Three Things
In groups of 4-5, one person names a category, then the next three each rapidly name something in that category. Everyone claps three times saying 'Three Things, Yay!'
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Related Exercises
3 Things
3 Things is a quick-response listing game in which one player gives another player a category and the second player rapidly names three things that fit it. The chant that follows each answer keeps the room playful and makes the speed of response more important than correctness.
Five Things
Five Things is a fast-paced listing warm-up in which a performer must rapidly name five items in a given category. The group claps, chants, or counts along to maintain pace and energy. The exercise trains rapid-fire associative thinking and breaks through the self-censorship that slows improvised offers. Speed is the mechanism: when performers must respond faster than they can judge their responses, the internal editor shuts down and genuine spontaneity emerges.
You Are Creative
In groups of three, participants take turns speaking Gibberish, English, and translating between the two, discovering their inherent creativity.
Brain Drain
Brain Drain is a rapid-fire listing exercise in which a player must name as many items as possible in a category before time runs out. The speed prevents self-censorship and trains the associative thinking essential to improvisation. It can be played individually, in pairs, or as a group warm-up.
This Is Jane
This Is Jane is a name-learning exercise in which players introduce each other to the group using a specific phrase and gesture. The structured format ensures every name is spoken aloud multiple times by different people. The exercise builds ensemble familiarity and establishes a supportive group dynamic.
Generate New Ideas
Generate New Ideas is an applied improv exercise in which a group collectively invents a product from scratch -- naming it, developing taglines and jingles, assigning a celebrity spokesperson, and creating a brief promotional pitch -- through a rapid, collaborative ideation process. The exercise uses the product-invention framework as a vehicle for practicing group creativity, spontaneous Yes-And building, and comfort with presenting unfinished ideas with confidence.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). Three Things. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/three-things
The Improv Archive. "Three Things." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/three-things.
The Improv Archive. "Three Things." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/three-things. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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