This week, we’re continuing our miniseries on finding your voice and increasing your influence as a leader.

My guest is Ryan Millar, a Canadian-born, Amsterdam-based coach, story trainer, and communications consultant.

All of his work draws heavily on his 25+ years as an improviser. Ryan got his start in Vancouver BC in the late ‘90s with !nstant Theater, and has worked with Boom Chicago and toured Europe teaching and performing at festivals.

His latest book, on the art of public speaking, is called The Confident Presenter.

We discuss:

• How Ryan got started teaching public speaking
• The connection between improv and public speaking
• “All effective public speakers are confident, but not all confident public speakers are effective.”
• Adjusting to the audience
• Identifying your goals and then determining strategies: Opening, stories, rhetorical techniques.
• What are some of those techniques for making a connection?
• Getting feedback

Learn more about Ryan and the book at https://ryanmillar.com and https://confidentpresenter.co

About the host

Ross Romano is a co-founder of the Be Podcast Network and CEO of September Strategies, a coaching and consulting firm that helps organizations and high-performing leaders in the K-12 education industry communicate their vision and make strategic decisions that lead to long-term success. Connect on Bluesky or LinkedIn

I also host Sideline Sessions, a podcast for coaches and parents of student-athletes. The show features conversations with coaches and performance experts in the NFL, NBA, NCAA, Olympics, and more. Listen here: https://bit.ly/3Rp0QGt