Heard about a great exercise used by the Second City improv troupe to teach communications skills.  The task is to have a conversation with a partner and always use the response “Yes, but…” After a time, try switching and using the response “Yes, and…”  Notice the difference in the flow of the conversation.

Now think about when you’re responding to questions during a presentation.  How to do you lead into your response?  If you’re using “Yes, but…” then you may be shutting down lines of communication.  Even if you need to correct some facts in the person’s question, it’s better to use the “Yes, and…” approach because it acknowledges common ground (even if small) and keeps the flow of interaction moving, rather than stopping it.

Thanks to the Product Four blog for sharing some details of the Second City session.