You Should, You Could, You Would
Participants reframe directive language ('you should') into collaborative forms ('you could'), exploring how word choice affects relationships.
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Related Exercises
Ten Commandments
Groups collaboratively create ten guiding principles for their work together, practicing collective agreement and value articulation.
Yes But vs Yes And Conversation
Participants pair off and hold conversations starting every sentence with 'Yes, but...' then switch to 'Yes, and...' to experience how language choice impacts connection and energy.
I Like. I Wish. What If?
I Like, I Wish, What If is an applied feedback framework drawn from design thinking practice and used in applied improv contexts as a structured tool for giving constructive, forward-looking feedback on work in progress. Rather than open-ended critique, feedback is organized into three channels: what is working (I Like), what could be developed (I Wish), and generative possibilities (What If). The framework balances appreciation and aspiration, reducing the defensiveness that unstructured feedback often produces.
The Power of No
Exercises exploring when and how to say 'no' effectively while maintaining positive relationships and using 'Yes, And' to soften refusals.
Freeze Tag Round Two
Freeze Tag Round Two extends Round One by requiring the entering player to justify their physical choice with one short sentence or action immediately after entering. Rather than simply completing a frozen picture silently, the entering player establishes a brief scene -- naming the relationship, the situation, or the location -- before both players are released. The addition of verbal justification trains the integration of physical and narrative scene-building.
Stop. Start. Continue.
Ask someone what they want you to stop doing, start doing, and continue doing. Structures feedback in a balanced, actionable way.
How to Reference This Page
The Improv Archive. (2026). You Should, You Could, You Would. Retrieved March 17, 2026, from https://improvarchive.org/exercises/you-should-you-could-you-would
The Improv Archive. "You Should, You Could, You Would." The Improv Archive, 2026. https://improvarchive.org/exercises/you-should-you-could-you-would.
The Improv Archive. "You Should, You Could, You Would." The Improv Archive, 2026, https://improvarchive.org/exercises/you-should-you-could-you-would. Accessed March 17, 2026.
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