Who are you?
Ivan Wanis Ruiz. I have several interests, but my two main businesses are Public Speaking and Dance Instruction. I have formerly worked in Pharmaceutical Sales and Brokerage, but found my real interest and passion came from teaching and not shaving everyday. I LOVE public speaking and it has slowly taken up most of my life. Recently have also found some interests in social media. I think its the new Marketing in that everyone is talking about it, but no one can really nail down what it is.
What do you do for fun?
I am addicted to dancing, besides salsa I like to try a little of everything from Hip Hop to Tango. I find learning new dances also keeps me humble because I am always re-experiencing what its like to be the worst/silliest person in the room. It basically reminds me that there is always more to learn.
What is your favourite community? Why?
I spend a lot of time online on youtube and listening to podcasts. What I tell people is if you want to learn how to do something start, but checking out youtube. If you want to learn about something listen to podcasts.
What is your Superpower?
To read your mind mmwwaaahhhahahaha. I think I am good at reading people and understanding their expectations.
How do you use it to build community?
Everything I do is set up in a process – how people do something – why it does or does not work – how can I fix it/improve on it. It all starts by understanding what expectations those people have. This also applies to me. I force myself to self evaluating by recording myself when I do things.
My Three Favourite Things About Ivan Are…
1. He’s really, really, really good. I’ve hired Ivan to deliver public speaking and presentation-skills workshops about five times. And everything – from how he prepares to the way he delivers content to what he does as a follow-up – is just unreal. My students love him, and, consequently, learn lots from what he teaches. As for me, well, I consider myself a really good presenter, but there hasn’t been a time that I’ve taken in an Ivan-presentation without learning something new and totally kickass powerful that adds a lot of value to my professional toolkit. He just makes people better presenters, and if you want to positively impact your community you’re going to be able to make a strong case about how you can do it.
2. Edutainment. As many readers know, I’m passionate about educational styles and strategies that combine humour and technology to best engage distractable Millennial learners. Ivan is, too. He involves learners in activities, is funny, but also direct and professional, and his presentations are so sexy that the audience is drawn to them.
3. Work. Life. Salsa. Ivan works hard, and he also follows his passion(s) – which surround public speaking and salsa. Following his interests – and his heart – ensure that he’s always doing what he loves, which probably explains that wicked-awesome smile on his face and enthusiasm for how he lives life every day.
As told by John Horn…