Imagine a scene between two improvisors: A: Let's go to the store. B: No, I don't want to. A was trying to start a scene, but by B saying "no," whatever momentum A had given to the scene is now gone. What's worse, B didn't give A anywhere else to go. By saying no, B has:
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- By saying "Yes," you are acknowledging an offering that your scene partner has made. They've introduced it into the scene, and you are accepting that it is now the reality of whatever world you're about to create.
- By saying "and..." you are adding to that world, complementing whatever your scene partner offered and giving them even more to work with.
Let's redo that first scene:
A: Let's go to the store.
B: Yeah! And remember, you got to pick the ice cream last time, so now it's my turn!
Much better, B! Not only is B agreeing to go to the store, but they're offering more details about the scene: what they're going to get, even something about the relationship between these two characters.
Keeping the "Yes, and..." rule in mind helps you stay in the mindset of collaborating with your scene partners, and making sure that everyone is adding to the scene.