Problem Solving
Improvisational problem-solving exercises where teams tackle challenges using 'Yes, And' principles to build creative solutions.
Worth Reading
See all books →
Group Improvisation
The Manual of Ensemble Improv Games
Peter Campbell Gwinn; Charna Halpern
Business Improv
Experiential Learning Exercises to Train Employees
Val Gee
When I Say This, Do You Mean That?
Enhancing Communication
Cherie Kerr; Julia Sweeney
The "Yes And" Business Evolution
Improv Skills for Leadership and Life
Tracy Shea-Porter
Improv Ideas
A Book of Games and Lists
Mary Ann Kelley; Justine Jones
Getting to Yes And
The Art of Business Improv
Bob Kulhan; Chuck Crisafulli
Related Exercises
Creative Solution Building
Creative Solution Building is an applied improvisation exercise in which participants use improvisational principles -- acceptance, building, and collaborative emergence -- to develop solutions to presented problems or scenarios. Rather than analyzing the problem and generating solutions individually, participants build solutions incrementally through a structured ensemble process, with each contribution extending and complying with what has already been offered.
Human Knot
Human Knot is a group problem-solving exercise in which players reach across a circle to grab two different people's hands, then untangle the resulting knot without releasing their grip. The exercise requires patience, spatial reasoning, and collaborative communication. It is one of the most widely used team-building exercises across disciplines.
Circle of Knots
Circle of Knots is a group problem-solving exercise in which players reach across the circle to take two different hands, then work together to untangle the resulting human knot. The exercise requires patience, spatial reasoning, and collaborative communication. It is closely related to Arm Tangle and commonly used as an icebreaker.
Positive Outlook
Activities practicing the reframing of challenges as opportunities, cultivating an optimistic and constructive mindset.
I’m Great, You’re Great, We’re Great
I'm Great, You're Great, We're Great is an energizing group affirmation exercise in which participants affirm themselves, their partners, and the ensemble as a whole through eye contact, physical commitment, and full-voiced declaration. The exercise generates collective momentum and group warmth rapidly, and it trains performers to inhabit positive energy physically rather than performing positivity from a detached or self-conscious position.
Concentration
Concentration is a category of focus-building exercises that challenge participants to maintain sustained attention amid distractions and competing demands. The exercises train participants to stay with a primary task while the environment introduces interruption, noise, or parallel activity. They are used in improv training to develop presence and in applied settings to explore how individuals and groups manage attention under pressure.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Problem Solving. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/problem-solving
The Improv Archive. "Problem Solving." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/problem-solving.
The Improv Archive. "Problem Solving." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/problem-solving. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.