Catalyze
- Best for
- Leaders, managers, and experts whose good ideas aren't landing.
- Focus
- Clarity, relevance, and influence in high-stakes communication.
Keynote Speaking
Three keynotes. One idea: change happens live, in the room.
Ivan Wanis Ruiz is a Toronto-based keynote speaker who delivers three interactive keynotes on communication, audience engagement, and listening for conferences and corporate events worldwide. Each one turns the audience into active participants instead of passive listeners, and each is built around a real-time demonstration rather than a lecture.
Unmute the Room
- Best for
- Conference openings, receptions, and networking-heavy events.
- Focus
- Turning a passive audience into a connected community.
The Listening Lab
- Best for
- Leaders and managers navigating difficult conversations.
- Focus
- Listening, persuasion, and lowering resistance to change.
Led by Ivan Wanis Ruiz
Every keynote is delivered personally by Ivan Wanis Ruiz — communication trainer, keynote speaker, and author of the Amazon bestseller End Boring. Over 15 years, he's taught more than 500,000 people to communicate with clarity and impact.
A Public Speaking Lab Live Experiment
Catalyze
Give Great Ideas Momentum
An interactive leadership communication keynote that helps experts, managers, and leaders make complex ideas clear, relevant, and worth acting on.
97%
of project professionals managed at least one complex project.
1 in 3
complex projects fail, at nearly twice the reported failure rate for projects overall.
68%
of project professionals rank communication as the most critical power skill.
Sources: McKinsey, PMI, Grammarly, Harvard Business Review
This isn’t a lecture. It’s a live experiment.
We test ideas the way they’ll be used under real world pressure. Together, we diagnose what’s getting in the way, make a change, and see the impact in real time.
The Hypothesis
Expertise alone does not create influence.
The Variables
The common workplace communication breakdowns that stall great ideas.
The Experiment
You diagnose, reframe, test, and refine your message live.
The Reaction
Real time results. Real “aha” moments. Real transformation.
It was genuinely transformative for me.
Ivan has a novel approach to communication that immediately creates ease and confidence in speaking. What felt revolutionary was how natural and accessible he made it. This wasn’t about memorizing techniques, but about changing how you show up. I found myself more relaxed, more confident, and far more engaged than I expected.
Beth Wescott
Manufacturing Science and Technology Lead at Pfizer
Immediate impact.
Lasting application.
Walk out with a message that’s clearer, more relevant, and ready to create action. Walk back into your world with a new way of communicating that changes how ideas move.
Executive recommendations
Make complex ideas easy to see and support.
Stakeholder conversations
Build relevance, trust, and stronger buy in.
High stakes meetings
Contribute clearly and influence the outcome.
Cross functional projects
Align different stakeholders around what matters.
Technical presentations
Explain the why, not just the how.
Decisions and next steps
End every conversation with clarity and commitment.
A Public Speaking Lab Live Activation
Unmute the Room
Turn Your Conference Into a Community
A high energy, interactive opening keynote that turns a passive audience into a connected community through structured, low pressure interaction.
31%
of attendees say networking at events feels awkward.
56%
of attendees want hands-on interactions or participatory activations.
34%
of attendees prefer traditional after-hours networking events.
Sources: Freeman 2024 Event Organizer Trends Report; Freeman 2025 networking research, reported by PCMA.
This isn’t networking. It’s a live activation.
We remove the awkwardness of starting conversations by giving the room simple, structured ways to connect. Participants meet, listen, contribute, and leave with relationships already in motion.
The Hypothesis
People want more interaction, but many do not know how to start or sustain it.
The Variables
Room size, audience familiarity, available time, and the mechanisms used to facilitate interaction.
The Experiment
Participants test a variety of conversation prompts and structured interaction formats in real time.
The Reaction
The room becomes more connected, more vocal, and more willing to participate throughout the rest of the event.
Very engaging and quite unique to witness.
I’ve brought Ivan in to speak at my organization several times over the years, and he’s always a hit. Very engaging presenter who manages to connect with literally everyone in the room. It’s quite unique to witness him at work.
David Ben Salem
Legal Counsel, Google via Axiom
Immediate connection.
Lasting community.
Walk out with a room that has already practised how to meet, listen, contribute, and follow up. The energy continues through the event because the connections have already begun.
Conference openings
Turn the audience into participants from the first session.
Networking receptions
Remove awkward starts and make connection feel natural.
Leadership programs
Build listening, participation, and stronger peer relationships.
Client events
Help guests meet more people and create more useful conversations.
Onboarding
Create belonging and contribution from the beginning.
Virtual and hybrid sessions
Use structured interaction to keep people active and connected.
A Public Speaking Lab Live Conversation Reset
The Listening Lab
The Science and Strategy of Listening and Persuasion
An interactive keynote that teaches leaders and managers how to make people feel heard and guide difficult conversations toward productive change.
61%
say their employer needs to listen better.
$1.2T
lost annually to ineffective workplace communication.
10%
higher productivity when more employees feel their opinions count.
Sources: Qualtrics; Grammarly and The Harris Poll; Gallup Q12 research.
This isn't listening theory. It's a live conversation reset.
We test how small changes in listening can change the direction of a conversation by helping participants identify the signals beneath stress and frustration, respond in a way that creates understanding, reduces resistance, and moves toward productive next steps.
The Hypothesis
People become more open to influence once they feel genuinely heard.
The Variables
Emotional intensity. Perceived stakes. Change pressure. Clarity. Expectations.
The Experiment
Participants test simple listening tactics, sentence structures, and response choices that help people feel heard, reduce emotional resistance, and become more receptive to feedback.
The Reaction
Feedback is received more openly, behaviour changes more consistently, and teams adapt faster with clearer, more measurable results.
A best-in-class facilitator who elevates everyone.
He has an amazing ability to transform ideas into tactics and coach in the moment. I am also impressed by his ability to keep the attention of groups and engage large audiences, regardless of whether they are big personalities or quiet or shy. He is a best-in-class facilitator who elevates the performance of everyone he works with.
Steven De Luca
Managing Director, CIBC Private Wealth Management
Immediate understanding.
Lasting change.
Walk out with practical language for lowering resistance, improving feedback, and guiding difficult conversations toward clearer and more productive next steps.
Difficult conversations
Reduce resistance and move the conversation toward productive next steps.
Performance feedback
Help people feel heard before asking them to change.
Change communication
Recognize the signals beneath stress, uncertainty, and frustration.
Conflict resolution
Lower emotional intensity and create greater understanding.
Team leadership
Clarify expectations and surface what is not being said.
Coaching conversations
Use practical sentence structures that support measurable behaviour change.
Testimonials
What people think
“Ivan was the official host of the TORONTO 2015 Pan Am and Parapan Am torch relay celebrations and I was delighted as he worked the crowds from a few dozen people up to 10,000 enthusiastic spectators everyday for 4 months. I continue to engage Ivan with my activities with Invictus Games because he is simply the best!”
Steve Wallace
Sports Marketing Leader | Creating transformative impact
“I was impressed by Ivan's ability to read the audience, with his funny but serious style he provide quick-witted responses, anecdotal comments and observations. He made our succesful event Gala, welcoming Members of Parliament, Ambassadors, Grammy Award Winners, and VIP Guest.”
Manuel Rodriguez
CEO - Partner at Unikron Video Content Agency
“His enthusiasm and commitment to teaching in an impactful and intentional way keeps him at the top of his Business Presentation ability. I recommend Ivan's Public Speaking Class to anyone interested in a leadership role.”
Andrew Ng
Product Manager
“I attended a Leadership conference Ivan was leading. I left
the conference motivated, enlightened, and full of public speaking skills
I can’t wait to use!”
the conference motivated, enlightened, and full of public speaking skills
I can’t wait to use!”
Aamir Bootwala
eCommerce Associate at Perpetua
“Ivan’s public speaking and presentation workshops are unique and one of the best! He doesn’t just demonstrate, he makes the audience do it and gives them an incredible amount of support. I highly recommend Ivan when you want to woo your audience.”
Manasa Lankalapalli
Product Manager
“Ivan's workshops are highly engaging and the energy he brings to the stage is contagious. His charisma is only second to his passion for improving his audience's communication skills. While you can't really learn public speaking in hour, and I'm amazed by how much I took out of it!”
Nitin Goyal
MSc, Computational Analytics @Georgia Tech | Product Data Analyst @Perpetua