Yes, and...

"Yes, and...", also referred to as "Yes, and..." thinking is a rule-of-thumb in improvisational comedy that suggests that a participant should accept what another participant has stated ("yes") and then expand on that line of thinking ("and").[1][2] It is also used in business and other organizations as a principle that improves the effectiveness of the brainstorming process, fosters effective communication, and encourages the free sharing of ideas.[3]

Principles

The "Yes" portion of the rule encourages the acceptance of the contributions added by others. Participants in an improvisation are encouraged to agree to proposition, fostering a sense of cooperation[1] rather than shutting down the suggestion and effectively ending the line of communication.

In an organizational setting, saying "Yes" in theory encourages people to listen and be receptive to the ideas of others. Rather than immediately judging the idea, as judgment has its place later on in the development process, one should initially accept the idea, which enables the discussion to expand on the idea without limitations.[3]

The next step in the process is to add new information into the narrative, hence the phrase "Yes, and!"[1]

gollark: > despite being in an allegedly elite high school, there are a concerningly large number of people who do not care.Same here! I go to a vaguely selective school, but some people are just... bad?
gollark: Oh, yes. I missed those, thankfully.
gollark: Unless you didn't. Then you would be really behind.
gollark: You start GCSEs in year 10.
gollark: As I said, I think A-level might be better, as I only do 3 (well, 4) subjects I actually like, with better teachers and not with people who don't care, but... well, based on past evidence of school stuff it might also be equally terrible?

References

  1. "Rules of comedy improv and acting". Pan Theater. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  2. "What I Learned From the First Rule of Improv - Yes, And". Plantingourpennies.com. Retrieved 2014-02-05.
  3. Kulhan, Bob (2013-04-10). "Why "Yes, and…" Might Be the Most Valuable Phrase in Business". Big Think. Retrieved 2016-11-11.
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