The Fortune Teller
'The Fortune Teller and the Four-Year-Old' is a distinctive yet simple activity, offering a refreshing departure from traditional icebreaker exercises. It’s designed to create immediate connections between individuals who may not be well-acquainted.
Here’s how it unfolds:
Start by dividing the attendees into pairs. One participant in each pair assumes the intriguing role of the 'Fortune Teller', while the other adopts the curiosity of a 'Four-Year-Old'.
The Four-Year-Old's mission is to ask the Fortune Teller questions about their imagined future, such as "What will I be when I grow up?" or "Who will I marry?".
Instead of providing fictitious predictions, the Fortune Teller responds with stories taken from their own history. For instance, in answering "What will I be when I grow up?" the Fortune Teller might share, "You’ll grow up to be an accountant in a bustling firm in Chicago." This response, disguised as a prediction, is a sharing of the Fortune Teller's own life lessons and experiences.
To delve deeper, the Four-Year-Old is then encouraged to ask further questions about the Fortune Teller's narrative, adding depth to the conversation before moving on to their next query.
After dedicating about 15-30 minutes to this engaging exercise, the pairs switch roles, allowing everyone to gain insights from both perspectives.
This seemingly simple exercise is a minimal investment of time that yields substantial dividends, including stronger team bonds, improved communication, and a heightened sense of empathy among team members.
Moreover, it encourages participants to reflect upon their own life journeys, fostering greater self-awareness and understanding toward others.
So the next time you find yourself in a gathering with individuals you're keen to connect with on a deeper level, try out this fortune-telling exercise. It could be the key to establishing faster, more effective connections and meetings.
Last Updated July 3, 2026