Did you like this book? Yes, and it got me thinking...

A few months ago I wrote about listening skills, providing some suggestions on how to become a better listener. A book I recently read, Yes, And: How Improvisation Reverses "No, But" Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration--Lessons from The Second City by Kelly Leonard and Tom Yorton, takes that idea a step further and discusses the benefits of not just active listening, but improvisational listening. Improvisational listening is based on the basics of improvisational comedy: listening to your scene partners with the intent of building on what they say to keep the scene moving and developing, and not killing the scene by shooting down an idea or pushing your own agenda.

Leonard and Yorton are executives at The Second City, which provides corporate training in addition to improv classes and performances. Their book translates many of the principles of improv into a new way of thinking about improving team dynamics, collaboration and ideation. As Second City teaches its performers to respond to an idea, no matter how ridiculous, with “yes, and”, they suggest that employees in corporate settings should think of how they can make their partners look good, through remaining open to possibility and continually building on ideas. They suggest that “In business and in life, people would be far better off if they viewed their ideas not as finished thoughts to be judged, but simply as a bridge to better ideas, thoughts that grease the wheel and facilitate the contributions of others.” (162) 

I found many of the suggestions in this book to be very powerful, and replayed many scenarios from my career, imagining what could have happened if all the players took this approach to collaboration. Removing ego and taking detours that at first appear to be off course do not come naturally to most, but as this book illustrates through a number of case studies, can result in stronger outcomes than would come from working in the ways most of us are more comfortable with. The book provides an appendix of exercises to help teams and individuals get comfortable with taking risks, being open and reframing responses to seemingly silly ideas into non-judgmental opportunities for exploration. 

Can you envision benefits from replacing “no, but…” with “yes, and…”? Could this shift help you work better? Live better?

Share your thoughts in the comments, and of course, please start with “yes, and…”