Improv A to C Thinking
Given a word (A), don't voice your first, obvious association (B) — voice the association of that association (C). "Beach" → your first thought is "sand" (B) → skip it → say "sunburnt tourists" (C). Go around a circle at pace, always jumping to the second link. It trains originality by breaking the reflex toward the obvious, shared answer. Because everyone's B is roughly the same, always reaching for C pulls players toward fresher, more personal, more surprising choices — without abandoning logic, since C still connects. It's a targeted cure for predictable, on-the-nose improv, and it sharpens the instinct to find the choice nobody saw coming but everyone believes.
🎓 Tips
Skip B, but keep the logic. C must still connect through B — coach a genuine second-step association, not a random unrelated word. Speed forces honesty. Going fast around the circle stops players over-curating — the instinct for the fresh link is what you're building. Watch for players stuck on B. If answers feel obvious, they're giving first thoughts — gently push them one link further.
Spotted a mistake, a missing variant, a better way to run it? Change it.