Get set for Ignite Bainbridge III

It’s near the end of January of 2014, and that means it’s time to start revving our engines for Ignite Bainbridge 3! A quick update: We are still a loose coalition of passionate volunteers and alumni speakers evangelizing “big ideas in 5 minutes = fun on Bainbridge Island.” May 6th is our performance date.

Linna Callaham has stepped forward to offer her organizational talents as lead Igniter, to support prospective speakers and plan the event, so don’t hesitate to contact her (please also sign up on the website to volunteer or consider being a speaker).  Linna can be reached at (206) 842-1707, or [email protected]. Also, as the ongoing “Community and Communications” lead, I’m still deeply committed to keeping this “tradition” alive on Bainbridge. (Can we claim “tradition” with only 24 months since our introduction to Ignite?).

Goals for Ignite Bainbridge 3: Each of the past two years we have built important processes and relationships that make the next year more successful.  Here are some new goals…

  • We will sell out this year! We got pretty close last year.
  • We are considering donating excess proceeds to—or adding a fundraiser for—the new Community Radio station on Bainbridge Island (link to Inside Bainbridge article). Note that we do not know yet about winning an FM license, but plans for an Internet radio station are moving forward regardless. Lots of future collaborations can be imagined for Ignite talks being podcasted, and Ignite speakers being interviewed. What do you think?
  • Last year we had a very talented high school senior, Chiara Patricio, do a talk that was one of my personal favorites, and a goal this year is to recruit/encourage 2-3 equally passionate and high performing students to participate. If you know a student with an important story to tell, encourage him or her to get involved.

Thinking of being a speaker? Don’t put off contacting us if you have an idea for a talk. It is likely that the roster will fill up moderately fast, and it will be by the people who get prepared first. More to come on the selection process, but fundamentally “first prepared, first assured a spot on the roster.” so please submit your interest as soon as possible.

 Speakers’ Workshops: One workshop a month (held at OfficeXpats) will take both novice and experienced speakers through the essential steps, and we encourage alumni to attend and offer mentoring. Attending the workshops is not mandatory but highly recommended. It’s the best way to stay informed on the process and get feedback on the talk you are planning, at any stage.

In addition to scheduled topics (see below), each of the three workshops will offer time for you—as a prospective speaker—to get feedback from alumni on your idea, script, or completed presentation, and reminders for how to become an accepted presenter.

If you can’t make any of the workshops due to a repeating conflict, be in touch with us and we will figure out a way for you to get the information and/or support that you need.

Save these dates! 

  • February 20, 6pm (Thursday): Be prepared… the Ignite format… 5 minutes, 20 slides, a big idea. How to get started, planning your talk.
  • March 18, 6pm (Tuesday):  Be concise… the script for your talk, what makes a good story, even in 5 minutes.
  • April 22, 6pm (Tuesday): Be visual…  the rules and restrictions for building your slides, tips for big impact, submitting your slides.

Want to help build our Ignite success?  We need volunteers NOW to help us get the word out in news media and on social sites, and to attract speakers with passion for a great idea. Please contact Linna if you have ideas or connections for stories that we can place, or if you are able to pass the word at an organization you belong to. More volunteer opportunities coming soon as well.

 Thanks,

Leslie Schneider
Ignite Community Lead (on behalf of OfficeXpats, the organizing sponsor)


Get out of your comfort zone with Free Trait Theory

by Tom Leurquin, Ignite Bainbridge 2012 alumnus “Clean out your garage

Do personality differences affect a person’s ability to give an Ignite presentation? The simple answer is “No.” The general perception is that extroverts just get up in front of an audience and start talking and are perfectly comfortable being on stage, and introverts simply wouldn’t do it or aren’t capable of doing such a thing. The truth is a bit more complex than that. Both introverts and extroverts are more than capable of getting in front of a group of people and talking about a passion they have. Read the rest of this entry »


Save the date! Ignite Bainbridge 2 is coming back on May 14, 2013

We are excited to announce that Ignite Bainbridge 2 is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14, 2013 at the Bainbridge Pavilion. The idea for Ignite Bainbridge was freshly hatched in late December 2011, and the first Ignite Bainbridge held on May 16, 2012 went beyond the wildest dreams of those early organizers. Fourteen speakers and more than 150 attendees celebrated stories, inspiration, and big ideas from our lives on Bainbridge Island or a bit beyond. Many of those 150 showed up early for the pre-party and came again for the post-party! We all got a chance to connect with the speakers, and we hope there were many who wondered if they might be the ones on stage “next time.”

So it’s time to start thinking about “next time!” If you have a topic you are passionate about, we highly encourage you to entertain the idea of speaking about it. No matter if this would be your first ever speaking experience, or if you tried to be a speaker but did not make it to the roster the first time around.  We even encourage the now-experienced “alumni” speakers to consider signing up again with a new topics. Read the rest of this entry »


Ignite Bainbridge 2 Postponed

Ignite Bainbridge 2 is postponed until early 2013. But this is just an excuse for you to submit more talk ideas, and hone your storytelling. We look forward to seeing you next year.


First Ignite Bainbridge a huge success

Ignite Bainbridge 1

Ignite Bainbridge 1 was a huge success. It was a fun-filled evening of bunny pictures, pig pictures, engineering diagrams, minor technical difficulties, beer & wine, and even a little singing! We’ll be sharing the videos soon, but in the meantime, some thank yous are in order.

We couldn’t have pulled this off without a lot of help:

  • Thank you to the wonderful speakers who dared to climb on stage and share their passions for 5 minutes; you’re the reason we put on and attend these events.
  • Thank you to our amazing volunteers! We couldn’t have done this without you and we can’t thank you enough. You took care of everything from lights, sound, video recording, to selling & taking tickets, tweaking the presentations, and making sure the beer & wine were flowing.
  • Thank you to all of our generous sponsors. Again, without you, this event wouldn’t be possible. You let us keep the price for this event low (where else can you have this much fun for only $5???) so that more people could enjoy it.
  • Thank you to our community and attendees for supporting the first Ignite Bainbridge!

If you were inspired by the Ignite presentations and have a burning passion you want to share with your fellow Bainbridge Islanders, then submit your proposal for the next Ignite Bainbridge. Keep an eye out on this web site for information about when that will happen.