The Yes-And Team — Build Trust, Kill “But”
Improv-based team collaboration workshop
The difference between a team that innovates and one that stalls is often a single word, “but.” The Yes-And Team turns that reflex around, LIVE, in the room, in under an hour. This playful, fully interactive lab takes…
Workshop
Description
The difference between a team that innovates and one that stalls is often a single word, “but.” The Yes-And Team turns that reflex around, LIVE, in the room, in under an hour. This playful, fully interactive lab takes the foundational rule of improvisation “yes, and” and turns it into a working habit your team can use the very next day. Through a build of quick, inclusive games, people feel the difference between blocking an idea and building on it, between defending their turf and creating something together.
It's the fastest, most enjoyable route to the thing every leader wants and few can manufacture: real collaboration and psychological safety. No performing, no spotlight, just play that quietly rewires how the team works together. Warm, funny, and immediately useful.
Benefits
● A visceral, unforgettable lesson in building on each other's ideas
● Higher psychological safety: people speak up sooner and risk more
● Stronger collaboration and cohesion across roles and seniority
● Fewer reflexive “yes-buts,” more generative “yes-ands” in real meetings
● Trust that holds up under disagreement
● A shared vocabulary that keeps working long after the session ends
Hosted by Shalini Haridoss
About the Host
Shalini Haridoss is the founder and lead facilitator of Unscripted Labs — an improviser and applied-improv facilitator who turns play into practice. Unusually for this work, she's also a Certified Fraud Examiner with a background in risk, which gives her a rare credibility in the room, her sessions are as at home with a guarded leadership team as a creative one.
Through Unscripted Labs she designs experiential sessions called "Labs," where teams don't just sit and listen or take notes, they get on their feet, practice play, and rediscover how to think, speak, and connect under pressure. Everything runs on her signature S.T.A.G.E.™ Method, which distills improvisation into usable tools for presence, adaptability, and psychological safety. No performance or comedy pressure. What makes her rooms work is that they feel effortless while doing genuinely hard behavioral work. People leave saying both "I can't believe how much we laughed" and "I can't believe how much we got done."
A Toastmasters public speaker and bilingual comedian, Shalini knows how to run a room. She runs monthly public Labs and facilitates for corporate teams and kids alike, leaving every group energized, closer, and a little braver and building a community that genuinely enjoys working together. Her work has taken her to stages and teams at Google, Cisco, Palo Alto Networks, the ACFE Global Conference, and Rotary.
Client Requirements
Minimal. In-person: A room where people can sit in a loose circle or pods of 6-8 and/or semi circle; a side table; a microphone. No stage, no AV requirements. Virtual: A platform with breakout rooms and chat.
Focus Areas
Creative/CultureDevelopment/Coaching
Location
Languages
English
Travel Locations
NYC & Tri-state (NJ, NY, CT, PA); open to national and international for half/full/multi-day engagements
Corporate Experience
Moderate
Certifications & Credentials
Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE); Toastmasters public speaker; Improv trained from NJSDA
Session Types Offered
Interactive (eg. improv, group-art, yoga etc.)
Past Experience Doing Sessions
Yes - Interactive
Past Clients
Global Conference Speaker on Applied Improvisation; Performed for Palo Alto network, Cisco, Google, Rotary
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