At a recent offsite, we traveled to Second City in Brooklyn, NY, for an Improv Workshop. We didn’t know what to expect. Most were open-minded that we would learn unusual things about each other through an improv process. Some were dubious that it was a good use of time given the travel back and forth, but in the end, it was well worth it.

We divided into small groups to pitch our ideas for the perfect birthday celebration. In the first iteration, one person pitched, followed by a round of responses from the other participants, commencing each statement with “no because…” and their reasons. In the second iteration, the other participants started with “yes, but…” and their reasons. In the final iteration, the other participants started with “yes, and…” and their other suggestions.

To do this three-part exercise well, we had to fully commit, be present, actively listen, trust and support, suspend judgment, embrace mistakes, and go with the flow. We learned that addressing “no” again and again was draining. Addressing “yes, but” was less tiring since we simply had to improve upon a potentially good idea. Building on “yes and” was fun and fluid, leading to many more novel ideas with some completely whacky.

As we know, “yes and” is a fundamental principle of improvisational theater that guides performer interactions. Beyond improv, embracing the “yes and” mindset encourages creativity, collaboration, and fluid communication. The progression of the exercise highlighted the power of “yes and” thinking, leading us to ideas we didn’t conceive of before. However, it also illustrated, stretched to the extreme, that some of the ideas generated are so far out there that it is hard to see them leading to fruitful options.

Divergent thinking generates creative ideas or more options without judgment. We want to use the “yes, and” tool throughout this phase and ask why not? These are great tools for brainstorming. At some point, we want to ask why each generated idea matters to narrow them down and focus our attention on the few we want to implement. In this phase, we want to switch to convergent thinking and edit down the ideas generated from divergent thinking. In this phase, you might want to use “yes, but” and “no because” tools to eliminate the unlikely options and find the one or two choices that matter.

It is critical to have the right mindset during each phase and use the right tools to maximize our effectiveness. The next time we have a complex problem to solve, we should actively consider whether we are seeking to increase optionality and divergent thinking or reduce optionality and convergent thinking. Then, we should pick the appropriate tools to achieve our goals.