About us
Aspriring writer? Practicing writer? Storyteller at heart, looking to level up?
These highly practical, creative and engaging workshops are all about getting you on track with your writing or storytelling. They're for leveling up your skils and sharpening your practice, whether you write for business or pleasure.
Each workshop focuses on a different aspect of writing or storytelling, so look at what's coming up and see what appeals to you. Join like minds, an engaging host, and get (even more) into your writing!
Non-English natives and all levels welcome.
Featured event
Learn to Love Public Speaking
NOTE: This is a paid in-person event, and will sell out. To avoid missing out, early booking is recommended.
## About this Public Speaking Workshop
Taught by Ryan Millar, founder Dashwell Coaching & Training
Ever felt like your brilliant ideas fall flat because your audience just isn't engaged? Or do you get sweaty palms at the mere thought of public speaking?
Join comedian and communications trainer Ryan Millar for a masterclass that will turbo-charge your presentation skills – and help you actually enjoy the process.
This interactive, day-long workshop is perfect for entrepreneurs, business professionals, and freelancers who need to pitch or present as part of their job.
Register here.
You'll walk away with practical skills and a new appreciation of your own ability to engage and persuade your audience, whether you're pitching to a client, speaking up in a meeting, or delivering a formal presentation.
This workshop is suitable for beginners!
What You'll Learn
- Conquer Stage Fright: Expert tips to become more comfortable and confident presenting to groups.
- Prepare better: Learn how to craft and rehearse presentations that truly shine.
- Sharpen your delivery: Learn tricks for better body language and a more dynamic vocal range.
- Engage and Persuade: Discover strategies to captivate, influence, and persuade your audience.
- Harness the Power of Storytelling: Use anecdotes and stories effectively to make your presentations memorable and impactful.
- Hands-On Practice: Put your new skills into action with practical exercises throughout the day
About Ryan
Ryan Millar is an improviser, writer, communications trainer, storyteller and comedian living in Amsterdam. He’s also the founder of Dashwell Coaching & Training where he draws on his 25 years of improv and 20 years in corporate communications to help people communicate with genuine presence and passion.
His book, The Confident Presenter: Ditch Your Fear of Public Speaking and Embrace the Stage is well-loved for how it breaks down public speaking into actionable and practical steps. This workshop is that book IN REAL LIFE!
Ryan has 20+ years experience teaching, training and entertaining, working in different countries and languages. Performing scripted and unscripted material, as well as hosting shows and events.
Booking online in advance is required.
What people have to say...
"Ryan's workshop was practical, engaging, thought-provoking, and perfectly timed for members of our community navigating career transitions or balancing more than one professional focus. He shared his frameworks with a balance of humor and practicality that made the session both accessible and highly effective. The workshop flew by — and the consensus is clear: we want more!"
– Jillian Vorce, One Handshake Network
"His coaching sessions really improved my public speaking skills and made my presentations much more interesting for my audience."
– Furio Sancilio
"Ryan got me ready to run a fireside chat with two CEOs of my company, something I had never done before. He figured out very quickly where I felt uncomfortable and helped me to show up professionally without losing authenticity."
– Eugenia Sarro
"Loved the style of teaching, the no-bullshit approach and direct feedback that made me feel challenged in a very positive and motivating way. Ryan is committed, critical, spot-on feedback, inspirational, quick, connected and totally in the flow."
– Elena, Amsterdam
"I took part in one of Ryan's Storytelling workshops which I found really insightful and helpful. Ryan is so generous with both the information he gives during and after the workshop – he gives carefully considered feedback on your work with lots of detailed tips."
– Shauna Massey
"I am very grateful for Ryan! He helped me with 1:1 coaching to prepare an important presentation about myself for my job. Together, through 2 coaching sessions and feedback emails in between, we worked on the content, structure and delivery of the presentation. In the end, the feedback that I got is that it was one of the best presentations they've seen in that context!"
– Pedro García Cabañas
Please contact info@ryanmillar.com if you have any questions.
Upcoming events
5
Writing Matters
·OnlineOnline## Writing Matters
Writing matters. It creates more robust thinking, preserves our ideas and memories, and strengthens our imagination. And that’s not all.
From cover letters to emails and reports, our writing is also the primary basis others use to judge our work and intellect. Therefore, becoming a better writer helps you become more yourself and a more persuasive communicator.
In this short practical session, we’ll give you new motivation, fresh techniques and some new tools for harnessing the power of writing.
This workshop is suitable for beginners as well as more seasoned writers.### In 60 minutes together we’ll
- Come to better understand how and why writing matters
- Run some exercises to kickstart your writing
- Give you some tricks to elevate your writing
### By the end of the workshop you’ll have
- A better understanding of how good writing can help you
- An understanding of what a good writing flow and practice can look like
- Some ideas for how to sharpen your writing output
### About the tutor
Ryan Millar is a writer, communications trainer, and coach. He's worked as a copywriter, content manager, scriptwriter, and editor-in-chief. He's also an award-winning playwright and the author of two non-fiction books. The latest is called The Confident Presenter.
www.ryanmillar.com138 attendeesLearn to Love Public Speaking
Room2Learn, Utrechtsedwarsstraat 13-I, 1017 WB, Amsterdam, NLNOTE: This is a paid in-person event, and will sell out. To avoid missing out, early booking is recommended.
## About this Public Speaking Workshop
Taught by Ryan Millar, founder Dashwell Coaching & Training
Ever felt like your brilliant ideas fall flat because your audience just isn't engaged? Or do you get sweaty palms at the mere thought of public speaking?
Join comedian and communications trainer Ryan Millar for a masterclass that will turbo-charge your presentation skills – and help you actually enjoy the process.
This interactive, day-long workshop is perfect for entrepreneurs, business professionals, and freelancers who need to pitch or present as part of their job.
Register here.You'll walk away with practical skills and a new appreciation of your own ability to engage and persuade your audience, whether you're pitching to a client, speaking up in a meeting, or delivering a formal presentation.
This workshop is suitable for beginners!
What You'll Learn
- Conquer Stage Fright: Expert tips to become more comfortable and confident presenting to groups.
- Prepare better: Learn how to craft and rehearse presentations that truly shine.
- Sharpen your delivery: Learn tricks for better body language and a more dynamic vocal range.
- Engage and Persuade: Discover strategies to captivate, influence, and persuade your audience.
- Harness the Power of Storytelling: Use anecdotes and stories effectively to make your presentations memorable and impactful.
- Hands-On Practice: Put your new skills into action with practical exercises throughout the day
About Ryan
Ryan Millar is an improviser, writer, communications trainer, storyteller and comedian living in Amsterdam. He’s also the founder of Dashwell Coaching & Training where he draws on his 25 years of improv and 20 years in corporate communications to help people communicate with genuine presence and passion.His book, The Confident Presenter: Ditch Your Fear of Public Speaking and Embrace the Stage is well-loved for how it breaks down public speaking into actionable and practical steps. This workshop is that book IN REAL LIFE!
Ryan has 20+ years experience teaching, training and entertaining, working in different countries and languages. Performing scripted and unscripted material, as well as hosting shows and events.
Booking online in advance is required.
What people have to say...
"Ryan's workshop was practical, engaging, thought-provoking, and perfectly timed for members of our community navigating career transitions or balancing more than one professional focus. He shared his frameworks with a balance of humor and practicality that made the session both accessible and highly effective. The workshop flew by — and the consensus is clear: we want more!"
– Jillian Vorce, One Handshake Network"His coaching sessions really improved my public speaking skills and made my presentations much more interesting for my audience."
– Furio Sancilio"Ryan got me ready to run a fireside chat with two CEOs of my company, something I had never done before. He figured out very quickly where I felt uncomfortable and helped me to show up professionally without losing authenticity."
– Eugenia Sarro"Loved the style of teaching, the no-bullshit approach and direct feedback that made me feel challenged in a very positive and motivating way. Ryan is committed, critical, spot-on feedback, inspirational, quick, connected and totally in the flow."
– Elena, Amsterdam"I took part in one of Ryan's Storytelling workshops which I found really insightful and helpful. Ryan is so generous with both the information he gives during and after the workshop – he gives carefully considered feedback on your work with lots of detailed tips."
– Shauna Massey"I am very grateful for Ryan! He helped me with 1:1 coaching to prepare an important presentation about myself for my job. Together, through 2 coaching sessions and feedback emails in between, we worked on the content, structure and delivery of the presentation. In the end, the feedback that I got is that it was one of the best presentations they've seen in that context!"
– Pedro García CabañasPlease contact info@ryanmillar.com if you have any questions.
18 attendees
REMIX it! Memory as story fuel
·OnlineOnline## Remix It: Using memories to power your writing
"'Write what you know' isn't about facts – it means mining your lived experience for creativity fuel."
Ever wonder how to put "write what you know" into action? Join this workshop to discover how your memories and experiences – big and small, recent and distant – can become a rich creative resource to power your writing.
In this engaging and interactive session, you'll learn techniques to access, transform, and 'remix' your personal experiences into different forms. Using examples from children's literature, memoir, and short fiction, you'll see how real-life moments can be repurposed through different creative lenses.
Through hands-on exercises and guided practice, you'll start building a personal archive of experiences that can fuel your writing for years to come. You'll leave with practical techniques you can immediately apply to your current writing projects.
This workshop is suitable for writers of all experience levels.
### In our 60-minute session we'll explore
- Memory mining: How to access and capture meaningful experiences from any period of your life
- Character transformation: Techniques to turn real people into compelling fictional characters
- Genre remixing: Methods for reshaping memories into different literary forms
- Sensory revival: Techniques to bring authentic details into your writing
### By the end of the workshop you'll have
- Methods for transforming real-life elements into fiction
- Insights into how to balance truth and imagination in your writing
- A fresh perspective on your own life as a creative resource
### Workshop Details:
- 90-minute interactive online session
- Practical exercises with immediate application
- Supportive environment for writers of all levels
- Time for questions and discussion
### About your tutor
Ryan Millar is a writer, communications trainer, and coach. He's worked as a copywriter, content manager, scriptwriter, and editor-in-chief. He's also an award-winning playwright and the author of two non-fiction and two children's books. www.ryanmillar.com
14 attendees
Become a Better Storyteller
·OnlineOnline# Become a Better Storyteller — 5-Week Course
### Turn your everyday into extraordinary experiences
Storytelling is our oldest technology — a powerful engine of expression, connection, education, and enjoyment.
And anyone can learn to improve their storytelling skills. The free intro session was about understanding why stories work and recognizing the stories already in your life, this five-week course is about how to activate your internal storyteller: finding your own material, shaping it, practising telling it (or writing it), and getting live feedback as you improve.
Whether you want to tell stories on stage, breathe life into your next presentation, or craft richer written essays and memoirs, this course will sharpen your skills.
It's five targeted sessions over five weeks, built around practical teaching, real experimentation, and live feedback you can apply immediately — and keep applying long after the course ends.
Every session includes teaching and demonstration, including ample opportunity to try things yourself.
Over five weekly online sessions, here's what we'll actually do
- Session 1: Finding the material — You have more material than you think. Starting with a proven technique for finding meaning in the overlooked, you'll mine your own life for real story material and shape one moment into something worth telling — live, with feedback.
- Session 2: Structures that hold — A few reliable moves — not complicated frameworks — that turn a rambling anecdote into a story with shape, momentum, and purpose. You'll apply them directly to the material from Session 1.
- Session 3: The mechanics of telling — Telling a story out loud is a different skill from writing one down. Physicality, voice, and the "zones" of storytelling — where you're speaking from in time — start here, low-stakes, with room to play. (This also applies to writing memoir or autobiography)
- Session 4: Telling it well — A chance to practice in small groups with real, live feedback on delivery. This is where the actual improvement happens — not more theory, but doing it, hearing what's working, and trying it again.
- Session 5: Bringing it home — See how the same tools apply to professional storytelling — pitches, interviews, case studies — then close the course your way: tell your story live, read it, or bring the part that isn't quite working yet for group coaching. You'll leave with a system for continuing to find and shape stories long after the course ends.
By the end of the course you'll have
- An understanding of why stories work, and how they land differently than facts or arguments
- A set of simple, reliable structures you can use to give any story shape and momentum
- The ability to find and shape material from your own life, rather than waiting for something "story-worthy" to happen
- A story you've worked all the way through and are ready to tell
- The tools to keep developing your storytelling on your own, long after the course wraps
Details
Dates: October 21 – November 18 (Wednesdays, 8pm–9.30pm CET)
(ONLINE)
Cost: €120 (€90 early-bird)
Group size: Capped at 12 to maintain space for live feedback
Registration is required.About your host
Ryan Millar is an improviser, writer, communications trainer, storyteller, and comedian living in Amsterdam. He has nearly twenty years of experience teaching, training and entertaining audiences, working in different countries and languages.He's brought storytelling and communication training to teams at Google, Adidas, Deutsche Bank, and the European Commission, among others, and is adept at performing scripted and unscripted material, as well as hosting shows and events.
He's the author of two books, one on improvisation and one on public speaking.
5 attendees
Past events
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