“No matter how many projects I’ve worked on, the people are always unique yet similar.”
Ryan says, “I have the best job.” He’s asked to go and learn about people. Those people may peel potatoes in the mid-west of the United States, provide loans to farmers in Alberta, find shelter for the homeless in Vancouver or produce media in a high rise in mid-town Manhattan.
No matter how many assignments he’s had, he finds the people unique yet similar. They possess passion and leadership. Sometimes they exhibit cynicism and mistrust. These human experiences and qualities are fascinating in their complexity and simplicity. He recognizes his job is not to simply observe.
He interacts across roles and locations to find commonality of experience and interest. Ryan’s role is to share those experiences to support empathy and understanding. More than a distant researcher looking at subjects, he is a skilled facilitator, assisting clients to look collectively upon their situation and create new possibilities.
Ryan specializes in internal communications, research and leadership development. He has a passion for servant leadership and shares the positive impact it can have on the lives of employees and organizational performance. His experience has involved strategy development, service improvements, communication audits, change management, and employee engagement. He facilitates planning, designs research, constructs effective questions, communicates results, and produces action.
Some of Ryan’s recent clients include PepsiCo, ESPN, Amgen, Johns Hopkins Medicine, The Home Depot Canada, Vale, Mountain Equipment Co-op, The Alberta Medical Association, BC Housing and The Law Society of British Columbia.
Ryan has won five International Association of Business Communicators’ (IABC) Gold Quill Awards and was recognized by the International Public Relations Institute (IPR) with the Golden Ruler Award of Excellence for Measurement in 2004 for his work with the Alberta Medical Association.
Ryan has been a regular contributor to Communication World with articles on using Social Media to connect people with purpose, the future of the communication profession and using intranets for measurement. Ryan earned his Masters of Arts in Leadership from Trinity Western University in 2007, and has a Bachelor of Arts in Recreation Administration with a major in Community Development from The University of Alberta.