Your second point nails it. Stand-ups don't have to be boring exchange of information. They can serve as small team building exercises. Edit: just to clarify I

Your second point nails it. Stand-ups don't have to be boring exchange of information. They can serve as small team building exercises. Edit: just to clarify I don't mean heavy handed HR stuff. Just what OP said. Crack some jokes, tell a bit about your life.