At IgniteOKC, speakers can share their passions with an audience thats equally passionate about learning. Speakers have just five minutes to articulate their ideas, a popular format that works well. IgniteOKC organizers also wanted to offer more in-depth and interactive experiences with its roundtable discussion series, which allows for conversations between the two.
Maybe a collaboration can spring out of that, because there are people who want to make positive change in our community, said Matthew Goodwin, IgniteOKC communications director, and this is a great place for them to connect and get to be a part of something.
IgniteOKCs second roundtable discussion is 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the offices of Dunlap Codding, 609 W. Sheridan Ave. The event features Travis Brown, Wes Hamer and Eden Badgett, who all gave talks at previous IgniteOKC events that generated significant interest and curiosity.
Badgett spoke about the impact of mental illness on her life, which she described as humbling because she had to make herself vulnerable to her audience but also had people talking to her afterward and encouraging her to continue telling her story.
Its opened all kinds of doors to continue that conversation and continue raising awareness and break the stigma, Badgett said.
IgniteOKC is part of a public discussion series that started in Seattle that now hosts affiliated events all over the world. IgniteOKC hosts regular talks, happy hours and free networking events to help them connect with like-minded people and introduce people to the organization.
Board chairwoman Regina Banks moderates Tuesdays free roundtable event, which features presentations and opportunities for audience members to ask questions.
They have to be ready for all sorts of questions and to share what the idea is and why theyre passionate about it; why it makes a difference and why its important, Goodwin said.
Badgett said roundtable discussions attract a slightly different audience than the annual Ignite events and have a different vibe. Part of the roundtable is dedicated to discussing the process for submitting a proposal to speak at IgniteOKC events.
Goodwin said participants dont have to be professional speakers to give a talk and each year, the diverse topic roster features everything from race to inventions and socioeconomic status.
It helps if they can get in front of people and articulate their idea, Goodwin said, but it really is open that you dont have to be a great orator necessarily to be a speaker.
In fact, the organization walks participants through the process, sharpening their ideas and turning them into five-minute presentations.
Badgett urges anyone considering applying to do it.
She said while she felt her talk was self-gratifying in that it focused on her own struggles and experiences, it also resonated with a lot of people and prompted an ongoing discussion about mental health.
No idea is too small, Badgett said. We love sharing all of the crazy, creative, wild things that people come up with.
Visit igniteokc.com.
Print Headline: Sparking speech, IgniteOKC sparks creativity and innovation during its second roundtable discussion.