Yes, And audiobook cover - How Improvisation Reverses “No, But” Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration

Yes, And

How Improvisation Reverses “No, But” Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration

Kelly Leonard & Tom Yorton

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Categories:
Communication SkillsCreativityCorporate Culture

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Yes, And
The 'Yes, And' Mindset+
Ensembles Over Teams+
Safe Environment for Co-creation+
Comedy and Idea Management+
Fail Fast and Together+
Adaptive Leadership+
Mastering Listening+

Quiz — Test Your Understanding

Question 1 of 8
What is the core mechanism of the 'yes, and' strategy?
  • A. Agreeing to follow through on or add to a narrative started by a collaborator.
  • B. Blindly agreeing to every business proposal to accelerate the prototyping phase.
  • C. Pointing out the flaws in an idea before offering a better alternative.
  • D. Letting the most senior team member start a brainstorm and others follow without question.
Question 2 of 8
Why do the authors recommend building an 'ensemble' rather than a 'team'?
  • A. Teams require too much diversity, which can slow down the creative process.
  • B. Ensembles are highly structured, ensuring everyone knows their exact role.
  • C. The concept of a team implies competition and hierarchy, which can hinder free-thinking.
  • D. Ensembles focus on hiring only the top star performers in an industry.
Question 3 of 8
How did The Second City resolve the stagnation of its creativity in the 1970s and 1980s?
  • A. By hiring top-tier star performers from rival comedy clubs.
  • B. By implementing a top-down management structure to enforce discipline.
  • C. By recruiting people of different races and sexual orientations to broaden perspectives.
  • D. By focusing exclusively on universally safe, non-taboo topics.
Question 4 of 8
According to the book, what is the danger of holding 'reverence' for an idea or product, as illustrated by Kodak?
  • A. It leads to constant, unnecessary tweaking of an already successful product.
  • B. It creates an immobilizing awe that prevents honest critique and innovation.
  • C. It encourages competitors to steal your intellectual property.
  • D. It causes leaders to micromanage the creative process and stifle employees.
Question 5 of 8
What is the primary purpose of events like Basecamp's 'product roasts' or Ogilvy & Mather's mock awards?
  • A. To identify and weed out the weakest performers in the company.
  • B. To foster a low-risk environment by disarming the fear of failure with humor.
  • C. To create internal competition among different departments.
  • D. To convince external stakeholders that the company is highly profitable despite mistakes.
Question 6 of 8
What does Viola Spolin’s concept of 'following the follower' entail in a business environment?
  • A. Allowing whoever has the most relevant expertise to temporarily lead the group.
  • B. Emulating the strategies of rival companies that are currently leading the market.
  • C. Promoting employees based on their ability to follow instructions without question.
  • D. Rotating the CEO position annually to ensure diverse company leadership.
Question 7 of 8
Why does The Second City strictly prohibit uninvited guests, including producers, from attending early rehearsals?
  • A. To prevent rival comedy groups from stealing their jokes.
  • B. Because actors are not fully compensated for unpolished performances.
  • C. To ensure that the directors maintain absolute authority over the script.
  • D. Because the fear of snap judgments can inhibit risk-taking and limit creativity.
Question 8 of 8
What specific exercise does the book recommend to help hone listening and partnership skills?
  • A. Repeating the last sentence the other person said before responding.
  • B. Having a conversation where no one is allowed to use the word 'I'.
  • C. Translating a colleague's gibberish into a formal business proposal.
  • D. Closing your eyes during a conversation to focus solely on the speaker's words.

Yes, And — Full Chapter Overview

Yes, And Summary & Overview

Yes, And (2015) shows you how by incorporating the techniques of improvisational comedy to the business world, you can generate better ideas and foster more effective communication, with the ultimate goal of building a team ready to meet any challenge. The authors draw on personal experience from working with leading talents such as Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert and Amy Poehler.

Who Should Listen to Yes, And?

  • Entrepreneurs looking to expand their creative skills
  • Business leaders in search of tools to optimize creativity and collaboration
  • Fans of improvisational theatre

About the Author: Kelly Leonard & Tom Yorton

Kelly Leonard is the executive vice president of The Second City. Since 1988, he has fostered collaborations with Lyric Opera Chicago, the Norwegian Cruise Line and The Chicago Tribune, among other organizations.

Since becoming CEO of The Second City in 2002, Tom Yorton has applied his knowledge of improvisational comedy in his consulting work with businesses and professionals.

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