You Are Creative
In groups of three, participants take turns speaking Gibberish, English, and translating between the two, discovering their inherent creativity.
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Related Exercises
Gibberish Games
Gibberish Games is an applied exercise in which two participants hold a conversation entirely in made-up, invented language -- gibberish -- while a third person translates for the rest of the group. The exercise trains attention to nonverbal cues: tone, rhythm, gesture, facial expression, and physical presence carry the meaning that words normally would. Participants learn to read and respond to a speaker's full communicative body rather than filtering attention through vocabulary alone.
Translate Gibberish
Translate Gibberish is an exercise and short-form game in which one performer speaks in invented nonsense language while a second performer translates their speech into English for a third performer or the audience. The exercise trains commitment, physical storytelling, and the skill of reading emotional and physical information rather than linguistic content.
You Should, You Could, You Would
Participants reframe directive language ('you should') into collaborative forms ('you could'), exploring how word choice affects relationships.
Gibberish
Gibberish is a foundational improv exercise in which performers communicate using invented nonsense language while relying on vocal tone, facial expression, gesture, and physical action to convey meaning. The exercise demonstrates that communication transcends words and that audiences read emotional truth through nonverbal channels. Gibberish builds confidence in physical and vocal expression, frees performers from dependence on clever dialogue, and reveals how much information the body communicates before language enters the picture. It is one of the most widely used exercises across all improv traditions and appears in the training curricula of Viola Spolin, Keith Johnstone, and nearly every major improv school.
Replay Gibberish
Replay Gibberish is a short-form game in which a scene is first performed in coherent dialogue, then replayed entirely in gibberish. The performers must convey the same story, emotions, and relationships using only invented sounds, facial expressions, and physicality, demonstrating how much communication exists beyond words.
The Lineage
Explore the schools and structures that influenced or evolved from You Are Creative.
Business Improv (Gee & Gee)
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). You Are Creative. Retrieved September 28, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/you-are-creative
The Improv Archive. "You Are Creative." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/you-are-creative.
The Improv Archive. "You Are Creative." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/you-are-creative. Accessed September 28, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.