My Ignite Presentation

Now for something completely different…

I participated in Ignite Boulder 40 in December 2019. I gave a talk about perennial vegetables.

It was a blast because it was largely out of my comfort zone. Yes, I’d spoken in public a couple of times, but in front of the entire Boulder theater? Yes, I’d given talks, but remembering everything and having no speaker notes? Yes, I’d talked for a fixed period of time, but communicating a cohesive argument in 5 minutes, with the slides advancing every 15 seconds?

It was a definite challenge and I was happy to be selected. I have no idea if every cohort works this way, but we built our talks over just 4 weeks.

Week 1: Come to a group session with only a rough topic idea (what you applied with) and talk about it for 3-7 minutes while being recorded. Feedback was given about the points that resonated for you to expand on.

Week 2: Write down your talk in 20 points and read it out loud. More feedback about timing and content.

Week 3: Put your talk in front of slides and give it to the group. I missed this one as I was out of town.

Week 4: Deliver the talk!

Of course, I practiced a lot during the weeks leading up to it. I was giving it in the shower, before I went to work, after I got home. Frankly, I was sick of it at the end.

But I’m glad I did it now.

Here’s the talk: