Element

Associations-Cross Circle

A warm-up exercise combining free word association with a cross-circle pointing cue to promote spontaneity and listening.

label
Warmup, Circle

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description

How to Play Associations-Cross Circle

Synonyms

Free Associations.

Introduction

This warm-up will help us get into the moment, and help us feel easier about being silly.

Description

Free Association is a very common warm up in improv comedy. A free association is when a player associates meaning to something without judgement, censorship or thought. It is quite hard to do. For example a player may be exposed to the word “dog” they may free associate “cat.”

Cross Circle is simply a different configuration for how the free associations are cued. Once a player has completed their free association they randomly point to another person in the circle to make the next association. In many ways this is a much better way to achieve a “free” association. Cross Circle should sound like a series of disconnected words. “mouse”, “trap”, “crab”, “grumpy”, “goofy”, “mouse.”

There is no correct answer in free association. Some players will repeat associations, or have long pauses. This is a good opportunity to explore why this is happening. It is a teaching moment where the leader can discuss.

  • There is no need to try and be funny.
  • You are in a non-judgmental space.
  • Allow the first thing in your mind to come out.

This warm up helps with listening and commitment. Many players have editors in their head. Learn Improv calls it the headitor. The headitor keeps a player from using the first thought that an offer evokes. Free association should help a player break free form their headitor.

  • Physical offers – have the player freely associate a physical offer

  • Rhyming offers – have the players associate in rhyme

  • Last Letter – have the player associate with a word that starts with the last letter of the cue word

  • Choose the next player by tossing a prop across the circle

Variations

  • Firing line – one player is hit with many words to free associate
  • Pass the Chi – players complete the second half of a word
  • Milling – Players mill about the room free associating freely
  • Disassociation – Say the opposite of the cue word
  • Rhymes – Freely associate but using rhymes
  • Last Letter – Associate a new word using the last letter of cue word
  • Gibberish – Use gibberish to help free from headitor

Credits

The process of free association is credited to Sigmund Fraud

Based on "Associations-Cross Circle" from learnimprov, licensed under Creative Commons 4.0Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International.
account_treeVariations (9)
  • Choose the next player by tossing a prop across the circle — The next player is chosen by tossing a prop instead of pointing.
  • Disassociation — Players say the opposite of the cue word.
  • Firing line — One player is hit with many words to free associate in rapid succession.
  • Gibberish — Players use gibberish to help free from the headitor.
  • Last Letter — Players associate a new word that starts with the last letter of the cue word.
  • Milling — Players mill about the room free associating freely.
  • Pass the Chi — Players complete the second half of a word.
  • Physical offers — Players free associate a physical offer instead of a word.
  • Rhyming offers — Players associate with a word that rhymes with the cue.

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