Blog

When we talk to people about giving a speech at Ignite, the format can be intimidating. Five minutes? 20 slides? How can I pull this off?” The pace is fast, the topics are unique (often eclectic) and most people think they have to be a professional public speaker or an extroverted personality to get on stage.

That’s what makes Ignite special- we believe that every person has a unique story to tell and that anyone can get up on that stage. Every person who has spoken at Ignite Austin can tell you that they were scared before they got on stage, even those of us who speak before large crowds frequently, or those of us who are extremely outgoing. You worry you’ll screw up, your timing will be off, your topic will bore people, and you worry that yours will be the one Ignite speech that sucks. Everyone has those worries. Everyone.

We want to dispel the myth that only professional speakers or outgoing people grace the stages at Ignite Austin. Come meet past speakers at the first ever Ignite Austin Training Camp where we’ll break out into smaller groups so you can brainstorm ideas for speaker submissions and learn the secret tips and tricks on how to blow the audience away with an Ignite speech.

The goal of Ignite Austin is to spark new conversations and collaborations across cultures and disciplines throughout the city of Austin with fast-paced, bite-sized presentations. It’s a great opportunity to meet smart, interesting people (if we do say so ourselves) and maybe even learn something.