[dvtrn]

I'm constantly barraged with acceptance training, "human connection" training and calls where the expectation is to "share and connect" by telling the group something personal

We had a "leadership training" thing a few weeks back where one of the segments involved a breakout session with a random coworker who you may or may not already know, with the expectation that you share something deep and revealing you've never told anyone else.

The person I got paired up with and I were both incredulous about the exercise, specifically the "something you've never told anyone else" part, and shared a couple of surface level phobias "I'm afraid of spiders", I told him. He told me he was scared of sharks. We spent the remaining 5 minutes of our breakout talking about local sports.

Companies need to back the hell off with this stuff. I pay a therapist for those kinds of conversations.

I'm fine being friendly and even making friends with my coworkers over drinks for a little bit work before we all go home, if it happens organically and in a way where people get to choose their level of interaction and disclosure about their personal lives, but a lot of this "top down camaraderie/management facilitated team building" going around feels like a toddler smashing a Barbie and Ken doll together making smooching noises at best, at worst it feels like mommy and daddy making play dates.

[deckard1]

I always dread the "two truths and a lie" game, usually performed in front of a large group of people you don't know. It's the ultimate trap. Either come up with two things that sound impressive to strangers, or risk being seen as a bore. Plus you'll never beat Todd who went before you and is literally the Dos Equis Most Interesting Man in the World. Fuck you Todd.

[denial]

I prefer to give two vacuous truths which contradict each other and a lie. That's at least more fun.

[arghnoname]

I know someone who had a similar event happen in training, except the deep and dark secrets were meant to be shared among a group of six or seven. People shared actual deep and dark secrets; crying was involved. My friend who told me about this was deeply uncomfortable with the whole affair and found it bizarre and cultish, but of course, they went along with it and made up some semi-plausible thing to be a "team player." Amusingly enough, IIRC, it was also a phobia.

[dvtrn]

I wonder if phobias are just easier to share because some of the more common ones most of us share are ones we know are probably not very rational but still powerfully held.

Like my other phobia...clowns.

Look, I know. Okay, I know. But still.

[tonyedgecombe]

Why wouldn't the sociopath in the group file all this information away to use against people later. I think I'd just refuse to take part.