The Power of "Yes, and ..."
Elevate Engagement with Improv
Interested in learning about some great Improv games to try out with your team to sharpen those “Yes, and” skills?
What an exhilarating week it has been! Our team at Dialogue Partners had the pleasure of immersing ourselves in the vibrant P2 community at the 2023 IAP2 North American Conference in Seattle, Washington. Amid the buzz and excitement, I had the privilege of co-hosting a session with Emily Cameron titled "Yes, and…How Improv Can Elevate Your P2/Engagement Practice." But, you know how it goes with these events – time always seems to run out, leaving us hungry for more profound explorations, stories and insights.
For this month’s Daring Dialogue, we shared some of our learnings from our “Yes, and…” session and highlight how improv as a practice can strengthen and rejuvenate the skills P2 practitioners use on daily basis for a wider audience.
Yes, but ...
Many of us have been well trained to look for what doesn’t work. Ever catch yourself responding to community members’ novel ideas or concerns with “Yes, BUT”, without considering what values, hopes, fears or beliefs are driving it? It’s no surprise – our organizations highly value “problem spotters and solvers”. Yet this can narrow our world so that all we see are our ideas and our ways of doing things.
What if we focused on the skill of “value spotting” – where all engagement practitioners were proficient at spotting and enhancing other people’s values, inviting collaboration and co-creation?
Whether you are a beginner to the improv world or have been Yes and-ing for decades, practicing the art of improv can develop skills such as: communication, listening, empathy, and PLAY!
Rick Tamlyn - thank you for being the first to introduce me to this concept and encouraging me to bring it into my practice!
Fundamentals of IMPROV … and where it fits in engagement
Yes, And …
This is arguably the most fundamental rule in improv. It means accepting and building upon the contributions of your scene partner. In engagement, this principle encourages collaboration and keeps productive discussion moving forward.
Conscious Listening
Pay close attention to what your scene partners are saying and doing, as this will inform your responses and help you create cohesive scenes. In engagement, conscious listening helps us pick up on cues, details, and opportunities to uncover the smaller, quieter nuggets of insight.
Be Open
Let go of preconceived ideas and be open to whatever happens next. Being present allows you to respond authentically to the evolving dynamics of the scene OR the engagement event!
Try to make your scene partners look good, not yourself
The focus should always be on collaboration rather than competition. When you prioritize making your scene partners look good, you create a supportive and trusting environment on stage. Meaningful engagement requires us to pay attention to equity, we need to level the playing field so that everyone has an opportunity to shine.
Go forward with the story, not aiming for laughs (story telling, not joke telling)
While humor is a significant part of improv, the primary goal should always be to tell a compelling and coherent story. When the audience is engaged in the unfolding story and invested in the characters and their journeys, the laughter that naturally arises from the situation is often more genuine and rewarding.
There are no mistakes
When performers embrace the idea that there are no mistakes, they become more willing to take risks, be spontaneous, and explore new creative avenues. We KNOW engagement is messy business – because we are working with people’s hopes, dreams, fears – it will be messy, there will be mistakes. Using this mindset shift also helps in handling unexpected or unplanned moments with confidence and grace. It encourages adaptability and resilience.
You must agree AND IN P2, we want alignment
Agreeing with the basic reality or premise of a scene is crucial. When all performers agree on the fundamental elements, it becomes easier to create a coherent and entertaining narrative. NOW – many of you have heard me say “public engagement ISN’T about making everyone happy” which means we often WON’T agree but I do think we need to strive for alignment. For me that means that I deeply understand what’s important to you and you deeply understand what’s important to me – EVEN if we disagree in how to move forward. It’s in the alignment where creativity and new solutions arise.
Not convinced yet???
During our presentation at the IAP2 North American Conference, we asked our session participants the following question:
“Think about your engagement practice and the spaces, places and people we are engaging in and with…
What’s the context and environment we are engaging in?
How would you define it, describe it?
What trends and patterns are we seeing in our work?”
Below is a word cloud of the answers we received. Does any of this resonate?
What does this tell me?
Problem solving isn’t always best suited for complex, gnarly problems - yet these are often the spaces we find ourselves engaging in. Classic problem solving suggests there is ONLY one right answer and for most of us, our engagements have MANY different ways we could move forward.
Because many of our discussions are based on values that are often competing or in conflict with one another, we need to find a new way of talking and interacting that sees value in someone else’s perspective, while also bringing in other perspectives. The only way we do this well (and build some relationships along the way) is to practice value spotting as opposed to problem solving.
Value Spotting + Problem Solving
Don’t get me wrong – there is absolutely a place in the world for classic problem solving AND I think it’s important to know the difference between each approach so we select with care and intention.
Value Spotting
Focus on Positive Aspects: Value spotting is about identifying the positive qualities, values, and strengths within a situation, organization, or individual. It emphasizes recognizing what is working well and what is valuable.
Strength-Based Approach: Value spotting often employs a strength-based perspective, which means building upon existing strengths and assets. It seeks to leverage these strengths to achieve goals and create positive outcomes.
Optimistic Outlook: Value spotting typically has an optimistic and constructive outlook. It encourages an attitude of appreciation, gratitude, and optimism by acknowledging what is going right.
Empowerment: It can empower individuals or groups by highlighting their assets and achievements, fostering self-confidence, and motivating further progress.
Complementary to Problem solving: While value spotting doesn’t directly address or resolve problems, it can complement problem-solving efforts by providing a foundation of strengths and positive aspects to build upon.
Problem Solving
Focus on Resolution: Problem solving is primarily concerned with identifying and addressing challenges, issues, or obstacles within a situation or context. It aims to find solutions to specific problems or overcome difficulties.
Analytical and Solution-Oriented: Problem solving involves a more analytical and solution-oriented approach. It requires critical thinking, problem analysis, and the development of strategies to resolve issues.
Action-Oriented: Problem solving leads to concrete actions and decisions aimed at resolving problems or improving a situation. It involves steps like defining the problem, generating solutions, and implementing them.
Practical Outcome: The primary goal of problem solving is to achieve practical outcomes, such as eliminating barriers, improving efficiency, or achieving specific objectives.
Can Address Negative Aspects: Problem solving often involves acknowledging and addressing negative aspects or obstacles in order to achieve a desired result.
Bringing it all together
Sure, improv sounds fun and it’s a break from our every day ... but really Kim, is this necessary???
Here’s what I’m learning ... collaboration and seeing possibility is no easy feat and yet often in P2/engagement, it is seen as a given. But what happens when our participants don’t share the same values? What happens when we have many differing perspectives, or we are competing or in conflict with one another?
Lessons learned from improv can teach us to see and find value - EVEN when we disagree or see the world from wildly different perspectives. It is in these moments, where we can find unique collaboration opportunities even on the toughest, most divisive issues.
I hope you enjoy it.
I hope you try it out.
And as always, I can’t wait to hear what you are learning!