The most famous phrase in Improvisation circles is ‘Yes… And’.
‘Yes… And’ is about accepting and building, so that a scene in a theatre or a conversation in life can flourish.
It’s a phrase that reeks of positivity. It’s grammatically positive, with a resounding ‘Yes’ chasing away any ‘But’ or a ‘No’.
And yet there are limits to the value of ‘positivity‘ alone. We’d love to get away from any sense of forced (or even necessary) positivity, for example.
A popular concept such as ‘Positive Thinking‘, can distract us from a more useful emphasis on action or doing, beyond mere thinking. Let’s go further.
A key word to entertain as an upgrade for ‘Positivity‘ is ‘Possibility‘. We know we cannot be positive (i.e. certain) what our outcomes will be. We also cannot be sure that we’ll have the discipline, luck or skill to approach each day with positivity (attractive thought it may be). But we can make sure that every encounter takes a walk in the field of possibility – that sense that things might be different, preferably for the better.
When we talk to leaders during a consultancy project or engage participants when we’re facilitating, we can take a stance of possibility. It’s a great way of opening up conversations, co-creating whatever will emerge, rather than insisting or supposing that everything is great right now.
