You Look You Seem
You Look You Seem is a character observation exercise in which players study their partners and offer observations beginning with "you look like someone who..." or "you seem like the kind of person who..." The exercise builds the skill of reading physical details as character clues and generates instant character material from observation.
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
Pirate Robot Ninja
An Improv Fable
Billy Merritt; Will Hines
Action Theater
The Improvisation of Presence
Ruth Zaporah
The Actor's Book of Improvisation
Sandra Caruso; Paul Clemens
Improvisation the Michael Chekhov Way
Active Exploration of Acting Techniques
Wil Kilroy
Related Exercises
Describe Me If You Can
Describe Me If You Can is an observation exercise in which players study a partner's appearance, then turn away and attempt to describe them in precise detail from memory. The exercise sharpens visual attention and reveals how much we overlook in familiar faces. It builds the observational skills that feed specific, grounded scene work.
Imitate
Imitate is an observation exercise in which players study and reproduce the specific physical mannerisms, vocal patterns, and behavioral habits of another person in the group. The exercise sharpens observational detail and builds the ability to embody external characteristics with precision. Close observation reveals how much personality is communicated through small, habitual movements: the way someone shifts weight, the rhythm of their speech, the angle of their head when listening. Imitate develops the skill set needed for character work grounded in real-world observation rather than invention.
Three Changes
Three Changes is an observation exercise in which partners face each other, study their appearance, turn away, and each make three small changes. They then turn back and attempt to identify what the other altered. The exercise sharpens observational detail and teaches performers to notice the subtle specifics that bring characters and environments to life.
What Would She Be If
What Would She Be If is a character-building exercise in which the group describes what a character would be if they were a color, an animal, a type of weather, a piece of music, or other metaphorical categories. The associations build a rich, multidimensional character portrait through lateral thinking. The exercise teaches players to develop characters through sense and metaphor rather than biography.
Cliched Characters Instant Depth
Cliched Characters Instant Depth is an exercise in which performers begin with a stock character type and progressively add layers of specificity, contradiction, and humanity. The exercise demonstrates that any character, no matter how familiar the starting point, can become compelling through committed detail work. It trains the skill of transforming a surface choice into a full person.
What Has Changed
What Has Changed is an observation exercise in which partners face each other, study each other carefully, then turn away while one partner makes a subtle change to their appearance. When both turn back, the observer must identify what is different. The exercise sharpens visual attention to detail and the habit of specific, active observation of scene partners.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). You Look You Seem. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/you-look-you-seem
The Improv Archive. "You Look You Seem." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/you-look-you-seem.
The Improv Archive. "You Look You Seem." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/you-look-you-seem. Accessed March 17, 2026.
The Improv Archive is a systemically maintained repository. The archive itself acts as the corporate author.