Deesh Mariwala has spent almost 15 years in the media, communication and entertainment industries. He started with professional theatre (not to make a living - because theatre isn't a paying profession in India) in high school in 1985, and in the last twenty odd years he has been a writer, director, actor, voice coach, acting teacher (among other things) in English and Hindi theatre across India.
He started his full-time work (read money-making) career in 1990 as a copywriter, and moved into the then nascent business of making advertising films; from there into television, documentaries, and feature films. Since 1993, most of his work has been in leadership roles (he has been Chief Executive, Vice President, Director, Creative Head, et al - and consequently finds the common preoccupation with designations rather tedious). He has always believed in rolling up his shirt sleeves and leading from the front, and is a campaigner for the common sense, non-esoteric approach to life and business.
He moved full time into training (after much flirtation with part-time training since 1997) and joined AOL in 2003. In 2005, he moved out of AOL and has started a private practice as a freelance corporate trainer. His methods can best be described as unique.
Deesh has a Masters degree in English Literature. He also has a CELTA (Cambridge University Certification in training adult learners). However, he believes that this is actually useless information, for he knows many Ph.D holders in English Literature who can't spell or punctuate - and has scant respect for an educational system that churns out engineers who don't change their own light bulbs!
Training Philosophy:
Deesh's Training Philosophy is that people will only learn something if it has value for them. Therefore, in his classes and sessions, he uses almost any methods available to excite the minds of his trainees, to get them involved, participating and contributing to every moment of the session. He has been known to use volleyballs to teach grammar; aerobics to aid memory; get rid of watches to teach Time Management; and dress senior managers in shorts and T-shirts, hand them crayons and get them to draw and doodle to learn about leadership. According to Deesh, you cannot learn unless you're in an environment that's stimulating, fun, and that forces you to challenge what you thought you knew. He detests the use of jargon, labels and formulas (People love formulas and systems as a substitute for thinking - which is the most dangerous thing for business - remember all the management fads in the last ten years that no one refers to today?). He uses a lot of questions constantly in the classroom, encouraging trainees to question accepted practice, and to not do anything unless they know exactly why they're doing it. This is known as the "Socratic Method" in Training circles, but use that label around Deesh at your own risk!
Methodology and areas of Expertise:
Deesh uses questions, stories, history, experiential methods and simulations to lead his trainees to an individual understanding of each point that is made. His goal is to make the training as personal as possible for every individual in the room. Since he believes strongly in the value of function over form, Deesh endeavours to deliver meaning and facilitate the use of curiosity, imagination and exploration in the classroom.
Deesh's main areas of Expertise are
> Communication (voice, posture and movement, speech, language, selling, personality, making an impression, Presence)
> Intercultural Training (differences in culture, why and how conventions exist, fear of change, how to understand and unlock cultural codes)
> Creativity & Innovation (Misunderstood beyond belief, human progress and History, why creative people are actually more organised and effective, how to unleash creativity in your own business)
> Teams, Hierarchies, and Leadership (the hard facts, the myths, the reality and the nonsense - how to tell them apart)
> Human Development (Individual and organisational perspectives, the will to meaning, Fear and Inhibition vs Freedom; relying on your own mind!)
> Stress and Lifestyle Management (What is stress, where anger comes from - anthropological significance, the myth of meditation, a non-esoteric approach to getting your life in order and allowing it to become more meaningful)
He is also extremely good with children and sometimes enjoys doing sessions for them more than adults.