Makes Me Think Of
Makes Me Think Of is an association exercise in which players stand in a circle and each person responds to the previous contribution by saying what it brings to mind. The chain of associations builds quickly, training players to follow their first impulse without censoring. The exercise develops free association skills essential for scene initiation and group mind.
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Related Exercises
Associatioin Chain
Association Chain is a circle exercise in which each player says a word inspired by the previous player's word, building a rapid chain of free associations. The exercise trains spontaneous, uncensored responses and reveals the connective leaps that drive improvised scene work. Speed is essential to prevent intellectual filtering.
Free Association Circle
Free Association Circle is a group exercise in which players standing in a circle pass words around the circle, each player saying the first word that comes to mind in response to the word just spoken. There is no topic, no narrative, and no correct direction -- only the unfiltered associative chain between one mind and the next. The exercise develops spontaneity, the suppression of the self-editing reflex, and the awareness of how the associative mind generates material.
Spoken Thoughts
Spoken Thoughts is a scene exercise in which a facilitator or fellow player periodically taps a performer on the shoulder, prompting them to speak their character's inner monologue aloud before resuming the scene. The technique reveals the gap between what characters say and what they think. The exercise builds subtext awareness and emotional depth.
Free Association
Free Association is a foundational improv exercise in which players say the first word that comes to mind in response to the previous word. The exercise trains the spontaneous, uncensored response that forms the basis of all improvisation. Speed is critical: hesitation reveals the internal censor at work, and the exercise's purpose is to bypass that censor entirely. Free Association develops the mental agility to generate offers without pre-planning and builds trust in the unfiltered creative impulse. The exercise is widely used in both theatrical improv training and applied improvisation contexts, where it builds rapid ideation skills and breaks down overthinking.
Blind Association Circle
Blind Association Circle is a variation on word association played with eyes closed. The removal of visual cues forces players to rely entirely on auditory focus and eliminates the temptation to pre-plan based on watching others. The exercise deepens listening skills and trains purely verbal spontaneity.
Introducing Association
Introducing Association is a name-learning exercise that combines self-introduction with word association. Each player introduces themselves by name and adds a word, image, or gesture that they associate with their name. Subsequent players repeat all previous names and associations before adding their own. The exercise simultaneously learns names and warms up the associative thinking required for improvisation, building memory through the concrete links that association provides.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Makes Me Think Of. Retrieved September 29, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/makes-me-think-of
The Improv Archive. "Makes Me Think Of." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/makes-me-think-of.
The Improv Archive. "Makes Me Think Of." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/makes-me-think-of. Accessed September 29, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.