'Yes, and?" How Acting Improves my Work in Corporate America

No, I'm not quoting Ariana Grande's latest single here. Instead, I am talking of a tried and true improv principle called, "Yes, and?"

The underlying foundation of this principle is that "no" is an impossibility. When one is presented with new information, rather than rejecting the idea, one must run with it. I have found that "Yes, and?" can change one's life and work ethic when used correctly.

Working in client services for the past several years, I am in the business of people. And though I've learned countless strategies and techniques for effectively working for and with others, nothing is as helpful as the principles of acting. Here are a few of my favorites:

1. It's all about the other person

2. What's my objective?

3. What will happen if you don't get what you want?

4. It all goes back to childhood

5. And, of course, "Yes, And?"

Some of these are a lot to unpack, but I always find that they help me ground myself in relationship-building. I was speaking with a friend recently, and we connected about how corporate relationships, particularly in remote work, tend to flatten the human experience and how we build relationships with others. Strategy comes in and full humanity tends to flee.

And this is where "Yes, and?" comes in. Rather than obsessing over our preconceived notions on how a meeting, client relationship, or project is supposed to go, we allow the way we work together to flow naturally. Someone's ideas can get fully developed or a complaint can be more fully heard. And this freedom in relationships, particularly in work relationships, is rare. And for me, it is the building block of how I handle both my internal and external working relationships.

What I've noticed about "Yes, and?" is how it is a building block for efficiency and trust together. The first "Yes, and?" we might only get a bit further in our information-gathering or our problem-solving. But after several "Yes, and?"s, people feel much more comfortable opening up and ideating together.

So I encourage you to find a hobby or passion that puts you away from the business of people and more into the human experience. You might find your own "Yes, and" or other guiding principle that will impact the way you work.