Blog - Ryan Millar

Alphabet of the City

PHOTO CREDIT: Jessica Hast / Unsplash For two weeks I’ve been biking across Amsterdam twice a day. Once in the morning to take my five-year-old to camp by the Vondelpark. And once again

By Ryan Millar|2022-08-25T13:14:08+00:00August 25 2022|

I’m working on a new book

IMAGE: Pixabay When I wrote TAKE IT EASY I always had it in my mind as a first book. One that soon be followed by another book. I even knew what the book

By Ryan Millar|2022-08-25T08:29:03+00:00August 24 2022|

The secret to creativity

PHOTO: Tosab Photography/ Unsplash The secret to creativity is being okay with making lots of bad art. Basically, you need the ability to put many ideas out into the world (at least onto

By Ryan Millar|2022-08-11T12:13:21+00:00August 11 2022|

Origins of a storyteller: tour guiding in Rome

Rome and the Tiber at night. PHOTO: Julius Silver / Pexels Many years ago, I arrived in Rome on a one-way ticket without much (any) idea of what I was going to do

By Ryan Millar|2022-06-21T21:34:04+00:00June 20 2022|

Mistakes are the only road to success

Every failure is a step closer to getting it right. Take the example of WD-40, the go-to loosener for bike chains and squeaky hinges. It gets its name because it uses water displacement (WD) to

By Ryan Millar|2022-06-10T17:15:43+00:00June 7 2022|

Coaching vs managing: questions are the key

Photo by Medienstürmer on Unsplash Last week I facilitated an online session on coaching for managers. I saw firsthand how the “managers’ mindset” is often to jump straight to problem-solving, without taking the time to

By Ryan Millar|2022-05-19T09:22:05+00:00May 19 2022|

A mugful of words to live by

I just spent a big chunk of time back in Canada, visiting family and generally digging my roots back into the soil. While there, my mom gave me an old mug of mine she'd clearly

By Ryan Millar|2022-05-16T19:14:19+00:00May 9 2022|

Three great books for improving your public speaking skills

PHOTO CREDIT: Benjamin Arthur As a professional public speaking and presentations coach, I've got to be working to keep what I do fresh. Stale material doesn't fly. I keep swapping and changing resources

By Ryan Millar|2022-02-06T19:32:39+00:00February 4 2022|

Reaching out to make contact

Though not as extroverted in reality as I present, I definitely am an extrovert. I like people. I thrive on social contact. And years into pandemia, I don't get enough of it. But this year

By Ryan Millar|2022-02-02T21:54:54+00:00January 31 2022|

Getting a writing community

Last fall, I inherited a writing group on Meetup. It's a place for writing and storytelling workshops, which is something I've done a lot fo, and want to do more of. Great! So to get

By Ryan Millar|2022-01-08T14:20:16+00:00January 8 2022|

“I especially enjoyed the clarity in all of what you were doing – I always understood what it was that you were teaching. I never felt lost. That was really awesome.”

Martin, Tampere

“I loved loved loved your workshop. I liked the way it was structured and meaningful. Time flew unnoticed. I liked the shortness of the exercises, the surprise and fun, and the fact that you gave me so much to explore. I now can be in an empty prison cell or in a desert island and never feel alone or bored anymore. Now I can expand my world.”

Elsa, Lisbon

“Plenty of energy, enthusiasm, good clear guidance on how to make the scene ‘deliver results’ without killing the improviser… Ryan’s enthusiasm for improv is infectious.”

James, Brighton

“Ryan is the most enthusiastic, positive workshop leader I have ever had the pleasure of working with. I’ve been to several of his workshops and after each session I came away with a sense of achievement and feeling that I had learnt something new.”

Chris, London

“Ryan is an extremely qualified, talented, and professional teacher and coach. I’d recommend Ryan’s services to anyone!”

Derek, Amsterdam,

“I’ve learned so much from you and thank you for giving me that nudge to get out of my comfort zone.”

Imaan, Amsterdam

“Ryan is an incredible teacher. He took a straggling group of beginners and turned us into a viable company of improvisational actors who regularly perform together – in front of actual, paying, repeat customers.”

Carrie, Brussels

“I’ve benefitted immensely from this journey which I would recommend to anyone looking to learn more about themselves in a fun, immersive way.”

Simon, Amsterdam

“Ryan seemed to know just what to do to get the best from everyone. I would jump at the opportunity to do another workshop led by him.”

Calum, Brighton

“The skills I learned from those two weekends, which were two of the most enjoyable weekends I’ve ever had, have been an invaluable tool I use to this day in my daily life, both at work and in personal interactions.”

Andy, Brussels

“Very inspiring and useful workshop. Picked me up from where I’m at and helped me develop strategies to improve developing scenes and my performance skills.”

Anonymous, Switzerland

“Ryan’s coaching sessions really improved my public speaking skills and made my presentations much more interesting for my audience.”

Furio S., Berlin

“Ryan is a natural at teaching and you get the feeling he puts his heart and soul into helping others. I look forward to doing more workshops with Ryan.”

Shauna, Tunbridge Wells

“Absolutely brilliant! Exceptional work!”

Anonymous, Impro Hotel

“Because of you my fear of speaking or presenting in front of an audience has lessened a great deal.”

Samora, Amsterdam

“Ryan is a great teacher, very serious (and very funny!) gives great coaching during scenes! I had a great time studying with him!!”

Alon, Tel Aviv

“I really admire your energy, creativity and knowledge and I’ve learned a lot from your training sessions.”

Natasha, Amsterdam,

“Ryan’s improv workshop is incredibly fun but also ruthlessly effective. Participants are taught to drop their inhibitions, let their imagination flow and and embrace the positive attitude at the heart of improv. They are also treated to Ryan’s personal blend of enthusiasm, wit and generosity.”

Jeremy, Brussels

“As a coach Ryan’s ability to zone in and identify the main agenda for each sessions was amazing. His coaching helped me reflect, make decisions and make positive changes in my business.”

Tracy, Dublin

“Thank you so much for passing your writing knowledge onto me. I learned a lot and had a lot of fun too.”

Larissa, Amsterdam,

“Your Taking It Easy session helped me relax more into the truth of a scene and let it grow more organically instead of pushing too hard to make it funny or dramatic. I loved that you were really clear about what you wanted us to get and how the exercises played into the scene work we did later. I really got a lot from one short session.”

Andrew, Brighton

“Ryan really made the most out of the workshop. No time-wasting. He gets to the point quickly, in a clear and effective way.”

Pedro, Lisbon

“Thank you for your positive spirit, energy and creativity. Your public speaking sessions really helped me feel more comfortable standing in front of a group of people.”

Serena, Amsterdam

“I thoroughly enjoyed the workshop. I learned how beautiful authenticity is, with such little moments as sharing your breakfast. Being in the moment is so amazing to see and to feel.”

Laura, Amsterdam

“I LOVED the fucking GREAT and positive energies in the workshop. They so got me going. Perhaps the highest moment during this festival was laughing in the workshop (to the dances… :)).”

Ben, Tel Aviv

“Working with you was an absolute blast! I’ll take your writing advice with me wherever I go.”

Marton, Budapest