific gathering, but when you can do it, this

0:03:40.480 --> 0:03:44.520
<v Speaker 1>may make the whole exercise feel a little less awkward,

0:03:45.400 --> 0:03:48.000
<v Speaker 1>since you are focusing attention on the work at hand

0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:53.200
<v Speaker 1>and not on yourself. So, for instance, if you are

0:03:53.240 --> 0:03:56.400
<v Speaker 1>asked to share a fun fact about yourself with the

0:03:56.480 --> 0:04:00.040
<v Speaker 1>newcomer ministry team at your church, you could disc I

0:04:00.120 --> 0:04:03.360
<v Speaker 1>have your first visit to the church and explain how

0:04:03.400 --> 0:04:06.800
<v Speaker 1>that motivated you to get involved. If you are on

0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:10.680
<v Speaker 1>the Angel Tree team at your workplace, your fun fact

0:04:10.760 --> 0:04:13.640
<v Speaker 1>might be that you received Angel Tree gifts as a kid,

0:04:14.440 --> 0:04:16.880
<v Speaker 1>so you are grateful to be able to give back.

0:04:18.120 --> 0:04:20.800
<v Speaker 1>If you are sharing a fun fact in a beginner's

0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:24.320
<v Speaker 1>yoga workshop, your fun fact might be that this is

0:04:24.360 --> 0:04:27.719
<v Speaker 1>the first organized physical activity you've done since your third

0:04:27.760 --> 0:04:32.839
<v Speaker 1>grade soccer team, so your teacher and classmates will know

0:04:33.120 --> 0:04:37.440
<v Speaker 1>to be especially gentle. When we think of fun facts

0:04:37.560 --> 0:04:41.479
<v Speaker 1>is more than just fun. They can become tools for

0:04:41.560 --> 0:04:46.719
<v Speaker 1>building meaningful connections that can make the whole experience a

0:04:46.880 --> 0:04:51.560
<v Speaker 1>little less annoying. Do you have a fun fact that

0:04:51.640 --> 0:04:54.359
<v Speaker 1>you love to share in groups? You can let me

0:04:54.400 --> 0:05:01.160
<v Speaker 1>know at Laura at Laura Vanderkamp dot com. In the meantime,

0:05:02.279 --> 0:05:06.880
<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

0:05:06.920 --> 0:05:16.839
<v Speaker 1>the moose of our time. Hey everybody, I'd love to

0:05:16.839 --> 0:05:19.799
<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

0:05:19.920 --> 0:05:23.680
<v Speaker 1>or anything else. Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook,

0:05:23.760 --> 0:05:28.560
<v Speaker 1>and Instagram at Before Breakfast Pod. That's b E the

0:05:28.680 --> 0:05:32.880
<v Speaker 1>number four then Breakfast p o D. You can also

0:05:32.920 --> 0:05:36.279
<v Speaker 1>shoot me an email at Before Breakfast Podcast at i

0:05:36.400 --> 0:05:39.400
<v Speaker 1>heeart Media dot com that Before Breakfast is spelled out

0:05:39.440 --> 0:05:42.160
<v Speaker 1>with all the letters. Thanks so much, I look forward

0:05:42.160 --> 0:05:50.360
<v Speaker 1>to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a production of

0:05:50.400 --> 0:05:53.760
<v Speaker 1>I Heart Radio. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,

0:05:54.240 --> 0:05:57.760
<v Speaker 1>visit the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever

0:05:57.800 --> 0:06:05.480
<v Speaker 1>you listen to your favorite shows. Word don't get get