No, Because / Yes, But / Yes, And

Purpose:

• Get into a generative mode 
• Feel what it’s like to be in a negative and then a positive brainstorming environment 
• Practice building off the ideas of others

Participants: Groups of any size
Supplies: None

How to lead it:

1. Get the group into teams of 2-6. Have them face each other in a circle.
2. Give them a prompt to plan some sort of event. E.g., “You are going to plan a party for the office!”
3. Introduce the first round. In this round of event planning, when anyone on their team suggests an idea, they must respond with “No, because...” and provide a reason why that idea wouldn’t work. Do a demo with a partner to show them how that works.
4. Give them a few minutes to plan the party this way, then call attention back to you. Do a short debrief of the round.
   • Ask, “What did it feel like to say no to your partner? To be said no to? Did anyone plan a party?”
   • Highlight how this is sadly often how meetings go. Whether we mean to or not, we’re shutting our teammates down. Let’s try something different.
5. Move to the second round. They are still planning the same event, but this time, when someone in their group offers an idea, they say, “Yes, but...” and give a reason why that idea wouldn’t work. Do a demo to show how it works.
6. Give them a few minutes to plan the party this way, then call attention back to you. Do a short debrief of the round.
   • “What did it feel like this time? How far did you get planning your party?”
   • Talk about how “Yes, but” is actually a passive-aggressive “no.”
7. Move to the third and final round. In this round, when someone in their group offers an idea, they say, “Yes, and!” and build on that partner’s idea. Do a demo to show how it works.
   • For example. “What if we have the party on a boat!” you might say, “Yes! And we can set up fireworks on the shore to watch from the boat!” Do a demo to show how it works.
8. Give them a few minutes to plan the party this way then call attention back to you.
9. Do a short debrief of the round.
   • "What did it feel like this time? How did it feel to build on your partner’s ideas? How is this different from how we normally work?”
10. Share how critical it is to maintain a “Yes, and!” mindset when we are generating ideas with our team.
11. When we shut down our partners, we kill creativity. Harness your team's full potential by supporting and, 'Yes, And'-ing them