Avish Parashar, CSP
- Motivational Improviser and Certified Speaking Professional
- High-Energy Expert on Change and Innovation
- Author of Say "Yes, And!" and Improvise to Success
- TEDx Speaker
In Person-Fee 🛈
Fee Range
$10,000 - $15,000
Virtual Fee:
$7,500 and Under
Travels From
Pennsylvania
Avish Parashar Speaker Biography
Avish Parashar 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, innovation, 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 best-selling, "Say 'Yes, And!'" (And yes, his parents are once again very proud.)
Say “Yes, And!” – A Powerful Way to Embrace Change, Transform Relationships, Break Down Barriers, and Unlock Greatness
Focus: Change, Motivation, Communication
Description: Say “Yes, And!” is a high-energy, hilarious, and interactive presentation that will teach you how a simple shift from “yes, but” to “Yes, And!” is the key to embracing change, transforming relationships, breaking down barriers, and unlocking greatness.
“Yes, And!” is an idea from the world of improv comedy, but it is so much more than just a tool for humor:
• Saying “Yes, And!” to other people improves teamwork, leadership, and morale.
• Saying “Yes, And!” to change allows people to let go of the past and innovate into the future.
• Saying “Yes, And!” to themselves inspires people to set bigger goals, take bolder action, and get re-engaged, re-energized, and re-motivated.
In this hilarious, high-energy, interactive keynote, Avish combines improv comedy performance, audience participation, engaging storytelling, and impactful content into an experience that will have attendees walking out the door inspired to say “Yes, And!” to others, to change, and to themselves!
Top three learning objectives:
Attendees of this session will learn how to:
1. Communicate in a way that lowers resistance and conflict while increasing rapport.
2. Embrace, rather than resist, change.
3. Reframe constraints from “limitations” to “opportunities for innovation.”
“Yes, And!” Leadership
Focus: Leadership
Description: You have probably heard the expression, “people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave bad managers.” There is truth to that, but there is another way of looking at it: “people don’t leave bad jobs, they leave ‘yes, but’ managers and environments.”
When an employee hears “yes, but” over and over, it crushes their morale, stamps out their creativity, and builds tension, resentment, and conflict. Not only does "yes, but" increase the likelihood that person will leave for other opportunities; it also greatly diminishes the potential value they could bring to their work and to your team and organization!
When leaders shift from a default mindset of “yes, but” to an empowering approach of “Yes, And!” they can instantly improve morale, loyalty, creativity, and engagement. In this high-energy, hilarious, and interactive keynote, Avish will demonstrate the power of “Yes, And!” Leadership and give your attendees valuable tools they can use to transform their teams, departments, and organizations into “Yes, And!” workforces!
In this interactive, high-energy, and funny program, leaders will learn:
• What "yes, and" is (and isn't) and why it's about engagement, innovation, and communication rather than simply agreeing to everything.
• How to use "Yes, And" to create "psychological safety" so people can disagree agreeably in a way that increases creativity and morale.
• Ways to instill a "Yes, And" mindset in their employees that allows them to build stronger connections and unleash their own potential.
• How to apply "Yes, And" to themselves to push past plateaus, get re-engaged in work, and set bigger goals.
• The role emotions play not just in making the switch from "yes, but" to "Yes, And," but also in engaging and leading others.
“Yes, And!” Innovation
Focus: Innovation, Creativity, Differentiation
Description: In a world that is getting smaller and smaller and changing faster and faster, innovation and creativity become keys to staying competitive. Organizations and individuals who apply innovation move ahead. Those who don’t, struggle and fall behind.
In this high-energy, hilarious, and interactive keynote, Avish shows audiences how to use the power of “Yes, And!” to tap into their creativity, unleash innovation, and become “game changers” and leaders in their organization and industry.
Avish will take your attendees through the I.C.E. system, which will show them how to:
• IDENTIFY true goals to ensure they are not wasting their creative energy, as well as the constraints they face in achieving those goals.
• CREATE a large list of ideas, potential solutions, implementable actions, etc. by accessing and developing the untapped creative power they might not even be aware they have.
• EXPERIMENT with their ideas to see what works, what doesn’t and what adjustments they need to make to keep moving forward and innovating.
Your people will be engaged, laughing, and interacting from start to finish as they learn skills they can use immediately to access their creativity and turn it into meaningful innovation!
