Party Planning
Party Planning is a group exercise in which participants collaboratively plan a fictional event using the Yes And principle. Each suggestion must be accepted and built upon, regardless of how unexpected it may be. The exercise demonstrates in concrete terms how much further a group progresses when members support each other's ideas rather than filtering or rejecting them, making it one of the most accessible introductions to collaborative improvisation.
Structure
Setup
Participants form groups of three to seven. Each group is told they are planning a party together. The facilitator provides a simple premise: a birthday party, an office celebration, a neighborhood block party, or any social event the group can relate to.
Progression
Participants go around the circle making suggestions about what the party should include. Each suggestion must be met with "Yes, and" before the next person adds their own idea. If someone suggests live elephants as entertainment, the next person must accept that premise and build on it: "Yes, and we will need to rent a bigger venue to fit the elephants."
No suggestion can be rejected, questioned, or redirected. The constraint forces participants to build on ideas they would normally filter out. The party plan grows increasingly elaborate and often absurd as accumulated yes-ands compound into unexpected directions.
The exercise runs for approximately three minutes per round. The facilitator may run a second round where participants are secretly instructed to respond with "No, but" or "Yes, but" instead, creating a contrast that makes the value of genuine acceptance immediately apparent.
Conclusion
Groups share their party plans with the larger group. The facilitator leads a debrief comparing the energy and output of the Yes And round with any contrasting rounds.
How to Teach It
Objectives
Party Planning provides a direct, visceral experience of the difference between building on ideas and blocking them. Participants feel the momentum that genuine acceptance creates and the friction that even polite rejection introduces. The exercise requires no improv experience and works with any group.
How to Explain It
"Your group is planning a party. Go around the circle and each person adds one thing to the plan. The only rule is that you must accept whatever the person before you suggested and build on it. Say 'Yes, and' before adding your own idea. Nothing is too weird, too expensive, or too impractical. Just keep building."
Scaffolding
Start with a familiar, low-stakes event type so participants can focus on the Yes And mechanic rather than struggling with the premise. After one round, optionally run a contrast round where the rule changes to "Yes, but" or "No, because." The contrast makes the lesson land without requiring the facilitator to explain it.
For groups that are hesitant, the facilitator can participate in the first round to model enthusiastic acceptance of unusual ideas.
Common Pitfalls
The most common issue is participants who say "Yes, and" but then steer the conversation back to their own idea without genuinely building on what was offered. Coach them to make their addition directly connected to the previous suggestion.
A second issue is groups that stay safe, offering only sensible party elements rather than following the escalation wherever it leads. Encourage at least one deliberately unusual suggestion early to give the group permission to be creative.
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How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Party Planning. Retrieved March 19, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/party-planning
The Improv Archive. "Party Planning." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/party-planning.
The Improv Archive. "Party Planning." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/party-planning. Accessed March 19, 2026.
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