Ten Titles
Ten Titles is a generative exercise in which participants rapidly produce ten potential titles for an imaginary piece, project, or show based on a single prompt. The exercise builds ideational fluency by training performers and facilitators to generate volume before quality.
Structure
The Prompt
A single word, image, or concept is given. Participants have a short fixed time, typically two to three minutes, to write ten possible titles for an imaginary work inspired by that prompt.
Volume First
The goal is ten titles, not one good one. Participants must keep writing even when they feel they have run out of ideas. The later titles, produced under pressure, are often the most interesting.
Sharing
Participants share their titles. The group notices which ones create immediate curiosity, which feel generic, and which seem to open unexpected directions.
Selection
Participants select one title that surprises them and discuss what show or piece that title might be.
Application
A title is chosen as a starting point for further development or performance.
How to Teach It
Objectives
Ten Titles develops the habit of generative volume. Many creators wait for the right idea before beginning. This exercise installs the habit of producing many ideas quickly and selecting from abundance rather than scarcity.
How to Explain It
"You have two minutes. Write ten titles. They do not have to be good. They just have to be ten. Go."
Common Pitfalls
Participants often stop at three or four titles and declare they are done. Insist on ten. The discomfort of producing titles after the obvious ideas are exhausted is the productive zone of the exercise.
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Turbocharged Brainstorm is an applied exercise in which participants generate ideas at maximum speed for a compressed time period, prioritizing volume and velocity over evaluation. The exercise uses time pressure and competition as catalysts to bypass the inner critic and access the full range of a group's generative capacity.
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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.
New Object Name and Application
New Object Name and Application is an applied improvisation exercise in which participants are given an ordinary everyday object, assign it a completely new name, and then pitch a convincing use case for it under its new identity. The exercise trains spontaneous creative reframing, confident presentation under uncertainty, and the ability to find value in unexpected contexts.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Ten Titles. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/ten-titles
The Improv Archive. "Ten Titles." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/ten-titles.
The Improv Archive. "Ten Titles." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/ten-titles. Accessed September 28, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.