The Many Meanings of ‘Yes, And...’

If there is one adage from improv comedy that has made it into the wider corporate world, it is arguably ‘Yes And’.

While the origins of this phrase are not definite, the key idea of agreeing with your partner and building upon what they say is found across many improv styles.

But here’s the twist: while ‘Yes And’ can be a powerful listening tool, it can lead to scenes overflowing with information instead of genuine discovery and authentic reactions, and can lead improviser to assume all information in a scene must be built upon.

In this post I wanted to explore some of the interpretations of ‘Yes And’. These are coming from my (subjective) experience, as ‘Yes And’ has taken on different meanings at different times in my own improv journey.

So, let’s explore together! Do you think ‘Yes And’ is still a valuable tool, or are there more effective alternatives out there?

My meanings of ‘Yes And’:

1 - A point of focus

When I first started improv classes I was incredibly socially anxious, and was always second or even quadruple-guessing my own ideas. Enter ‘Yes And’—my creative lifeline! This simple phrase made the next creative choice feel less daunting. Just adding one little thing felt manageable, and suddenly, creativity was within my grasp. It taught me that my ideas didn’t have to be perfect; they just needed to spark something new, opening doors to unexpected stories and wild adventures.

2- Expander- following a line of thought

The second meaning of ‘Yes And’ is as a tool to support us in exploring one thought. When in a creative mode, we can be tempted to create a spider-diagram of ideas, expanding in size and complexity. We can feel surrounded by many tempting ideas- this one, no this, how about this? It can be delightful having so many tempting ideas.

When first using ‘Yes And’, we can misinterpret it in this way of constant expansion. However, the first part, the ‘Yes’ reels us in slightly. We don’t ‘And, And, And,’ we use ‘Yes And’. By saying Yes we are acknowledging the idea that we heard or observed from our partner is important, and we are going to build upon that. What we say will link to or be inspired by that previous idea.

This is helpful not only because it cements collaboration in what we do, but it also means that the ideas we put out there matter to the story. They link to other elements and may become important. By valuing and reusing ideas we create meaning in our stories and characters.

3- Taming the Judgement Monster

Related to my first point, ‘Yes, And’ can be a useful tool to stop ourselves judging our ideas too harshly. Part of ‘Yes And’ is saying the next thing. That might be the obvious thing. It might be a little thing, it might be supporting ideas that other people have already put into the scene. ‘Yes And’ can help us to just move forward. Let the scene exist, let the details be given, and see where it takes you!

4- The Art of Listening

A core skill for improvisers, active listening is also built into the idea of Yes, And.

It requires us to acknowledge what our partner said (yes), to really process what it means, and to add too it, whether by adding another detail or reacting to it. Filtering ‘Yes And’ through listening reinforces how relatively unimportant our shiny new ideas are. Just by adding to what has been said, by being obvious, we can create compelling scenes, stories and characters.

5- The Brave Choice

In contrast to the obvious choice, ‘Yes And’ can also support us to make the brave choice. Improv should be fun, and we can get our characters into fun situations and challenges. Sometimes we can be nervous of making the wrong decision, but using ‘Yes And’, we see that that is really hard to do.

We know that our partners will be listening to what we put forward and will build off of it, so why not make the brave, fun, bizarre choice?

6- Next Logical steps

Sometimes the most vivid and captivating scenes come from people adding the thing that seemed obvious to them. The man in the leather chair is pulling out something, of course it’s a leather book. The gardener finishes mowing the lawn, and of course grabs the shears to start on the hedge. We can use ‘Yes And’ to add the next logical idea, and in the process build a compelling world and scene for the audience watching.

7- Inspire your partner

Improv at its heart is a collaborative artform. We are often able to create something as a team which is greater than the sums of what we would have been able to create in isolation. Your partner on stage is a magic element and one way that we can capitalise on that is to use ‘Yes And’ as a tool with the purpose of inspiring your partner. What if the idea you add is one you think will ignite your partners’ imagination, will take them on a story they will love?

If they are doing the same for you, then ‘Yes,and’ becomes a tool of inspiring not just being inspired yourself.

8- The Power of Promises

My final use of ‘Yes And’ is inspired by narrative improv. When we are telling stories, one of the easiest ways to make it feel planned and written is to treat ideas a promises. I must have said that for a reason, so maybe it will come back in the the future. This can be applied to short scenes as well. We can use ‘Yes And’ through a lense of promises. What we have said and are saying now are important. We will discover why in a future ‘Yes And’.

The final (uncomfortable) ‘Yes And’.

This final, unnumbered entry is here because it is the reason that so many teachers are reluctant to rely on ‘Yes And’. That is because it can sometimes be seen as a requirement, that we have to agree to what our partner said and go forward with it. This can put players in uncomfortable situations, and can create scenes that are not very fun. Any teacher should be looking out for this to stop it in its tracks, but it does raise a good question of if ‘Yes And’ is fit for purpose. Has it had its’ time and should we find something else? Does it’s misconceptions outweigh its’ usefulness?

I have found myself using ‘find agreement’ a lot more in my teaching. That gives space to say no. It gives space for characters to have different perspectives. But there are some of the interpretations above that get lost.

I think ‘Yes And’ is probably going to be with us for a while going forward, but we can hopefully agree that there are many ways to use it, interpret it, and alternatives to use.