What’s the “Yes And” strategy and what’s it got to do with your business? Well, in this video I explain how the principles of improv comedy can enhance creativity in business.
A comedy troupe is a team of performers. The group agrees to set the stage and situation. In your business, you similarly share a situation — COVID, the economy, etc. — and you work through it together.
There are also rules to the game that you all create together, and these are your core values. One of the rules of the game for an improv comedy group is to always say “yes” to ideas. When one performer says or does something, the next person to interact with them has to think “Yes And.” In other words, they have to take what the previous person has done and build on it.
So how does this pertain to your business? Well, right now we have a lot of challenging situations going on, all of which create uncertainty. If we resist what’s going on, we’re going to have a tough time getting any creativity in business. It will be difficult to come up with new ideas.
When we say “yes,” it’s a positive thing. We accept things as they are, and open ourselves up to new possibilities.
Another important parallel to the sketch comedy group is the use of the whole team. Rely on everyone. Don’t just leave it to one person to come up with all of the ideas. When everyone is involved it enhances creativity.
So, as funny as it may sound, think of your team as a sketch comedy group. Let the ideas come from everyone, and say “Yes And” before judging an idea. With everyone playing by the same rules, creativity in business is bound to take off.
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