Saying YES AND are the two most powerful words in improv, and a core value of mine that can help you grow your business. In this episode of Built For The Game, Rob Cressy shares lessons learned from four years of studying comedy and improv at Second City, and how adopting a YES AND mindset can help you become a better leader.
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Built For The Game with Rob Cressy
The Power of YES AND: Grow Your Business With This Improv Rule
Saying YES AND are the two most powerful words in improv, and a core value of mine that can help you grow your business. In this episode of Built For The Game, Rob Cressy shares lessons learned from four years of studying comedy and improv at Second City, and how adopting a YES AND mindset can help you become a better leader. -Ways I can Help:* Develop Your Self & Business. Get Ahead With AI - Join Creating Unlimited: http://www.creatingunlimited.comLet's Connect:Rob Cressy - Instagr...
- Duration:
- 12m
- Broadcast on:
- 11 Jul 2024
- Audio Format:
- mp3
Saying yes and are the two most powerful words in improv and a core value of mine that can help you grow your business and relationships. What's good? It's Rob Cressy and I spent four years studying improv and comedy writing at Second City, the number one comedy training center in the world and adopting the yes and mindset and lifestyle into my business has created so much growth and opportunities. And what I wanted to do was share the lessons that I've learned on my journey to help you understand how you can leverage this into yours to create more power in your business and your life and I'm gonna break this down very simply in five ways. Number one, what does yes and mean? Number two, the power of yes and. Number three, the keys of effectively using yes and. Number four, how to apply yes and into your business and then number five, next steps. And let's start with this. What in the world does yes and mean? And this concept is something you learn in the very first day of improv and it centers all around support and building on top of others ideas. So when you're doing an improv scene, it might be you and one or two other people. So foundationally, yes and says, I am there to support you and to help you look good. And then number two, it says, when you have an idea, I will build on top of that idea, yes and not break it down. So here's an example of this is we're gonna start a scene and it's like, whoa, we're on a spaceship heading to the moon and the next person can come on that and goes, yes, watch out. There's an asteroid right there. So you're building up on top of the idea. On the flip side, here's an example of where yes and does not apply. So I roll in and I've got a wheelbarrow and I'm like, oh my, this watermelon super heavy. And the next person goes, that's not a watermelon dummy, that's a dog, immediately it stops the scene. Well, this may sound obvious in everyday life and in business. There is an optimist series of ideas that either get shot down or build on top of. And the key, or I guess, one of the foundations of all of this is all around, yes, this is accepting and acknowledging the idea that somebody has. And then the end is adding something to your own of it, building on top of this. So let's move on to number two, the power of yes and. And there's three things in which yes and becomes so powerful. Number one, it creates an environment where creativity can flourish. Number two, it is super powerful for communication and teamwork. And number three, it's a mindset. So let's break these down. So creating an environment where creativity can flourish. An example I like to give is basketball. In basketball, when the team is passing all around, there's energy to it. Everybody is involved in the same is true when you have a yes and culture or environment where when you know there's others around you that are there to support and build up your ideas and it's a safe space, man, that creativity is contagious. There's an energy in everybody flourishes. And this is something that is foundational to what we've built at Unlimited. If you're looking for an environment that is very supportive to yes and your ideas in business and life, go to creatingunlimited.com and join us. Number two, the powerful communication and how it helps with teamwork. Well, this is very simple because number one, we're all on the same page because foundationally, yes and says, listen, I am there to support you and build you up. And for me, it's one of the things that makes me a great podcast host because I know when I've got a guest on there, I am there to help make them look good, build up their ideas. And while these things sound obvious, they're very simple to not do because when you come from this yes in place, you feel supported, you feel heard and there is more flow in what you're doing. And you can just sort of wrap it up on that with harmony. And the last set here, the last part here is all around the mindset of yes and. Yes and is about open-mindedness, flexibility, fun and support. And within this container and this structure, there's a lot of freedom to create a lot of good things. So let's move this on to number three, the keys to yes and. And there's five of them. Number one, be an active listener. Number two, be open-minded. Number three, add value. Number four, stay present. And number five, trust and support. So let's break these down. Being an active listener. And this is so key and it is one of the biggest things I ever learned at improv. And it's why I would highly recommend not only everybody taking improv class, but especially if you're in sales. Because active listening is a superpower because when you're on stage doing a scene with somebody else, so often we try and think about what we're going to say next. That is an immediate trap and stop in the world of yes and. Because you want to build on somebody else's idea, not say this is what I'm going to do. And for this, slowing down and just listening to what the other person says is so important. And this is something that we can all work on and I do on an active basis for myself. Number two, be open minded. And be open to accepting new and unexpected ideas, which goes back to the listening. You might be thinking that the rocket ship is going to go one way and then all of a sudden the scene goes in a different place. If you're still sitting there with your original idea, you're going to immediately crush the scene. Instead, you sit there and say, "Whoa, I didn't even know that possibility is there." But there are now aliens on that asteroid and you're building up this new world. So be open to ideas in new and unexpected. Number three, add value. So this is also an element of building on top of the ideas and adding new elements to it. And this is so foundational because when we're building this world, it's layer, layer, layer, layer, layer, in the same is true for business. It's like a coconut chili where there's various components that just sort of stack on top of each other and marinate. Be someone who is value driven, who adds on top of things, not brings them down. Number four, stay present because when you're in an improv scene, man, things are becoming fast at you. You're just saying to the audience, "Hey, give me your fruit." And they're like, "Strawberry," and boom. You got to be where your feet are there, not ahead in the moment. And you'll see these things are all just like one little inch apart from each other in the best way possible. But these are the ways that you become not only a good communicator and comedian at improv, but also in business in the way that you communicate and collaborate with others and your team. So focus on your moment, not what lies ahead. And then number five, and this one is so important, is trust and support. When you're doing improv, you are there with somebody else. They are your teammate. So you're there to support them. They are there to support you. So yes and brings that element of trust. You are in working in harmony together. So number four, how can we apply yes and in business and in everyday life? And I've got three simple examples for you. Number one, create new possibilities. Number two, strengthen relationships. And number three, business growth. So let's break this down, creating new possibilities. This, when the world of yes and, we can live in the world of innovation and creativity. This is the world that I love to live in all the time. Being open to new and unexpected possibilities. So now it's not just, this is the way that things have always been done, it's, hey, what about this? What about this? What about this? Number two, strengthen relationships. Well, how do you strengthen relationships? By being a better listener, by being a better communicator, by being present, by being quicker on your feet and your ability to respond, and to ultimately be a great collaboration partner. People want to do business with those they know, love and trust. When you come from a yes and place, man, anyone who says, oh yeah, I took improv immediately. I'm like, you're my type of person because you get what it means to be a great partner. And then lastly, here, business growth. For sales, this is an absolute no-brainer. It's one of the reasons why I took this. I didn't learn improv and comedy writing to become a comedian, but instead to learn the skill set so I could apply it to what I'm doing in business and as an entrepreneur and creator. So understand how to be good at relationships, how to be a good communicator, how to be someone that builds things up in the support of others. And the next thing, and this is the higher level, is being a better leader. Yes and mindset helps you be a better leader in all areas of your life because we live in a world of no or let me tell you what's wrong with things. So being a yes and is refreshing. It's a light. It's something that you want to be a part of that will draw more people to you. And as a leader, this is a quality we all want more of. And the last part of this ultimately becomes culture. You can create and set a culture of yes and. And that's something that we've done with unlimited our community. Once again, you can go to creatingunlimited.com. It is a culture of people who are building up on ideas and supporting each other. And culture is contagious and something that will help set and guide where your business is going. So as we wrap up on this with next steps of yes and, my encouragement for you is number one. Think about where you are in a yes and mindset. Are you someone who always builds up on ideas? Or do you catch yourself thinking about what you want to say before someone's done talking? Are you someone who brings ideas down? You might not consciously be aware of this. But my encouragement for you is to take a step back, slow down for an extra beat, an extra half second. Allow that other person to finish what they are saying. And then acknowledge and say yes and. I love this so much that I've started to use yes and as a verb. It's a way of acknowledging. Man, that's an amazing idea. I want to yes and what you just said. See if you can start saying that a little bit more and what happens in your business and your life. And I would love to hear from you. Are you someone who is about that yes and lifestyle? Or have you taken an improv class? You can hit me up on social media @RobCressy. And if you're someone looking for a champion to yes and you and your business and all that you're looking to do in the world of AI and self development, let's have a powerful conversation together. Shoot me an email, Rob@RobCressy.com. Sending tons of good vibes your way. Hope you have yourself. Amazing rest of the day. (upbeat music) (upbeat music)