Do You like Your Neighbour?
Do You Like Your Neighbour? is a seat-swapping game in which one player stands in the center and asks a seated player whether they like their neighbor. If the answer is yes, the neighbors swap seats with two other players while the center player tries to take a seat. If the answer is no, the center player asks what type of person they prefer, and everyone matching that description must swap seats simultaneously, again giving the center player a chance to sit down.
Structure
Setup
All players sit in chairs arranged in a circle. One player stands in the center.
The Question
The center player approaches any seated player and asks: "Do you like your neighbour?" The seated player answers yes or no.
Yes Response
If the answer is yes, the seated player's two immediate neighbors must leave their seats and find new seats elsewhere in the circle. During the scramble, the center player attempts to sit down in any vacated seat. Whoever is left without a seat becomes the new center player.
No Response
If the answer is no, the center player asks: "What kind of person would you prefer?" The seated player names a characteristic (e.g., "people who have traveled abroad," "people who like dogs," "people who are wearing glasses"). Everyone who fits that description must immediately leave their seat and find a new one. The center player and the original sitter both try to claim seats in the scramble.
Conclusion
The game runs for ten to fifteen minutes or until energy begins to plateau.
How to Teach It
Objectives
Do You Like Your Neighbour? targets physical energy, spontaneous self-disclosure, and playful community building. It is used as an energizing warm-up and as a light disclosure exercise that surfaces surprising commonalities within a group.
How to Explain It
"One person stands in the center. I'll ask you if you like your neighbours. Say yes and they have to move; say no and tell us what kind of person you'd prefer, and anyone who fits has to move. The person in the middle is trying to steal a seat each time."
Common Pitfalls
Players sometimes answer yes every time to avoid thinking of a category, which makes the game repetitive. Encourage no answers and creative category choices. Players who struggle to find a seat because of mobility considerations can be given priority seating rules or accommodated through a modified version.
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How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Do You like Your Neighbour?. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/do-you-like-your-neighbour
The Improv Archive. "Do You like Your Neighbour?." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/do-you-like-your-neighbour.
The Improv Archive. "Do You like Your Neighbour?." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/do-you-like-your-neighbour. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.