"Yes, yes, and ...!" and Rubber Duck Debugging

"Yes, yes, and ...!" 🔗

A couple of years ago, our team collaborated with the wonderful people at Unternehmen ohne Namen on an exciting project ¹. At the beginning of our "workshop," we practiced various creative tools to generate ideas. One technique that really stuck with me is what I remember as "Yes, yes, and...". Though it might sound a bit touchy-feely at first, I believe it’s a simple yet powerful method that can be useful in everyday life—so let me share it with you:

If you have a problem that needs a creative solution, here’s how to do the exercise:

1. Choose a partner to brainstorm ideas with and stand facing each other (don’t forget to smile!).
2. One of you starts by suggesting a solution. It doesn’t have to be perfect—just get started!
3. The other person immediately affirms their understanding with a smile and a “Yes,” then expresses enthusiasm with another “Yes,” and an even bigger smile. Finally, they can build on the initial idea by adding a new angle or perspective with an “and”.
4. Now it’s the first person's turn again to respond with “Yes, yes, and...”
5. Repeat this process until you both feel satisfied with the outcome.

Even if you don’t end up with something useful, I promise you’ll have some fun! I’ve been told that this technique is a core principle in improv theater; you can check out a Wikipedia article about "Yes, and ..." for more details. I find this method even more powerful if you emphasize your excitement and openness to new ideas with two "yeses."

Rubber Duck Debugging 🔗

This two-person creativity technique emphasizes the human power of collaboration and affirmation in generating ideas. Somehow, this reminded me of a single-person technique known as Rubber Duck Debugging: Imagine programmer who is stuck in a debugging session and cannot find the solution. Rubber duck debugging allows them to clarify their thoughts and uncover solutions by explaining their code and thought process to an inanimate object, like a rubber duck. Verbalizing complex concepts often helps reveal gaps in understanding and unblocks you in surprising ways.

Can AI replace a human in creativity techniques? 🔗

Some people believe that LLM chats represent the next logical step from talking to inanimate objects, offering a responsive and seemingly intelligent sounding board. Theoretically it can speed up your unblocking and discovering process by an actual dialog (and assuming you are not redirected accidentally by some hallucinations.

Back to the "yes, yes, and ..." game, one might wonder if a chatbot could serve as a replacement for an actual human partner, similar to how LLMs can stand in for a rubber duck. My answer is a definitive "No!" I firmly believe that a chatbot cannot smile at you, cannot match the creativity of a real person, and cannot share in the fun the way a human partner can. Ultimately, it is you—the human being—who holds the key to sustainable creativity.