The improv theater technique “Yes, and…” has long been a powerful tool for running better meetings. Since the 1990s, business leaders have relied on it to spark creativity, collaboration, and problem-solving in group settings. For anyone unfamiliar, here’s the gist: When someone offers an idea, a leader or a teammate says “yes” (accepting the reality and value of the idea), followed by “and” (adding something relevant). That simple, two-step response shows respect for the speaker and keeps the momentum on the content. Imagine you’re in a brainstorming meeting on how to improve customer experience at your company. “Yes, and….” might look like this: Person 1: “Let’s extend our customer support hours.” Person 2: “Yes, and we could add a live chat so that people don’t have to call in.” I’ve been teaching “yes, and…” to leaders at companies across industries—including tech, AI, finance, healthcare, education, and the nonprofit sector—since 1997. I’ve also introduced it to my MBA students at Stanford Graduate School of Business and to Silicon Valley professionals through Stanford Continuing Studies. Today, it remains a central part of my coaching work with executives and teams. I’ve seen firsthand how the technique creates space for contribution and drives progress when alignment and innovation are most needed. But I’ve also seen it misunderstood, misapplied, or reduced to a buzzword. When that happens, “yes, and…” loses its power and can even derail the collaboration it’s meant to foster. Here are the top five mistakes I’ve observed leaders make with “yes, and…” Let’s break each down and talk about what to do instead. Mistake #1: Not using “yes, and..” judiciously or transparently Many of the leaders I work with worry that embracing “yes, and…” in meetings will slow down decision-making. They picture everyone piling on idea after idea without pausing to sift, debate, analyze, and come to the best solution. But this only happens when the tool is not being used judiciously—when it’s being applied too broadly or at the wrong time. How to avoid this mistake: “Yes, and…” delivers the most value when it fits the moment. To spot that moment, first agree on why you and your team are meeting in the first place. Is this a quick status update, an idea sprint, or a strategic product decision? Once your goal is clear, you can decide whether to use the technique at all, and if you do, when to switch from generating ideas to evaluating them. Here are a few common examples to guide you: Brainstorming sessions: “Yes, and…” works well here. Research shows that the more ideas a team generates, the better the final outcomes tend to be. If you need to come to a decision by the meeting’s end, limit “yes, and…” to the first 10 minutes or so, then shift from divergent thinking (idea making) to convergent thinking (idea weighing and selecting). Tell your team in advance when you’ll be switching gears to avoid catching them off guard. Retrospectives: When reviewing a project’s success or failure, “yes, and…” can help you acknowledge what happened and shape productive next steps. For instance, if someone says, “The customers loved/hated the product,” a response could be, “Yes, and we can continue that success by…,” or, “Yes, and we can avoid that problem in the future by…” Quick updates or time-crunched decisions: Skip it. Divergent thinking takes time. A tightly-focused session should use every minute on making the call and clarifying next steps. Mistake #2: Assuming “yes, and…” is about agreeing with everyone’s ideas “I can’t say ‘yes’ to everything people suggest.” I hear this all the time when I teach this technique. The concern is valid, but it stems from a misunderstanding. “Yes” isn’t agreement; it’s validation and acknowledgment. Many people don’t speak up in meetings because they fear judgement, mistakes, or loss of status. “Yes, and…” eases those social anxieties—not by forcing consensus but by building the psychological safety teams need to voice unpolished ideas and question one another openly. When you say “yes,” you acknowledge the value of the other person’s contribution and signal you’re willing to engage with it. The only agreements are 1) we’re engaged on the same topic; 2) we won’t shut one another down. How to avoid this mistake: Your role as a leader is to surface and validate the value in each contribution (the “yes”) and then steer the conversation forward by building on that value or tying it to the next point—whether you’re agreeing, elaborating, or offering a respectful challenge (the “and”). The value your team members offer could be passion, a fresh angle, or a commitment to a shared goal. Occasionally, you might need to reframe an idea to explain its merit to the larger group. But even when you have to turn down an idea, starting with a “yes, and…” shows you’ve heard it and respect it. That affirmation invites honest dialogue—the raw material teams need to innovate and creatively problem-solve. As an example, let’s say you’re in a meeting with HR leaders. You’re discussing your current onboarding process when someone suggests an idea you don’t agree with: “I think we should extend onboarding from two weeks to a full month. Right now, it feels too rushed, and new employees aren’t getting enough training.” You can say, “Yes, I like that you’re thinking through our challenges with new personnel, and that you want to make sure new employees get the training they need.” You can then follow up with: “Extending onboarding is one idea that could have merit. Let’s also consider a range of possibilities to make sure we’re not missing anything else. What other ways could we achieve that same depth of training?” Along with your words, be mindful of your delivery. A warm, curious, or thoughtful tone can show that you’re focused on keeping the other person engaged. Mistake #3: Getting hung up on the phrase itself. Leaders often tell me: “I don’t want to sound like a ‘yes person’ or come across as ‘soft’.’” They assume “yes, and…” only works if you literally say those words. That’s a misconception. If the language feels unnatural, change it. How to avoid this mistake: As long as your word choice acknowledges the person’s contribution and moves the group’s thinking forward, it can work. Choose language that matches your goal. It could be to link ideas, expand on them, or dig deeper. To link or expand on ideas, try: “Let’s explore how that idea could play out…” “What if we implemented that? What would be the next step?” That connects to what [Name] mentioned earlier about… Building on that, we might also consider… To probe an idea or keep the speaker engaged, try: “Could you walk me through your thinking?” “What problem does it solve for us?” “What risks or trade-offs should we consider? “How does this tie back to our goal?” It can be helpful to determine two or three phrases or questions that will help you facilitate “yes, and…” behaviors before stepping into the meeting itself. Mistake #4: Assuming “yes, and…” only works in traditionally “creative” industries. Some leaders in data-driven disciplines—where evidence and precision matter most—believe their job is to be 100% “correct” at all times, leaving little room for the creative thinking that “yes, and…” is meant to spark. That view misses what the technique really delivers. “Yes, and…” is fundamentally an innovation and communication tool—two capabilities that offer a competitive advantage in every industry. If your organization holds meetings where people are expected to make suggestions, give opinions, or share ideas, then “yes, and…” is relevant to your work. How to avoid this mistake: To avoid this trap, pinpoint a few areas where innovative thinking—in process or execution—could move your organization forward. If you aren’t soliciting input from your team in these areas, plan a brainstorming session to tap into their expertise. Try using the “yes, and” method to guide the conversation. Be explicit about what you’re inviting people to say “yes” to: participation, collaboration, shared decision-making? Clarifying your intent will keep everyone aligned on the goal and prevent them from simply going through the motions. If at any point you feel yourself resisting the exercise, pause and ask why. Are you uneasy about opening the floor to new ideas? Do you believe “creativity” has no place in your field? That reflex usually reveals more about your leadership comfort zone or your team culture than it does the tool itself. Mistake #5: Undermining “yes, and…” with blocking behaviors In improv, actors count on “yes, and…” to propel a scene, but they’re just as alert to the words that might stall it. The same is true in business: some phrases invite collaboration while others block it. Though norms around “yes” and “no” vary across cultures and hierarchies, the following phrases reflect the most common blocking language I’ve observed in U.S. workplaces: “Yes, but…” (sounds polite, but dismisses the idea) “Yes, or…” (swaps out the original idea for the speaker’s idea) Saying “Yes, and…” when actually meaning “Yes, but…” or “Yes, or…” (the letter of the law, but not the spirit) “No” (when it shuts down the person and the idea without explanation; especially damaging when interrupting the speaker) “That’s not valid” or “That doesn’t apply here” (dismisses the value of the other person’s idea or denies their experience) How to avoid this mistake: “Yes” shouldn’t become a polite preface for shutting down an idea (“yes, but…”) or pushing your own agenda (“yes, or…”). Similarly, don’t use “yes, and…” if you’re just paying lip service to the concept. Speaking the words without a genuine intent to affirm and engage with other’s ideas rings hollow—and worse, can come across as manipulative. If you feel a blocking phrase coming on, stop and think: “What am I really trying to achieve here?” The honest answer is often about control: consciously or unconsciously keeping the discussion on familiar ground or protecting your own idea. That impulse usually surfaces in quick, dismissive phrases like “That isn’t valid” or “That doesn’t apply here.” Try to catch yourself before those words slip out and let the conversation breathe instead. When someone hears their idea waved away, they’re likely to feel belittled, unvalued, and will think twice before participating again—especially if they’re new. This is dangerous territory because leaders need to hear from the very team members whose experiences are unique and may spark innovation to solve complex problems. A tremendous amount of value can be generated from two little words, used correctly. When leaders become proficient in saying and modeling the spirit as well as the letter of “yes, and…” psychological safety is established, employee engagement increases, and innovative corporate cultures flourish.
