I realized I never did talk about my experience speaking at the tenth annual IgniteOKC back in May. I was holding off for the talk to be uploaded to YouTube, but it looks like they’ll do that next year to promote the next talk. There was a Facebook live stream, which you can see me at around the 18-minute mark.
If you don’t know, IgniteOKC is a community-driven networking event that connects people of diverse backgrounds and knowledge through a series of entertaining, rapid-fire presentations. The basic premise is presenters get 5 minutes and 20 slides that advance every 15 seconds. In my topic, Local Roadtripping 101, I shared my advice on planning, packing, and suggestions for road trips in Oklahoma.
This was my biggest speaking event to date and I had a great time. The hardest part for me was memorizing my speech word-for-word. I just kept drawing blanks when I rehearsed it without my script. I ended up using a talking point method which worked great for me. Although, I did repeat a few descriptive words, but I didn’t trip or fall of the stage or anything major. I was the third person to speak, so I wasn’t first, but I was able to knock mine out early.
I decided to go big on the energy, perhaps a bit over the top. One comment I got was that I may have sounded like I was angry at people for not having adventures. 😄 I can see that point. I was greeted with high-fives from everyone down below in the green room when I returned. It felt amazing!
I published a more detailed version of my presentation here on Uncovering Oklahoma.
Overall, I had a positive experience speaking at IgniteOKC. It was great to get my face and name out there because I’m such a behind-the-scenes guy. Plus, most of all, I hope I inspired people to have an adventure.