Yes, And... Improv
Improv theater exercise teaching teams to build on each other's ideas using "Yes, And..." principles. Perfect creative team building activity for collaboration and spontaneity.
15-30 min
4-30 people
medium
None needed
About This Game
Yes, And... Improv is a foundational improv theater exercise that transforms how teams collaborate by teaching the core principle of building on others' contributions. Instead of shutting down ideas with "No, but..." or "That won't work," participants practice accepting what's offered and adding to it. This simple shift creates psychological safety, encourages risk-taking, and unlocks creative collaboration. Whether you're running scene work, word associations, or collaborative storytelling, this improvisational team building activity helps teams develop active listening skills, spontaneity, and the confidence to contribute without judgment. Perfect for creative brainstorming sessions, innovation workshops, or simply helping teams break out of conventional thinking patterns.
Objectives
- Practice accepting and building on others' ideas without judgment
- Develop active listening and spontaneous response skills
- Create psychological safety for creative risk-taking
- Break habitual patterns of critique and negative thinking
- Build collaborative storytelling and improvisation skills
- Increase team confidence in unscripted situations
How to Run This Game
Facilitator Script:
"Welcome everyone! Today we're exploring one of improv theater's most powerful principles: "Yes, And." The rule is simple: accept what someone offers you ("Yes") and build on it by adding new information ("And"). Let's see why this matters. Imagine I say "We're on a spaceship." If you respond "No, we're in an office," you've blocked the scene. But if you say "Yes, and I see Earth getting smaller through the window," you've accepted my offer and added to it. This isn't about agreeing with everything in real life—it's about practicing building on ideas before judging them. Notice how "Yes, And" creates forward momentum while "No, But" stops everything cold."
Actions:
- Explain that "Yes, And" means accept + build (not literally saying the words)
- Demonstrate blocking vs. building: Same scenario, two responses
- Emphasize this is practice for creative collaboration, not blind agreement in work
- Share that improv feels awkward at first—that's normal and part of the learning
Tips:
- • Use self-deprecating humor: "I'm not an improv actor, so we'll be awkward together"
- • Show why it matters: "How many meetings die when first idea gets shut down?"
Facilitator Script:
"Let's start simple with word association. I'll say a word, the next person accepts it and adds a related word, creating a chain. For example: I say "Ocean," you might say "Yes, and waves," next person "Yes, and surfing," next "Yes, and California," and so on. The key is: don't overthink it, accept what you hear, add the first related thing that comes to mind. There's no wrong answer. Ready? I'll start us with... "Morning." Great! Keep it going around the circle. If you get stuck, just say the first thing in your head—we're practicing spontaneity, not perfection."
Actions:
- Stand or sit in circle where everyone can see each other
- Facilitator starts with neutral word (avoid controversial topics)
- Go around circle, each person says "Yes, and [related word]"
- Do 2-3 rounds with different starting words
- If virtual: use same order, or use raise-hand feature for spontaneous turns
Tips:
- • Go fast—no thinking time. Speed prevents perfectionism
- • Celebrate weird connections: "Love how we got from 'coffee' to 'dinosaurs'"
- • If someone blocks ("No, that doesn't relate"), gently remind: "Remember, everything relates somehow!"
Facilitator Script:
"Now let's try scene building. I need two volunteers to start—don't worry, you're not performing theater, we're just having a conversation in an imaginary setting. I'll give you a location, and you'll have a conversation where every response starts with accepting what was just said and adding to it. For example, if your partner says "This beach is beautiful," you might respond "Yes, and look at those dolphins jumping," then they might say "Yes, and I think they're inviting us to swim with them." You're creating a scene together. Ready? Your location is: a busy airport. Go ahead and start talking to each other. Remember: accept what's offered, add new information, don't deny or block. There's no script—just build on each other."
Actions:
- Pair up participants (pairs of 2 for small groups, or demo pair for large groups)
- Assign simple location: airport, park, coffee shop, office kitchen, spaceship
- Give pairs 2-3 minutes to improvise conversation in that setting
- Everyone else observes and notices examples of "Yes, And" in action
- Do 2-3 rounds so multiple pairs can try, or rotate new locations to same pair
Tips:
- • Start with mundane locations (park, coffee shop) before weird ones (Mars, Atlantis)
- • Remind: "You don't have to be funny—just build on what's offered"
- • If pair struggles, pause and ask observers: "What could they say next?"
- • Point out good moments: "Did you hear how they built on the dolphin idea?"
Facilitator Script:
"Now let's try this as a full group. We're going to create a collaborative story, one sentence at a time. The rule: your sentence must accept what was just said and add to it. I'll start: "Jamie walked into the office on Monday morning and immediately noticed something strange." Next person, your turn—accept that setup and add to it. Maybe you say what Jamie noticed, or how Jamie felt, or what happened next. Keep it going around the circle. If the story takes a weird turn, that's perfect—embrace it and keep building. There's no "right" story, only what we create together. Let's see where this goes!"
Actions:
- Full group sits in circle (or virtual participant order)
- Facilitator starts story with opening sentence that creates intrigue
- Each person adds ONE sentence that accepts and builds on previous
- Go around circle 1-2 times until story reaches natural conclusion (or time limit)
- Celebrate the weird, collaborative story you created together
Tips:
- • Remind: "Don't plan your sentence—listen and respond to what's just said"
- • If someone blocks ("Actually, that didn't happen"), gently say "In improv, it did happen! How can you build on it?"
- • Point out: "Notice how the story went places none of us planned—that's team creativity"
Facilitator Script:
"Let's talk about what we just experienced. When you practiced "Yes, And," what did you notice? What was hard? What felt good? [Let 3-4 people share.] Many people say it felt freeing to not judge ideas, or scary to not control where things went. That tension—between control and collaboration—is exactly what we navigate in real work. Think about our last brainstorming session: how many ideas got shot down immediately with "That won't work" or "We tried that before"? What if we practiced "Yes, And"—even for just the first 10 minutes—to build on ideas before evaluating them? You don't have to say yes to bad ideas forever, but you might find better ideas when you build first and judge later. Where could we try this in our work together?"
Actions:
- Ask: "What did you notice about Yes, And?" and "What was challenging?"
- Share: "Where in our work do we tend to block instead of build?"
- Invite examples: "Where could we use Yes, And in our work?"
- Acknowledge: "This feels risky because we lose control—that's the point"
- Clarify: "This isn't about accepting bad ideas—it's about exploring before judging"
Tips:
- • Normalize discomfort: "Improv feels weird because we're not taught to build without judgment"
- • Connect to work: "Product brainstorms, design reviews, problem-solving—all benefit from Yes, And"
- • Name the insight: "We create more together when we build on ideas than when we critique them"
Facilitator Tips
- Start with simple word association before scene work—builds confidence and gets energy up before riskier exercises
- Emphasize "Yes, And" is a mindset, not literal words—you don't have to say "Yes, And" every sentence, just accept + build
- Normalize failure and awkwardness: "Improv is supposed to feel weird—that means you're learning something new"
- Model vulnerability: "I'm not an improv expert either—let's be awkward together" creates psychological safety
- Celebrate unexpected connections and weird story turns—shows that letting go of control leads to creative breakthroughs
- If someone blocks the scene ("No, that didn't happen"), gently ask "How could we make that work?" to practice building
- For remote teams: use chat for word association variant (type related words fast) or breakout rooms for scene pairs
- Connect explicitly to work: "When do we say 'No, But' in meetings? What would 'Yes, And' look like there?"
- Keep energy high and time limits short—improv works best when fast and playful, not overthought and perfect
- If group is stuck or self-conscious, jump in and demonstrate: show what it looks like to say something silly without apology
- Debrief the emotional experience: "What did it feel like to have your idea accepted and built on?" That's the point.
- Use this before brainstorming sessions, innovation workshops, or any time team needs to break out of critical thinking mode
Common Challenges & Solutions
Variations & Adaptations
Teach by contrast. Do scene where everyone blocks ("No, that's wrong," "Actually...") then same scene with Yes, And. Debrief difference. Blocking scene dies quickly and feels frustrating. Yes, And scene goes places and feels energizing. Makes principle tangible. Great for skeptical teams who think Yes, And is just "being nice."
Two people start scene. Anyone can yell "Freeze!" and tag one person out, taking their physical position but starting NEW scene inspired by pose. Builds on previous scene's physicality, not story. Fast-paced, silly, high energy. Focuses on physical improvisation and reacting to body language.
Apply Yes, And to real work problem. 10-minute brainstorm where every response must build on previous idea, no critiques allowed. Generate wild ideas, write all down. After 10 minutes, evaluate. Separates generation from evaluation. Produces more ideas and better ideas because no fear of judgment in generation phase.
Group tells story one word at a time (not one sentence). Ultra-challenging because you have to build on single words and make coherent story. Forces deep listening and letting go of control. Produces hilarious, surreal stories. Shows how little control we have over outcomes when truly collaborating.
teams have used this game