Have you ever seen a TED Talk and thought to yourself, “I could do that”?  

There’s one organization in Denver where you just might be able to get on stage with your big idea. Ignite Denver hosts three events every year, bringing members of the community on stage to share important ideas in front of a live audience. The catch? You only have five minutes to convey your idea. Last month, Ignite hosted its twentieth event in Denver, and over the course of the last six years, it has given a platform to over 100 speakers in the Denver area.

The five-minute presentation is called a “spark,” and is accompanied by 20 PowerPoint slides that are projected onto a large screen for 15 seconds each. If you have an idea, you can sign up to give a spark on the Ignite Denver website. Ideas are voted on, and once chosen, the speakers are coached on how to present a compelling presentation by Daniel Stones, a volunteer with Ignite Denver.

While the presentations can cover any topic, they are not supposed to be geared toward selling something. In an age of self-branding, we’ve become accustomed to selling something even more valuable than a business idea or product — ourselves. This makes the events feel a little like networking on steroids. Instead of mingling around a room full of strangers and awkwardly hoping one will meander your way, you get up on stage and tell your story to everyone in one fell swoop.

And in turn, you might get support, additional Twitter followers or potentially a business lead.  Or you might just get the satisfaction of knowing that you got up on stage in front of a bunch of people and shared something authentic. Either way, an effect of the events is the community it creates from participants and spectators alike. It’s a lot easier to approach someone and connect after you see them do something vulnerable and risky like putting it all out there. The rawness and organic aspect of the presentations creates an approachable atmosphere, if not entirely enlightening.  

With chapters in cities across the country, the Ignite “franchise” was a concept developed by Brady Forrest of O'Reilly Media, and Bre Pettis of Makerbot.com. Originally, events were licensed out to community members who took charge of making the events come together. In most cities, including Denver, O’Reilly Media is no longer involved, and the groups are organized on a volunteer basis.

O’Reilly Media has been publishing books for developers and coders over the last 20 years, using animal drawings as their signature look. You may have come across some of their books while learning Python or C++. In recent years, the media company has become a strong supporter of the Maker Movement, publishing the magazine Make: and helping sponsor Maker Fairs across the country.  

Founder Tim O’Reilly even coined the term “open source,” proving he’s had a couple of good ideas along the way.  

The tone of the presentations at last month’s Ignite event, however, were more encouraging than innovative, and covered topics from how to overcome procrastination, to why you should quit your job and travel, to what poop teaches us about life.

Ultimately, you might not be blown out of the water by the messages from the presenters, which felt more like self-help truisms than anything life-shattering or groundbreaking. And even though the presenters are encouraged not to sell, many of them are life coaches, leaving you feeling a little preached to.

But really, the magic in these events lies in activating people to participate. The inclusive nature encourages people to get up onstage and speak for themselves on something they feel is important. More than one audience member I talked to left feeling inspired to create a Spark for Ignite 21, including a 15-year-old high school student:

“I want people to hear my speech and think, wow she has a lot figured out and she’s only 15.”

By Emily Przekwas

Photos by Emily Przekwas