Speaking Engagements

Mary Jane Pories is a nationally sought after speaker who can relate to your audience, share their enthusiasm and is dedicated to a life of meaningful laughter. Her customized approach to addressing your group’s objectives produces effective and entertaining learning.

Her unique perspective surprises, engages, and motivates the audience. Her style is playful, the content thought-provoking, and the experience memorable.

As Founder and President of Fishladder Inc. she is an award-winning actor/improviser and alumna of the famed comedy theater, The Second City. Her stories, characters, and engaging delivery create an experience that invites shared laughter while at the same time providing insights that help individuals act intelligently and with integrity in unpredictable situations.

Mary Jane refuses to be held liable if the audience accidentally learns valuable life lessons in the process.

The result? They’ll go home changed or they’ll need to be changed.

Types of speaking events? Award Ceremonies – Conferences – Keynote Addresses – Break Out Sessions – Membership Meetings – Fund Raising – Organization Celebrations – and more!

Samples of Mary Jane’s Speaking Topics & Titles

  • Lessons From A Flounder

    You don’t have to live on the ocean floor to know that swimming around with both eyes on the same side can be a problem. This humorous look at behavior in the workplace will leave your audience smiling but also will help them identify some of the behaviors that keep them from rising to the surface.

  • Strong Trees Still Bend

    Flexibility. We admire it in trees and in other people, but we still find it hard to do ourselves. Using improvisation as a model, this interactive keynote will help you loosen up, lighten up, and stay strong at the same time.

  • No More “I Wish I’d Said…”

    How many times have you thought of the perfect response just as the other person left the room? How many times have you wished for the ability to say just the right thing at the right time? This interactive keynote will help the audience identify three methods to think on their feet with more skill, grace, and humor.

  • How To Inspire The Innovative Culture You Need

    The need for increased innovation in our current business climate is obvious. Knowing how to promote an innovative culture and reward behavior that inspires creative problem solving is not so obvious. As a business owner, educator, and professional improviser, Mary Jane provides specific tools for leaders to get the most out of their workforce. These tools will help encourage thinking on your feet, problem solving in the moment, and breaking patterns that hinder innovation.

Some of our recent speaking engagements include:

  • National Association of Realtors
  • National Association of Secretaries of State
  • National Association of Sports Commissions
  • Michigan Bar Association
  • Society for Human Resource Development
  • Supply Chain Management Conference

“Brilliant presentation at [the Applied Improvisation Network Conference 2012] Mary Jane…wise, pithy, provocative. Loved it. Bravo. ”

“Great information presented in a fun way that will make it unforgettable! … Phenomenal – did an exceptional job at illustrating how improvisation can be used to handle the change and foster creativity and teamwork.”

“Our members never laughed more, had greater participation or learned as much about themselves as they did during Mary Jane’s improvisational keynote addresses at our conference.”