Avish Parashar

Motivational Improviser

Topics: Creativity, Inspirational & Motivational, Comedy & Humorist, Entertainment, Innovation, Leadership, Teamwork, Sales

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Biography

Avish grew up in “exotic” Poughkeepsie, NY and now makes his home in Philadelphia, PA. Though he performed all through high-school, he decided to stop performing when he went to college to “focus on his studies” (his parents were very proud of this decision).

That resolve lasted only a few months, as the first time he saw an improv comedy show he fell in love (his parents were slightly less proud). One week later he auditioned for the campus improv group, got in, and the rest is history. After graduating, he started Polywumpus Improv Comedy, which performed regularly in and around Philadelphia for seven years. Avish closed up Polywumpus to focus on the speaking and training side of the business – using improv comedy as a tool to teach valuable business skills such as creativity, and adaptability.

Weaving together humorous stories, jokes, audience interaction, and improv comedy games, Avish keeps the audience engaged while imparting a key lesson: Planning is Important, but Improvising is Essential! No matter how well you plan, things will go wrong, surprises will arise, and the Universe will throw you a curveball. Your success and sanity are directly related to how you respond these challenges. By the end of one of Avish’s presentations you will have key tools to flow with all that life throws at you. Avish has spoken to the very creative (actors and directors), the very un-creative (accountants), the very casual (college students), and the very business-like (sales professionals). The end result is always the same – smiles, laughs, and a new way of looking at life and business.

Avish is the author of Improvise to Success! and the Amazon bestselling, Say ‘Yes, And!’ (And yes, his parents are once again very proud.)

Videos

Speech TopicsExpand each topic to learn more

DING Happens!- How to Quickly Make the Most of Whatever Life Throws at You!

No matter how well you plan, things will go wrong, unexpected surprises will appear, and the universe will throw you a curve ball. Your level of success is often dictated not by how well you plan, but rather by how quickly and effectively you deal with the unexpected when it happens (and it will!)

In this energetic, fun, motivational, and interactive speech, Avish demonstrates how the same principles that lead to hilarity on an improv comedy stage can lead to massive success in life. Avish weaves together humorous stories, witty observations, and interactive exercises from improvisational comedy to get people laughing, learning, and motivated!

Avish will cover vital points to help them flow with the unexpected, deal with change, and be more effective. Your audience will learn how to:

- Have fun in the face of adversity (and why this is a critical business skill)
- React instantly and powerfully by only controlling the controllable
- Simply say “Yes, And” instead of “Yes, But” to instantly improve communication, flexibility, and personal success

Unleashing Brilliance By Observing Stupidity!- Bringing out the brilliance in your group by observing the stupidity of others.

All people are brilliant. Unfortunately, we all just do stupid things from time to time.

In this energetic and hilarious keynote, Avish points out the stupid things that people – yes, including himself – do, makes a lot of fun of it, and then explains the simple mental shifts anyone can immediately make to take their career or business to the next level.

“What mental shifts,” you say? I’m glad you asked.

Avish’s presentation will shake your audience up and shift them:

- From saying “yes, but” to saying, “yes, and” – and all the brilliance that unlocks
- From obsessing over inconsequential details to focusing on the big picture
- From complaining about things they can not control to taking powerful immediate action
- From going through their daily motions to seeing and seizing everyday opportunities they may be missing
- From being stuck in a rut to unleashing their natural brilliance

Testimonials

Thank you for presenting at our CEO Conference. You came highly recommended from our CEO and did not disappoint. Your programme was the perfect way to open our second day; it changed the tone and pace from the first day and allowed our audience to laugh be inspired and energized for the future. The feedback was very positive; your programme was truly memorable and throughout the rest of the conference, people remembered your ‘Ding Happens!’ message. You delivered it in an exciting and fun way, with pertinent and easy-to-understand messages, delivered in a way that was funny and really engaged our crowd. Any organization planning an internal conference would really benefit from the energy, content, and humour that you bring to the event. Thank you again.

– ELIZABETH HARRAWAY, VP Global Corporate Communications, Cobham plc

You were the best keynote speaker I’ve ever heard in all my years in HR!

– DAWN DIXON, HR Generalist, Upper Chesapeake Health

To be honest, there was some concern and resistance when we first thought about hiring Avish because his topic of using improv comedy for business skills is so different from what we normally expect at a financial conference. I am glad we pushed through that – the unique approach turned out to be a perfect fit for our event! The energy, style, interaction, and humor were amazing at getting people motivated and recharged to enjoy the rest of the conference. Not only that, but the message was very applicable to everyone in attendance.

– MELISSA HANSEN, SPEAKER CHAIR, TAMPA BAY ASSOCIATION FOR FINANCIAL PROFESSIONALS

I connected with the client today. She said you were ‘amazing.’ She thought you were a ‘perfect mix of funny delivery with appropriate message, kept everyone engaged the entire time, and were a great way to start the conference.

– ASHLEY ANDRUS, Zoe Training (Booking agent)

You set a great tone and energy level for the next 2 days of technical training and meetings. During those next 2 days many people were using the terms and concepts you presented to us about how change and how you choose to responds to it as well as the importance of having fun while you work. You gave us all a new, fun language with which to communicate and we had fun using it!

– SHARON DENZLER, All Risks Limited

I really enjoyed your presentation! A perfect way to end the conference! It was very interesting and of course very funny! We all need to laugh a little more! As a matter of fact, I was walking around this morning, saying Ding happens, because it was, but I am better for it today, thanks to you!

– ANDREA A. ALESI, PHR, HR & Payroll Specialist

We recently hired Avish to kick off our company’s ‘Inspire YOU’ event. We invited our clients to participate and learn ideas and techniques to make them more effective in their work, so needless to say, it was important to make a great impression. Fortunately, Avish did an amazing job, impressed our attendees, and his session was rated as ‘the most exciting’ of the day! The feedback from our attendees was extremely positive. In addition to being hilarious and high-energy, people appreciated being given specific tools they could take back to their organizations and apply and share right away. Avish’s keynote is a perfect way to start or end a conference, and we could not be happier with the job he did!

– KIRSTEN BELL, Communications Specialist, MJ Insurance

I am delighted to offer this recommendation to Avish Parashar for his extraordinary support when a last minute need arose due to weather for a chapter meeting speaker. Without hesitation, Avish willingly accepted our invitation and hit a home run with his interactive, engaging, and wildly FUN program, Ding Happens! I believe Avish was our most highly rated speaker ever, and his message about change management was as informative and memorable as it was entertaining! THANK YOU, Avish! I look forward to partnering with you again in the future!

– DEBBIE DEISSROTH, Dynamic Human Resources Professional, Kennedy Health

Booksby Avish Parashar

Improvise to Success!: 16 Simple But Powerful Principles From Improv Comedy That Will Take You to Personal and Professional Success!

Say "Yes, And!": 2 Little Words That Will Transform Your Career, Organization, and Life!

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