Hello!
Thank you for requesting the information regarding Avish Parashar's Speeches and Seminars!
These seminars are perfect as a stand-alone keynote or as a breakout session in conjunction with a larger presentation. Based on the needs of your meetings, the level of audience interaction and participation can be adjusted.
All of the topics focus on identifying and conveying fundamental principles. The basis for these principles originated in my work in improvisational comedy, so you can be sure the approach is fun, funny, engaging, and truly unique. Audience members not only get to listen and learn, but they also get to participate in exercises that reinforce the learning in a powerful hands-on way.
In this packet you will find:
• Seminar Descriptions • Avish's Bio • Testimonials • 3 Articles by Avish
Call me directly, toll-free, at 877-475-2043 to book these seminars and for additional information. I am confident that your group will enjoy and benefit from any of these programs.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Avish Parashar
Why Should I Bring “The Ultimate Improvisation for Real Estate Professionals!” to My Organization?
Because attendees will learn highly useful ideas that they can immediately apply to have more fun, get more done, and make more money. Here are some of the things attendees of “The Ultimate Improvisation for Real Estate Professionals!” will learn:
1. How to tap their creativity be able to do more deals with less money 2. How to come up with creative solutions to common real estate problems (vacancies, financing, etc) 3. How to use contacts and staff to generate new and better ideas to earn more and spend less 4. How to deal with change and the unexpected to make sure they get what they want 5. How to gain rapport and understanding to connect with people and sell more 6. How to remain unflappable when surprises and obstacles happen (and they will) 7. How to simply increase their energy and get more done in less time 8. How to have more fun and why that is so important (and lucrative) 9. How to reduce turnover and inner-office conflict 10. How to utilize the knowledge and potential of the people in your office 11. How to focus in on key activities and deals that maximize revenue while minimizing effort
Why Avish Parashar? Why Improv Comedy?
There are many advantages to using Avish Parashar’s Improv Comedy style for your event. Here are a few:
1. The interactive humorous style leads to increased learning and involvement 2. Even the most jaded audience will never have seen anything quite like this! 3. The high energy style wakes your audience up (if in the morning) keeps them awake (if in the evening) or just re-charges them for the rest of the day (if midday)! 4. People like to be entertained – “comedy” on the marketing means higher attendance 5. Attendees will leave with laughs and smiles on their faces!
Convinced yet? Then contact Avish now!
Not convinced yet? Then contact Avish now with whatever questions you might have about his program!
Avish's Seminars:
The Ultimate Improvisation for Real Estate Professionals: How to Use Fundamentals and Exercises from Improv Comedy to Increase Productivity and Satisfaction
Real estate professionals face a few (if not all) of the following problems:
1. Too much to do and too little time
2. Dealing with a constantly changing industry (along with changing regulations!)
3. Getting the most out of people you lead and manage
4. Effectively communicating with clients, co-workers, managers, and employees
5. Unexpected challenges and problems that arise at the most inopportune time
6. STRESS! Life and Business are completely unscripted. And yet people go out in the world and struggle because of their inability to flow with change and challenge. The key to succeeding in business and life (while having fun) is to let go, flow, and learn and apply the fundamentals of improv comedy. In this energetic, fun, and funny speech, Avish will use a variety of techniques, including funny stories, jokes, and improvisational exercises to get the audience to understand its potential and to be willing to take bold action on it!
Attendees will learn: • The importance of having fun in life and in business, and have ideas of how to increase their own level of fun. • Realize that life is unscripted and unplanned, but with the right mentality and skill they can flow with obstacles and change and react powerfully. • How to get the most out of people they lead and manage by letting go of control • The fundamentals of effective communication, whether its with co-workers, managers, or employees • How to laugh and fun and reduce the stress in their lives
Most importantly, the entire audience will laugh from start to finish while they are learning some valuable skills!
Avish's Seminars (continued):
Fundamental Creativity: How to Tap Into, Develop, and Apply Your Creativity for Better Problem Solving, Innovation, and Quick Thinking
Think creativity is just a tool for artists, writers, musicians, and poets? Think again! Everyone is creative (yes, that includes you and everyone in your organization), and tapping that creativity is the key to launching your business forward.
Benefits: • Generate more solutions in less time than before • Tap into who you are and what you want to do • Become 'naturally creative' • Learn ways to attack problems from a variety of directions • How to get more done in less time by thinking less
Fundamental Teamwork: How To Have More Powerful Interactions With Customers, Clients, Co-Workers, Employees, and Teammates
Rarely has a topic been so valued while being so misunderstood. Teamwork isn't about "Rah-rah!" activities and events - it's about having individuals who know how to listen, respect each other, and build ideas together. The ideal team is one where each member is able to be himself or herself 100%, and each team member helps all the others be themselves 100%.
Benefits: • Learn how to listen effectively without memorizing 101 'active listening' techniques • Learn how to drill down to core issues when talking with others • Develop rapport by simply listening • Learn the powerful difference between saying 'yes but' and 'yes and' • Learn how to build ideas with others to keep everyone involved
Here a Just a Few Things People are Saying about Avish's Presentations
"Wonderful seminar. Really got me thinking outside the box. Great tips for getting the creativity flowing. You really kept us engaged" -Nancy Regyne, Director of Marketing & Admissions, Kendall Crosslands Communities
"The next Anthony Robbins." "The best interpretation of the 80/20 rule yet." "Makes it clear that we manage events not time." -David Bush, Director, Graduate Programs in Human Resources, Villanova University
"Not just tremendous fun, but lots of techniques that are truly applicable to what we do and will help move our program forward." -Jane Simone, Director of Development - New Bolton Center, Penn Veterinary Medicine
"Mr. Parashar's presentation was not only engaging, but was also instantly applicable to my situation." -Ms. Delaney, Business Writer
"Excellent. Avish does a great job of developing our creativity and giving us hands on techniques and activities" -Debra Exner, Business and Personal Coach, Exner & Associates
"I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoyed your presentation-I found a lot of your points interesting and applicable to "real" life as well as business." -Leigh Maida, Leigh Maida Graphic Design
"Highly positive, energetic and engaging. Tonight's program stretched my comfort zone - I got a bit uncomfortable and it felt good to be outside" -Charlie Lockhead, Director of Business Development, Sun Printing House
"Loved it! Learning how to collaborate can be fun with Avish leading the way!" -David Park, SW Engineer, Job Seekers 'R Us
"Avish brings a whole new perspective - I was surprised at how innovative I could be." -Jean Haskell, Haskell & Associates
"I'm inspired! In one hour, Avish helped me to become more creative - and therefore more effective in my work and in my personal life." -Colleen Bracken, President, MCB & Associates/Superachiever Coaching
Patrick Connelly Executive Board of Directors BOMA - NJ C/O Matrix 3 Centre Drive Monroe Twsp., NJ 08831
Avish Parashar 2801 Pennsylvania Avenue, #205A Philadelphia, PA 19130
Dear Avish,
Thank you for your well-presented and valuable speech, “Improvised Productivity,” at our September 28th meeting. Your presentation was entertaining and informative. Most importantly, it was fun and humorous.
We were looking for a high-energy presentation to begin our year. You definitely provided that while also offering some interesting and useful ideas for our members to take to their work and home.
I have received some great feedback from the event, and we may be able to put together a longer event next year for our members.
Thank you again. You provided a nice change of pace, and I think any association looking to mix up their programming with some fun but valuable content should definitely consider using you.
Sincerely, Patrick Connelly Patrick Connelly
Avish Parashar
Avish Parashar is an experienced, innovative, energetic, and humorous speaker and trainer who combines principles of success with principles of improvisational comedy to deliver unique and refreshing presentations to a variety of audiences. Based in Philadelphia, Avish has combined years of experience in improv comedy, corporate America, and martial arts to create unique seminars and workshops. He has brought these seminars to companies such as the University of Pennsylvania, Xerox, AstraZeneca, the Wharton School of Business, Erlanger Medical Center, and Commerce Bank.
Avish began his involvement with Improv Comedy as a Freshman at the University of Pennsylvania in 1992. After graduating in 1995, he remained in Philadelphia and, in 1996, formed Polywumpus Improv Comedy. Since its inception, he has served as both artistic director and business manager. In 2002, he stopped performing to focus exclusively on developing seminars and trainings.
In the early years of Polywumpus, Avish worked in the technology departments of Chase Manhattan Bank and the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. While working in these large company environments, he developed an understanding of the importance of personal power and teamwork. This work experience also gave him a clear understanding of how improv comedy applies to many situations beyond the stage.
Currently, Avish works with Temple University's Full Circle Theater, an intergenerational improvisational theater troupe that uses improv comedy to address social issues. Avish performs, teaches, and creates performances for Full Circle.
Avish is an active member of Toastmasters International. He currently serves as his club's Vice President of Education. Avish has won two club level humorous speech competitions, one area level humorous speech competition, and placed third in the 2004 Division C humorous speech competition.
In his history as both speaker and performer, Avish has been featured in the Philadelphia Inquirer's Weekend section, and has appeared on national television on at least two occasions. His performance with Polywumpus appeared on Fox's NFL Under the Helmet and on TLC's 'A Dating Story.' Avish also put his improvisational skills to the test by competing in the 48-Hour Film Project, a contest in which participants have 48 hours to think up, write, rehearse, shoot, edit, and finish a 4-8 minute movie. In March of 2004, Avish's film Rolodex Girl, which he directed, was selected as one of the 48-Hour Film's best of Philadelphia.
Avish has been involved in the martial arts for over fifteen years, and has spent over six of them as an instructor. The theories he has developed regarding how improv can be applied to life has been supported and enhanced with his knowledge of martial arts principles and texts.
Avish graduated with a Bachelor's of Science in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania in 1995.
Putting the ‘I’ in Team
“There’s no ‘I’ in team!”
This sports cliche is a memorable phrase that reminds people that team success is more important than individual glory. In that sense it is wonderful and is as true for business teams as it is for sports teams. The phrase, however, overlooks the role of the individual in making the team stronger.
To encourage team development, organizations use teambuilding events. Many of these events are based on forced interaction in a fun metaphorical environment – the ‘shared experience’. Some examples of this are rope courses, rowing, paintball, and Monte Carlo nights. While these events are fun and may have some benefit, they do not necessarily teach the individual skills that lead to stronger teams. These skills are confidence, trust, and control sharing. When developed, these skills allow the free flow of ideas and effective interactions that are the foundation of a strong team. Rather than a simple shared experience, the key to a good teambuilding event is teaching members these three core skills.
The first personal skill to develop is confidence, or personal power. Personal power is essentially a person’s ability to overcome problems and maximize their effectiveness. Personal power leads to confidence because once you feel empowered, you feel confident to take on challenges at work (and life, for that matter). This is important in a team sense because strong teams must be composed of strong individuals. The saying, ‘a chain is only as strong as its weakest link,’ holds true. In a teamwork sense, confidence’s real importance is in how it supports and allows the next two skills to develop.
The second personal skill to develop is trust. Trust usually develops over time, but having the proper attitude of trust can help members bypass months and even years of ‘getting to know each other.’ The key to this attitude is opening up to others, not because you are confident in their abilities, but because you are confident in your own. This is where the first skill, confidence, becomes so important. The two main reasons I might not trust others are the fear of their doing something inadequate or unexpected, and the fear of their ignoring or criticizing my ideas. When I am confident in myself I know that no matter what surprises people throw at me I’ll be able to handle them effectively. I will also not be bothered by other people’s criticism. Therefore, my confidence allows me to take the chance to open up, contribute, and trust others.
Traditional team building events address the concept of trust, but usually do it in a way that does not translate well to a professional environment. Consider a rope course exercise where one member climbs high up while other members support and anchor the ropes. There are many people that I would trust to hold one end of a rope for me so that I did not fall to my death. I would not trust all of those people to listen to and respect ideas that I had in the office place. One form of trust does not imply another. To be effective, any trust exercise must relate to communication and respect in a similar environment to work.
Trust and confidence are vital to supporting the third core skill for effective teams, control sharing. If the premise behind teamwork is synergy (the whole is greater than the sum of its parts) then control is at the heart of why some teams work well together while others flounder. Two people working alone will come up with two separate sets of ideas. Put them together, and some new ideas will emerge after one person hears something that the other person says. As a result, you get a third set of ideas that neither person would have come up with alone. The only way to find that third set of ideas is for each person to let go of his original ideas. If either person is unwilling to do this, then he will never explore them new ideas and discover that critical third set.
People like to be in control. Willingly relinquishing control is a scary thing, but a person must do this to let go of an idea – give up the control he has by virtue of the fact that it is his idea. This is where trust and confidence come into play. For me to give up control to you, I need to trust you to do something good with that control and I need to believe that I have the resources to contribute and follow along with the new ideas.
Look at a ‘shared experience’ teambuilding event where participants must work together to achieve a goal (build a pyramid, vote together, pass something down a line, etc). Even if the game is designed so that each member must contribute, one or two ‘Alpha’ personalities usually take charge and dictate how the task should be done. Everyone participates (kind of), has fun (sort of), and learns that they can work together (maybe). They do not, however, learn the personal skills that will allow them to maximize their teamwork back at work.
The beauty of the three skills I have addressed is that if a company has two groups, both filled with members who possess these skills, then members can switch teams without a large loss in the team feel. Because all three of these skills are personal and individual, a new team will not need to go through a shared experience to trust each other and work together. They will naturally do it out of the gate.
This article is not intended as an attack on traditional team building programs. Just keep in mind that, regardless of what the actual event is, if these three core skills are not being addressed, it is highly likely that the lessons taught at the event will have little impact in the workplace.
How Does Improv Comedy Apply to Business?
The first reaction people have to hearing about improv comedy being applied to business is, ‘Come on now, business is serious. How can improv comedy apply to that?’
Well, the answer is quite simple. The key to successful improv is the willingness to take risks, the understanding of how to tap into your own creative resources, and the ability to listen to and work well with other people. Show me a person in business that wouldn’t benefit from having the willingness to take risks, the ability to tap into their creativity, and the skill to listen and work with others.
An improviser must constantly take risks. The primary risk is stepping on stage with nothing prepared and trying to create something entertaining. Without embracing this risk, the improviser does nothing. In a similar fashion, a person in today’s work force must push forward and try new ideas and methods. Without risk, there is no progress or innovation. Businesses that want to stay competitive require their people to keep pushing forward with new ideas. This can never be accomplished if people are not willing to take risks.
Creativity is often misconstrued as ‘artistry.’ In improv, it is clear that the performer needs to be creative. An improviser needs to generate interesting ideas immediately, without a moment’s hesitation. While most artistic people are creative, creativity is about much more than art. Creativity is simply the ability to create. It is the ability to come up with something from nothing. It is the ability to create new ideas. These new ideas could be solutions to problems, innovative products, or new ways of handling clients. Just because artists are creative doesn’t mean that other people can’t benefit from creativity.
Unlike stand-up comedy, where the performer is alone, improv requires cooperation between two or more players. When one performer ignores his partners and does not involve them at all, he creates a disharmonious environment that tears at the group. The best improv happens when everyone is involved and there is a free flow of ideas that are supported and built upon by everyone. This attitude is the heart of communication. Whether talking to a co-worker, client, friend, or family member, the ability to openly and honestly listen to another person and incorporate their ideas is the key to building strong relationships.
The keys to effective improvisation are the same as the keys to success in just about any other area of life. It really should not be that surprising though; life, after all, is the ultimate improvisation.
Three applications of creativity
People are often perplexed by how creativity applies to the 'real world' While more and more companies are starting to realize the need for creativity, applications of creativity still seem to be vague and amorphous.
In this article, I will briefly outline three of the main applications of creative powers to the workplace and beyond. These three are not independent of each other - the build upon skills in each other, so the first one is the easiest, most direct application, and each one gets a little harder after that.
They all build off of 2 creative principles that I espouse: 1) Creativity at its heart is self-expression, and the key to creativity is to let ideas flow out of you, and 2) when generating ideas, there are 2 phases, generation and evaluation. The way to tap the creative flow is to separate the two phases (first generate a large number of ideas without evaluating, and then go back and judge them).
I'm not saying there are only three, but these are three of the biggest
Here are the three applications:
Problem Solving
This one comes first. You have a problem, and you need to solve it. You obviously need to use your creativity because if any of the usual known solutions would work, you would be doing it already. You therefore need to create a new solution, and 'create' is the root of 'creativity' (juts thought I'd point that out in case you were sleeping.
In order to use your creativity to solve a problem, follow these three steps:
1) Get in a better mood. Problems tend to hurt people's moods - they lead to bad attitudes. The problem is that the low-energy negative vibe you get from worrying about a problem actually cuts off your creative flow. Before you try to tackle the problem, improve your mood. Take your mind off of the issue for a bit and then come back to it refreshed, recharged, and ready to go. 2) Define and state the problem clearly. I would guess that 50% of lingering problems linger because they are not clearly defined. Imagine a doctor prescribing medicine without properly diagnosing the problem. The doc may get lucky sometimes, but overall this is not the ideal way to go. Try to understand your problem all the way down to the root causes. The deeper you go, the more effective your solution will be. Once you are very clear on the problem, right it out as a statement. 3) Once you have a statement of the problem, create a positive leading question to ask yourself. For example, if your problem statement is, 'I am not earning enough money because I do not
have enough prospects to go see,' your questions would be, 'how can I get 20 new prospects a week in a realistic way that I will enjoy?' 4) Write your question on the top of a blank piece of paper and then, with your energy and attitude up, start quickly writing down as many answers to the question as you can. Don't evaluate your ideas, just keep the pen moving. Write down ideas that are silly, stupid, or would never work. Don't worry about repeating ideas. Fill the page, and if necessary move onto another one. Don't let the pen stop moving. 5) Now look over your list. Don't be too critical yet. First see if anything jumps out at you as a great idea. It probably won't, but you never know. Then, look over the list and see what ideas have some merit to them. These are ideas that sound ok, but aren't quite there. Play off of these, and form new ideas by building off of the ones you have formed. 6) You may have to repeat this process a few times to really find an elegant solution, but keep at it!
Innovation
Innovation is slightly different from problem solving. Problem solving is fixing an existing situation. Innovation is creating something from nothing. When you innovate, you take an existing system and make it better, even if it is just fine as is.
Innovation is more difficult than problem solving because of steps 2 and 3 in the steps outlined above. When you innovate, you don't have the luxury of having a problem to solve.
Yes, I said luxury. The creative mind is immensely powerful, but it likes to have something to build off of. When you have a problem, you have a starting point. When you innovate, you don't. That's why innovation is more difficult than problem solving.
For example, suppose that you have a product, and you want to make it better. That's a pretty vague goal. So how do you innovate? Well, you have a few options:
1) Create a problem. Find weaknesses in the product, and then treat it as a problem. Then go through the same process as with problem solving 2) Add constraints, even if arbitrary. When faced with infinite choices, the mind often chooses nothing. A great deal of frustration occurs in the world when one person asks another, 'what do you want to do tonight?' Faced with the possibility of anything, the mind gets overwhelmed and the people end up doing the same thing they do every other night. However, if given a short list of choices, people can usually make something happen. Use this to your advantage when innovating. Using our product example, even though your goal is just to make the product better in any way, consider adding constraints. Constraints such as, 'how can we improv this in six months, or for under $100,' or, 'how can we improve this specific piece,' or, 'can we make it faster, cheaper, smaller' etc. 3) Seek inspiration. Find other examples of different innovations out there and see how you can apply it to yours. Burger King started customizing; can you? Amazon offers free shipping, can you?
Quick thinking
The ability to think on your feet is priceless. If somebody asks you a question you don't know the answer to, your ability to think on your feet will keep you out trouble. When something unexpected happens, your quick thinking will prevent it from ballooning into a huge problem.
There really is no simple step-by-step process to teach quick thinking. As your creativity develops, your ability to think quickly increases as well.
I will give you a few things to think about that will help you develop your quick-thinking ability.
1) Make sure your attitude is up. Many, many people responded to the unexpected with fear and panic. This is because when something throws them out of their comfort zone, they are desperate to get back. To improve your quick-thinking power, practice maintaining a positive attitude, even when life throws you a curve ball. The easiest way to do this is to watch your thoughts. Think 'how can I resolve this,' or, 'Whatever happens, I will be able to handle this,' not 'oh no, what do I do!' or 'I can't do this.' Remind yourself that you can handle it 2) Pause and think. When something throws us out of whack, we get desperate and flail. This often leads to acting before thinking. Many relationships, friendships, and partnerships have gone through some rocky periods because one person spoke before acting. When something unexpected happens, take a moment, breathe, and assess before launching into attack mode. 3) Be honest with yourself and others. Quick thinking should not be confused with being able to lie through your teeth and sound convincing. That approach falls apart at one point or another. You must first be honest with yourself. This relates to the early steps of problem solving - the more you can define the problem, the easier it will be to solve. Similarly, the more honest you are with yourself, the more accurately you can assess the situation. Being honest means not assuming the situation is better than it is, but it also means not assuming the situation is worse than it is. You should also be honest with other people. A level of open honesty helps diffuse situations, and starts everyone moving in the direction of solutions. 4) Put your attention outside of yourself. When something suddenly arises, we tend to retreat into our own heads and start stressing out. Catch yourself doing this, and put your attention outside of yourself. Pay attention to other people, and to the situation. That's where the problem is, and you will find more possible solutions by paying attention than you ever will stressing in your own head.
So there you have it. Three very practical, real-world applications for creativity. Try those the next time someone tells you that creativity is just for artists.