Follow the Leader
Follow the Leader is a classic exercise in which one player leads the group through a series of movements that everyone copies. The exercise builds observation skills and comfort with matching another player's energy and style. It can be extended by having the leader change without announcement, forcing the group to identify the new source of movement.
Worth Reading
See all books →
Yes, And
How Improvisation Reverses No, But Thinking and Improves Creativity and Collaboration
Kelly Leonard; Tom Yorton
The Improv Illusionist
Using Object Work, Environment, and Physicality in Performance
David Raitt
Putting Improv to Work
Spontaneous Performance for Leadership, Learning, and Life
Greg Hohn
Playing Along
37 Group Learning Activities Borrowed from Improvisational Theater
Izzy Gesell
Business Improv
Experiential Learning Exercises to Train Employees
Val Gee
Improv Leadership
How to Lead Well in Every Moment
Stan Endicott; David A. Miller; Cory Hartman
Related Exercises
Follow the Follower
Follow the Follower is an applied improv exercise in which a group sits in a circle and simultaneously makes sounds and movements while attempting to mimic everyone else -- with no designated leader and no pre-assigned role of follower. Because everyone is following everyone at once, leadership emerges organically from small initiations that the group collectively amplifies. The exercise makes visible how group behavior self-organizes without authority, and how individual actions propagate through a collective system.
Blind Lead
Blind Lead is a classic trust exercise in which one player closes their eyes while a partner guides them through the space using touch or voice. The exercise builds trust, communication, and sensitivity to a partner's needs. It is foundational to many physical and ensemble-building curricula.
Follow the Leaver
Follow the Leaver is a group movement exercise in which players move freely through the space and, when one player decides to leave the room or move to a specific location, all other players notice and follow -- without verbal communication or explicit announcement. The exercise develops peripheral awareness, ensemble attunement, and the ability to read and respond to a subtle behavioral cue rather than waiting for an explicit instruction.
Who's the Leader?
Who's the Leader is an applied observation and group dynamics exercise in which one participant steps away while the group selects a secret leader, then returns to identify the leader by tracking who the group is following, training observational acuity, leadership recognition, and awareness of how influence flows in group settings.
Follow Your Nose
Follow Your Nose is a physical exploration exercise in which players literally lead with their nose as the point of initiation for all movement through the space. By designating a single body part as the physical driver, the exercise disrupts habitual movement patterns and develops kinesthetic awareness, physical specificity, and the discovery of how a small physical choice can alter an entire physical identity.
Mirror/Follow the Follower
Mirror Follow the Follower is an applied improv mirror exercise in which two participants begin by mirroring each other without a designated leader, then allow leadership to shift organically as the mirror deepens. The exercise trains simultaneous attention and response, the release of the need to control group direction, and the experience of shared movement that arises when both participants follow rather than either one leading.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Follow the Leader. Retrieved October 14, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/follow-the-leader
The Improv Archive. "Follow the Leader." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/follow-the-leader.
The Improv Archive. "Follow the Leader." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/follow-the-leader. Accessed October 14, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.