Whose story is it?

Step 1: Collect Stories

• At the start of the session, ask each participant to write a very short, true story about themselves on a piece of paper and then fold them up. Facilitators will then collect all the stories in a hat. 
• Stories should be interesting, surprising, or unique but not reveal who they are (e.g., "I once got lost in a foreign country with no phone" or "I accidentally met a famous celebrity in an elevator").
• Ensure submissions remain anonymous to maintain the mystery.

Step 2: Compile the Stories

• The facilitator compiles all the stories into a list or slide deck, keeping them anonymous.
• If playing virtually, stories can be displayed one at a time on a shared screen.

Step 3: Guessing Rounds

• The facilitator reads out one story at a time.
• Participants take turns guessing which colleague the story belongs to.
• If played in teams, they discuss and submit their guesses collectively.

Step 4: Reveal & Discuss

• Once a few guesses have been made, the real storyteller reveals themselves.
• The person behind the story shares a little more context or fun details about their experience.
• The game continues until all stories have been revealed.

Step 5: Wrap-Up & Reflection

• Reflect on what was learned:
• Which stories were the most surprising or interesting?
• Did anyone discover unexpected commonalities?
• How can these insights improve our storytelling abilities?

Tips for running this activity in a virtual setting

• In a virtual session, it can be more effective for everyone in the group to submit before the session with a Google Form or similar. The facilitator then compiles all the stories into a list or slide deck, keeping them anonymous.
• During the game, stories can be displayed one at a time on a shared screen.
• With especially large groups, you might ask participants to discuss their guesses in chat.

Variations

• This can be a fun game to use in various settings by having group members write the story or statement from the perspective of a fictional character or a celebrity. In such cases, have people reveal why they chose the character 
• Another good variation is to use this as a celebration or event debrief by having people write their favourite moment from the event or most memorable learning on a piece of paper. Players still guess who wrote the story and after that's been revealed, have the person say why that moment or learning will stick with them. 
• In most cases, its nice to keep track of who made the most correct guesses or who went under the radar and to give points accordingly.
• At the start of a workshop on storytelling or presentation stills, I especially like to ask people to say which story was most memorable and then think about why. This can be a great way to start deeper discussion on what makes stories effective or memorable.