The improv-comedy mantra that helps Alice inspire Richmond is “yes and.”
The phrase appears in episode 7, “Yes & Baby,” after Alice returns to Richmond following her suspension. She has been advised to say “yes” more often, but Ted and Beard explain that the stronger improvisational principle is “yes and.”
In improvisational comedy, “yes and” means accepting what another person has introduced and adding to it rather than blocking the idea. In the episode, the principle helps Alice become more constructive when working with the team.
The wording is sometimes reduced to “yes,” because Alice initially receives that advice. The canonical phrase Ted and Beard teach her is “yes and,” including the connecting word that changes the idea from simple agreement into collaborative building.