Hello there!
Paul Speirs
Helping corporate professionals feel more joined up with applied improvisation techniques | Edinburgh Fringe stand-up comedian & MC host
We’ve now enjoyed two thinky IMPROV Breakfast sessions - this week it was the turn of Adaptability Quotient (AQ) to be given a grilling and put to work.
We unpacked the meaning and discussed how and when AQ is useful for leaders and followers alike. We even demoed it with an activity (no, that activity didn’t involve the Dewey Decimal Classification, although that sounds super-fun and random).
If you’re curious about how the Breakfast went, we are uploading them to our YouTube channel to create a convenient library for all.
Our topic next Wednesday is a mystery one but it’s titled ‘The Two Words that Kill Creativity Dead’. If you wish to hazard a guess what those words are, hit reply and let us know! There’s a prize in it for the most imaginative answers (and correct ones, I s’pose; that should also be rewarded).
Free next Wednesday at 9.30am?
The The IMPROV Breakfast* is easy to sign up to, lasts under half an hour and you’ll contribute to the discussion yourself, if you wish. *No spoon on a counter chain here: we’re a classy joint.
Here’s where we’re going with it...??
“What we have concluded is that non-creative behaviour is learned.” George Land, Ph.D.?(1932?–?2016)
The Two Words that Kill Creativity Dead
Which two words can cause a creative room to lose its mojo - or even stop imaginative thought dead in its tracks?
First - picture this: you’re in a brainstorming session. Ideas are flying thick and fast; the energy is up. You notice, though, that each time someone suggests something, there’s that one guy (or gal) who pipes up with the dreaded - the icy buzz-kill - two-word phrase.
?“Yes, but…”
After a few “Yes, but…”s (no matter how valid) the group will feel deflated; side-tracked, even. Everyone either becomes demoralised or hunts for solutions to that new thing.
As you fantasise about hurling this person (let’s call them Sam) into the nearest bin, you notice something.
Sam is stoked that they thought of a flaw to the plan.
Sam isn’t trying to be difficult. Sam doesn’t realise their comments have halted everyone’s flow and lost the room’s momentum. They think they’re being clever and helpful. Sadly, however, Sam just earned a nickname: ‘Professor Yes, But’ from colleagues.
What does this behaviour mean for a team?
However helpful or clever Sam (aka Professor Yes, But) thinks they’re being, their MO, if given enough space, will reduce group energy to zero every damn time. Sam’s canny cautiousness is exhausting and counterproductive.
Ever heard of ‘Yes, And’? It’s the bedrock tenet of business and it means to ‘accept and build’; to create, with care and forward momentum, a new reality.
‘Yes, But’ = an insidious drain on team time and energy.
‘Yes, And’ = the building blocks of positive communication.
Let’s remember: a “Yes, But…” is rarely malign. Professor Sam isn’t trying to be a pain. A ‘Yes, But’ attitude is born out of nerves, from a wish for control, as a result of wanting to look clever, or due to a real desire to be helpful.
As such, how do we gently shift from this distraction and negativity to a more open forward-moving path?
If you’d like to find out, join us on Wednesday, 9.30am GMT at
The IMPROV Breakfast. We’d love to see you there.
Paul and Vic
#businesstips #appliedimprovisation #IMPROVInc #managementskills #yesand #collaborationmindset #playatwork #mentalagility
Our weekly IMPROV Breakfast is 25 minutes long and promises a lively discussion covering business settings, workplace relationships and (of course) applied improvisation. BYOB (Bring Your Own Berries).
The next Breakfast is all about ‘Yes, But’ and is on Wednesday 13th November, at 0930 (UK time).
Here’s a short video about it.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel at the same time.
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Director, this great adventure // TGAC // CI
3 个月I saw this and made me think of...https://youtu.be/vGUNqq3jVLg?si=h8TlPto2AXrot-Pd X happens, but... X happens, therefore... :)
Transport and Event Management Expert
3 个月'Yes, if' engages, invites and build towards future possibilities, 'no, because' takes us back to past failures (someone else's experience, different time, place and circumstances). At worst to a place where creativity was buried to RIP. Resurrection?