‘Yes, and’: Improv for social skills training

At SocialThinking.com, guest author Robin Fox identifies improv exercises as an effective way to teach “the back and forth exchanges that are the hallmark of all relationships.” It’s worthwhile reading if you, like me, have struggled in this area.

Fox suggests that exercises like the “yes, and” exchange be taught to students with social challenges:

“Yes, and is a response to an offering by another actor. The first actor might say, ‘I love this restaurant!’ The second might yes, and it by saying, ‘I love it too. AND my pasta tastes amazing!’ (He receives and acknowledges actor #1's offering and adds a connective and expansive thought.)”

Fox admits that applying what one of her students identified as “a formula” will at first start out formulaic. But “[a]s children practice the yes, and strategy, the structure eventually becomes less rigid as the kids get into it, the additions become more natural, and the connections more fluid.”