Yes And Exercise
Partners practice building on each other's ideas by accepting and adding with "Yes, and..." responses.
The Yes And Exercise is a foundational improvisation technique that teaches collaborative ideation and positive building. One person makes a statement or proposes an idea, and the partner must respond with "Yes, and..." then add something new. This continues back and forth, creating increasingly elaborate scenarios. The exercise demonstrates how accepting ideas and building on them (rather than blocking or critiquing) leads to creativity and innovation. It is applicable to brainstorming, meeting facilitation, and collaborative work.
Objective
Teach collaborative idea building and positive acceptance of contributions.
No materials needed! This game is ready to play immediately.
How to Play
Explain Yes And
3 minIntroduce the concept: whatever your partner says, accept it ("Yes") and add to it ("And"). Never block, negate, or change their idea.
Demonstrate No vs Yes
4 minShow what blocking looks like: "Let's go to the beach" / "No, let's go to the mountains" (conversation dies). Then show Yes And in action.
Practice in Pairs
5 minPairs practice for 3 minutes. Start with simple scenario: planning a party. Each person must say "Yes, and..." then add detail.
Share Results
8 minPairs share where their scenario ended up. Often hilariously different from starting point!
Apply to Work
5 minDiscuss how Yes And applies to brainstorming, meetings, and accepting colleague ideas before critiquing.
Pro Tips
Emphasize that "Yes, And" doesn't mean agreeing with everything - it means building before judging.
Variations
Try these variations to adapt the game for different contexts and group sizes.
Similar Games
You might also enjoy these ice breaker games