Good ol’ soapbox entertainment at Ignite Talks

Arts & Entertainment Scene Scene What's On

Rita Bratovich
August 12, 2024

Image: IGNITE SYDNEY 2023, Oxford Art Factory. Image: Ignite Sydney

On any list of things people fear most, public speaking is invariably up there with sharks, death, and ghosts. However, there is a small minority of extroverts who relish the opportunity to enthrall a crowd with their glib oratories, and if they’re interesting and engaging, they’ll always find an audience. That’s the premise that fuels Ignite Talks, a night where impassioned speakers meet an appreciative crowd.

It all began in 2006 when a couple of self-proclaimed geeks in Seattle, USA, decided they’d throw a little event featuring fast, informative talks in a relaxed environment. People loved it, so they threw several more events in the following months. An attendees at a tech conference in San Francisco came to an Ignite Talk that was also on in that city, and they were so impressed they wrote an article for CNET. That launched Ignite into the stratosphere.

IGNITE SYDNEY 2023, Oxford Art Factory. Image: Ignite Sydney

Now, Ignite Talks take place in 350 cities around the world. Sydney is one of those cities, and the Oxford Art Factory has become the unofficial home of Ignite after hosting the event for over a decade.

Ignite Talks follows a very strict format, so there’s no need to be concerned about a rambling, endless speech. Each speaker is given exactly 5 minutes to talk. No negotiation. They will be visually accompanied by 20 slides auto-changing every 15 seconds on a screen behind them.

Speakers choose their own topic and organise their slides prior to the event, but they cannot control the presentation once their talk has begun on the night. It’s thrilling and exciting for speaker and audience alike. The pub atmosphere of the Oxford Art Factory makes it feel very relaxed and the crowds are generally very encouraging.

Ignite Sydney 2024 will feature 15 speakers presenting an fascinating range of topics. To give you an idea of what to expect, here are some of the speech topics:

Dance with your skeletons: How dance and movement can improve your mental health.
5 billion years in 5 minutes: The briefest history of the world you’ll ever hear.
Romance vs friendship: Why society keeps leaving platonic love on read.
Becoming the oldest person in the room: How to navigate change using your wisdom and experience.
Procrastination is good: How you can use inaction to get results.
Poker and The Art of War: Why Sun Tzu won wars but would suck at poker.