What do you do when your manager or client asks you to take on more workโwhen your schedule is already packed?
Most of us have two typical responses:
Say ๐๐ฒ๐, and brace yourself for even more ๐ด๐ต๐ณ๐ฆ๐ด๐ด.
Say ๐ป๐ผ, and worry about coming across as ๐ถ๐ฏ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ญ๐ฑ๐ง๐ถ๐ญ.
But thereโs a better wayโa skill borrowed from improv that can change everything.
Imagine this: Youโre in a meeting, and your manager suddenly asks you to โtake chargeโ of an urgent project. Your calendar is already full, but saying no feels risky.
Or picture this: A client asks for extra work, and the deadline is tight. Saying yes means youโll struggle to keep up with everything else, yet saying no might feel like letting them down.
This is where โ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑโฆโ comes in.
The phrase โYes, andโฆโ comes from improv theater. Instead of rejecting an idea, performers use it to build on each otherโs thoughts, creating a sense of flow.
In a work setting, it works much the same way. Hereโs how it sounds in practice:
โ๐ ๐ฆ๐ด, ๐โ๐ฅ ๐ฃ๐ฆ ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐บ ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ด๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ต ๐ต๐ฉ๐ช๐ด, ๐ข๐ฏ๐ฅ ๐โ๐ฅ ๐ฏ๐ฆ๐ฆ๐ฅ ๐บ๐ฐ๐ถ๐ณ ๐จ๐ถ๐ช๐ฅ๐ข๐ฏ๐ค๐ฆ ๐ฐ๐ฏ ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ช๐ค๐ฉ ๐ค๐ถ๐ณ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ต ๐ฑ๐ณ๐ช๐ฐ๐ณ๐ช๐ต๐ช๐ฆ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ข๐ฅ๐ซ๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐ฌ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ต ๐ธ๐ฐ๐ณ๐ฌ.โ
With โ๐ฌ๐ฒ๐, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑโฆโ, you keep your response open and positive while setting clear boundaries. It helps you stay engaged without overcommitting.
The magic of โYes, andโฆโ is that it also:
โข Shows youโre willing to collaborate
โข Acknowledges that your time and energy are limited
โข Puts the choice back in their hands, giving them a sense of control
Next time someone asks you to do more than you can handle, try these two simple words.
Let me know how it goes ๐
