The philosophy of "yes and" is the foundation of modern improvisational theater. Learning how to use “Yes And” is pivotal to success for anyone looking to include creative expression in their skillset. This includes the improv training that many corporate organizations have employed for team building, better communication skills, or just for fun. However, like all foundations, understanding the nuances, limitations, and how to build on top of it, is the key to getting the best results.
I’ve noticed that in most corporate improv workshops it is not clearly explained that “yes and” is the foundation, the starting point. What ends up happening is people take it too literally and end up missing the point of the concept and as a result, don’t put it into practice. So, I would like to clear this up.
Here are some insights I have gained as I ventured beyond the foundational principles of "yes and."
What is “yes and?”
For those unfamiliar, we’ll start with the basics. Improv theater is the art of creating scenes with other performers making up the story on the spot. In improvisational comedy, "yes and" is a core principle that emphasizes acceptance and building upon the ideas or offers of your scene partner(s). When a performance introduces an idea or offer, the other performers are taught to use “Yes” to agree with the information and “And” to build on the established reality.
Example
Person 1: Mom will be mad we used our fingers to taste dad’s birthday cake
Person 2: Yes, and we better eat the whole cake to get rid of the evidence
Early on, it's important to use the concept of “yes and” quite literally, taking every "and" with an unquestioned "yes!" It's important to remember in addition to building a creative narrative, "yes and" also builds trust. To take every idea no matter how off target it may seem with a resounding "yes," then following with an equally enthusiastic "and" will build a safe environment for sharing ideas.
Challenge: Ridiculous Solutions
This will quickly showcase the first challenge in putting "yes and" into practice. You’ll get some ridiculous solutions. This is part of the process. In fact, the more ridiculous, the more trust it builds, because people will know they can add to the conversation and not fear judgment. After building a foundation of trust, you begin to see the value in embracing the absurd.
It is important to understand "yes and" is about generating ideas and brainstorming. It is not necessarily about implementing the ideas. As the game is played and mastered, trust is built. This will then influence the real workplace as people will feel more comfortable sharing ideas without judgment.
Challenge: Yes-ing Might Be No-ing Another Idea
Another challenge encountered with "yes and" is that some offers themselves can be "no's" or at least shut down another idea. Saying “yes” to an idea does acknowledge the idea, but a response of “and this is why it won’t work,” halts the forward movement. In this situation the creative process is shut down. It’s important to make sure the additions are not comments on previous ideas. The idea is to push beyond known solutions into the realm of where discoveries happen. This is commonly referred to as “thinking outside the box.”
Example
Person 1: Let’s jump as high as we can
Person 2: Yes, and I’ll just stand here while you do that
In the example above, the rule of “yes and” was followed perfectly, but you can see how person 2 is really saying no. They aren’t participating with person 1 and essentially implying their idea is dumb.
Likewise, in some scenarios the offer might benefit from a no response. While the framework generally teaches teams to avoid saying no, as trust builds and the team understands and puts the “yes and” concepts into practice, they can start to introduce no in a productive way. As with anything creative, even “yes and” has boundaries and innovators push boundaries.
Example
Person 1: I’m going to kill you
Person 2: Yes, and do it quick
Ok, in that example, Person 2 is killed and the scene is over. However, let’s use no:
Person 1: I’m going to kill you
Person 2: No, please don’t, I’m supposed to get home and help my son with his math homework
Person 1: Ah, yes, and that common core math will kill you
Person 2: Yes, and I’m starting to feel like a bad parent
Ok, that’s a ridiculous scenario, but you can see how even though Person 2 said “no” the story still progressed and we got more information. Saying “no” was still accepting of the reality that was presented. This is when “yes and,” becomes foundational and can turn into “Affirm Then Build.”
Solution: How to use "yes and"
Teams who have played with unconditional support of creative ideas will feel empowered to offer big ideas. The ridiculous will offer insight and projects will have shared input. As acceptance of ideas becomes normalized words like “no” become less threatening, because people will know it’s intended to further the group as a whole.
The concept of “yes and” is not about literally saying the words, but affirmation and recognition of ideas and then furthering the discussion. When you understand this, it makes for more productive creative ideation, communication, and problem solving. Some ideas are going to be bad ones and that’s okay. Ideas are just suggestions, not all of them will get used. As long as the ideas get you and your team closer to the solution, that’s what really matters.
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