Random Words
Random Words is an applied improvisation exercise from Joseph A. Keefe's Improv Yourself in which partners each place ten dissimilar, unrelated words in a random pattern on paper and then compose an original story, poem, or monologue incorporating all ten words. The exercise builds the creative muscle of forging connections between unrelated concepts under constraint.
Structure
Setup
Participants pair up. Each partner writes ten words on a sheet of paper. The words should be as unrelated as possible: concrete nouns, abstract concepts, verbs, adjectives. "Umbrella, philosophy, crumble, violet, negotiate, eleven, passport, whisper, glacier, Tuesday" would be a strong set. Partners exchange their word lists.
Progression
Each participant studies their partner's ten words and composes a short piece: a story, poem, speech, or monologue that uses all ten words. The composition can be written or spoken aloud from notes. Participants have five to ten minutes for creation.
Partners share their pieces. After each performance, they discuss which words were easiest to incorporate, which required the most creative stretching, and how the constraint shaped the final product.
A second round may use the same words to create an entirely different piece, demonstrating that the same raw materials yield different results depending on the creative approach.
Variations
A speed version gives participants only two minutes to compose, forcing intuitive rather than planned connections. A collaborative version has partners compose a single piece together, alternating sentences and each responsible for incorporating five of the words. A presentation version requires participants to deliver their piece as a formal speech to the full group.
How to Teach It
Objectives
Random Words develops the ability to find meaning in arbitrary constraints, a skill that transfers directly to improvisation, creative writing, and innovative thinking. The exercise demonstrates that creativity thrives under limitation rather than in unlimited freedom.
How to Explain It
"Your partner has given you ten random words. Create a story, poem, or speech that uses all ten. The words do not need to appear in order. Find the connections your brain wants to make."
Scaffolding
Begin with five words rather than ten for participants new to constraint-based creation. Allow written composition before requiring spoken delivery. In advanced rounds, reduce preparation time or increase word count.
Common Pitfalls
The most common issue is participants who shoehorn words into the piece awkwardly: "And then I saw an umbrella. Speaking of umbrellas, philosophy is important." Coach them to integrate words so that they feel necessary to the piece rather than inserted into it.
A second pitfall is choosing related words for a partner, making the task too easy. The exercise works best when the words resist connection, forcing genuine creative leaps.
In Applied Settings
Random Words is used in creativity workshops, writing programs, and innovation training. The exercise helps professionals practice generating coherent ideas from arbitrary constraints, a skill that mirrors real-world creative challenges where raw materials are given rather than chosen. Facilitators use the exercise to demonstrate that creative confidence comes from practice with constraints rather than from natural talent.
Skills Developed
Worth Reading
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Related Exercises
Random Images
Random Images is an applied improvisation exercise from Joseph A. Keefe's Improv Yourself in which partners select five unrelated images for each other and each person creates an original story combining all five images into a coherent narrative. The exercise develops the ability to find connections between disparate elements, a core skill in both creative thinking and improvisation.
Just Seven Words
Just Seven Words is an applied improv exercise that constrains each participant to responding with exactly seven words -- no more, no fewer. The constraint forces deliberate word choice, disrupts habitual overexplanation, and trains the ability to communicate precisely and completely within a tight limit. The exercise is used in applied improv to develop conciseness, clarity, and the discipline of editing thought before speaking.
One-Word Sentence
One Word Sentence is an applied improvisation exercise in which a group constructs sentences collaboratively, with each participant contributing exactly one word at a time. The exercise trains deep listening, the ability to release individual control over direction, and the practice of building shared meaning one unit at a time.
Flying Idea Cards
Flying Idea Cards is an applied improv exercise in which participants write ideas, observations, or responses on index cards and physically throw them into the shared space of the group. Other participants pick up cards that land near them and build on the ideas written there, adding their own thought before tossing the card back into circulation. The exercise generates a physical, kinetic version of collaborative ideation that removes status from the contribution and allows ideas to be built on without the original contributor being identified.
Creative Inspiration
Creative Inspiration is a category of applied improvisation exercises that use unexpected prompts, arbitrary constraints, and non-linear starting points to spark creative thinking and generate innovative approaches to familiar problems. The exercises work by disrupting habitual thinking patterns: participants are forced to make associations and connections they would not reach through direct analytical approaches. They are used in innovation, ideation, and creative problem-solving programs.
Pointing Story
Pointing Story is an applied improvisation exercise from Joseph A. Keefe's Improv Yourself in which a partner reads a news story aloud, omitting each noun. They point to the other player, who must instantly supply a replacement word. The resulting story becomes a surreal, often comic narrative that trains rapid association and the willingness to contribute without planning.
The Lineage
Explore the schools and structures that influenced or evolved from Random Words.
Improv Yourself (Joseph A. Keefe)
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Random Words. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/random-words
The Improv Archive. "Random Words." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/random-words.
The Improv Archive. "Random Words." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/random-words. Accessed September 28, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.