Yes, and...

by Adam Cuppy and Julia Cuppy

Summary of the Workshop: Yes, and...

In this engaging workshop led by Adam Cuppy and Julia Cuppy at RubyConf 2017, the speakers explore the transformative power of the improv principle "Yes, and..." and how it can enhance communication and collaboration in both personal and professional settings. The primary aim is to teach attendees how improvisational techniques can serve as effective tools for fostering creativity and open-mindedness, particularly relevant in the context of software development.

Key Points Discussed:

Introduction to Improv: The workshop begins with Julia introducing herself and Adam, setting a light-hearted tone where they joke about their relationship.
Importance of Improv Skills: Julia and Adam emphasize that skills from improv can enhance the collaborative process in programming. By encouraging exploration, the "Yes, and..." philosophy helps in brainstorming new ideas and approaches, particularly important in exploratory tasks often faced by developers.
Low-risk Environment for Failure: A significant aspect of improv is the acceptance of failure. The speakers highlight that in improv, mistakes are celebrated as opportunities for growth and innovation, drawing parallels to the creative process in software development where failure can lead to unexpected breakthroughs.
Ground Rules for Participation: To ensure a productive atmosphere, the speakers establish ground rules for the workshop that include:
- Turning off the internal critic that may discourage participation.
- Fully engaging with partners during exercises to foster real dialogue and collaboration.
Interactive Exercises: The workshop involves interactive exercises, encouraging participation from all attendees while fostering a safe environment for dialogue.

Main Takeaways:

Adopt the "Yes, and..." Mindset: This approach cultivates a positive atmosphere that values input from all participants, essential for team dynamics.
Embrace Mistakes: Acknowledging that mistakes are part of the learning process can greatly enhance creative endeavors, be it in improv or software development.
Builds Communication Skills: Improv techniques empower individuals, making them more adept at communicating their ideas clearly and effectively, deepening collaboration within teams.

In conclusion, Adam and Julia’s workshop provides a fresh perspective on using improvisation as a powerful technique to improve interaction, teamwork, and creativity in various areas of life, particularly within the tech industry.

00:00:10.740 Hello everyone, welcome! I know I see some of your light. I've got a 14-hour trip home for our British friends.

00:00:22.900 Alright, everyone welcome to the Yes And workshop. My name is Julia Cuppy, and I am here today representing a regional theatre company called La Jolla Playhouse. I will be presenting with this fine fellow next to me.

00:00:32.439 Thank you! And your name is what, sir?

00:00:46.059 So, I'm Adam Cuppy, and I’m from Coding Zeal. We are a software consultancy specializing in web and mobile applications. But more importantly, we make a lot of fun of ourselves.

00:01:00.429 That's true! And for those of you who are wondering, yes, we are married. No, we are not brother and sister. We don't want to confuse that.

00:01:16.390 Okay, so we're going to get started right off the bat. For those of you who are familiar with improv, raise your hand. Excellent! Very good!

00:01:29.260 Some of you are like, maybe, maybe not. Alright! Well, today you’re going to learn how the skills required in improv can enhance your own collaboration and communication skills in your everyday lives. So that's what we're going to attempt today.

00:01:41.710 Why are we here though, Mr. Cuppy, even further? Oh God, I was doing these slides. Yeah, so here we are.

00:01:52.560 So, the big question is: Why would you want to learn about improv in conjunction with programming and software development? This is something that I've been pondering for a long time.

00:02:03.610 When we submitted this talk, it was like, let's hope we can come to a conclusion on that. But the bottom line is this: the skills required to perform improv can be used as an additive technology for creating ideas.

00:02:21.770 This is where it becomes really important. For all of us, as we've learned not just at this conference but many times over, a lot of the things that we do are exploratory. That's almost the nature of our job.

00:02:34.670 Our value is presented at a time when we're creating something new. So improv presents a great opportunity to correlate those two because you're exploring ideas that you've not explored before.

00:02:47.330 That's the whole idea. And it is in a pretty low-risk environment. Super low risk!

00:02:53.540 In most improv scenarios, everyone goes in knowing that you're going to fail a lot. Yeah, right? You're going to fall down a lot.

00:03:01.040 In improv, failure is actually a gift. Mistakes are gifts that can take us to places we never expected. We like to celebrate them in improv.

00:03:15.920 So we're going to actually practice failing a lot to start off this workshop. How does that sound?

00:03:22.400 With that being said, we need to set some ground rules. It’s really important that when we start doing these types of exercises, we have a safe environment where we all can feel like we can take risks.

00:03:35.450 Even though it might seem low risk, for some it might actually be embarrassing to talk in front of people. Psychology Today says the number one fear for most people is public speaking. Do you know what number two is? Death.

00:03:59.570 So, to go with the death theme of our conference, I just need you to sneak that in there. We're gonna do the thing that's even worse than death.

00:04:06.739 So with that being said, we are in a safe environment. We’re just going to put four parameters for us to talk about.

00:04:12.170 First, we need to turn off the internal editor in our heads that says, 'Wait a second, I don’t think I can do that because I’m going to look stupid.' Nope! That needs to be shut off for a moment.

00:04:25.690 We need to be fully present with our partner. That might mean I’m going to ask you to go to someone you might not know, and say, 'Hi, my name is…'