how to make ignite presentation on powerpoint

The Fastest Way to Create an Ignite Presentation

by Olivia Mitchell | 31 comments

I set myself the challenge of preparing my first Ignite presentation as fast as possible.

The Ignite presentation format is a 5 minutes long presentation with 20 slides and with the slides advancing automatically every 15 seconds. It’s the presentation equivalent of a haiku or sonnet . It’s a very challenging format which can take forever to prepare.

Here’s the way that I did it:

1. Sketched the outline using my Presentation Planner

I used my normal presentation planner which I teach to all my clients. Here’s a picture of my planner – as you can see neatness was not important. I just wanted to get my key message and sequence of ideas down on paper.

Click on the image to see a larger view.

Time: 10 minutes

2. Converted planner to 20 slides

I typed what I wanted to say into the format of 20 slides:

Time: 1 hour

3. Packaged into 15 second blocks

I then used the “rehearse timings” button and delivered the presentation:

The Slide Sorter view (above) showed me how long I spent talking on each slide.

My aim was for each slide to take 13 to 15 seconds. The reason for this is that I think it’s better to have to wait a beat for a slide, than to be running out of time and constantly playing catch up.

When I first tried this out I was all over the place, some slides taking 7 seconds and some 34 seconds. I spent time rearranging, deleting and massaging. In the screen shot above you can see that I had got most of the slides close to 15 seconds, but I still had some work to do to shorten some.

Time: 2 hours

4. Created visual slides

I only started creating visual slides once I had my storyline packaged into 20 neat slices of 15 seconds each. Here’s what my visual slides looked like:

5. Printed out my notes

Ignite is one type of presentation format when preparing a script is virtually essential during the preparation phase. Working from a script allows you to massage your sentences to  fit the 15 second time blocks. A slight change in sentence structure can make a significant change in the time it takes to say something. So this is one occasion where you should plan to say it the same way every time (not normally something I recommend).

I printed out my verbal slides (shown in point 2. above) as handouts – 2 to a page:

Time: 5 minutes

5. Rehearsed

This step took the longest as I fine-tuned my pace to get my timing just right. For example, I wanted my dead parrot slide to appear just as I said “dead parrot”!

Time: 3 hours

6. Delivered

I used notes for the actual presentation as well. I could have spent extra time memorizing it, but I didn’t see a sufficient pay-off for that extra time. I had rehearsed enough that I did spend most of the time connecting with the audience.

Time: 5 minutes!

My presentation was videoed but unfortunately the audio didn’t work, so instead I’ve produced a Slidecast using Slideshare:

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31 Comments

Fantastic post. This is useful not only for creating an Ignite presentation, but any presentation. Few people dissect the process of creation, especially the work BEFORE you even open your computer and AFTER you’ve finished designing. Bravo.

Great thoughts. This is helpful for anyone creating a presentation (which is the most common thing that everyone has to do nowadays). Thank you for sharing your thoughts and methods.

Brilliant – I can’t believe that I haven’t read something like this before. Thanks, Olivia!

Really great stuff, Olivia! Congratulations. I tell the people in my courses that an excellent presentation is like an iceberg: What we see (the presentation) is very small compared to what lies beneath the surface (the preparation). Your post demonstrates, succinctly and eloquently, that what comes out is in direct proportion to what goes in.

Jon, Craig and John, Thank you for the lovely comments.

A tweeter pointed out that I still spent 8 hours preparing for a 5 minute presentation. It’s a long time. But from other people I know who’ve done Ignite presentations and from blog posts I’ve read it can take a heck of a lot longer.

8 hours is a breeze – i can’t wait to try it your way! I usually log about 30 for a high-stakes preso. Granted, I’m a bit slow…

If it’s not an Ignite presentation, then:

1. You’ll need to put more work (read: time) into developing the overall structure of the presentation and crafting engaging content. 2. You won’t need to spend anytime on dividing your presentation into discrete 15 second blocks!

For a step by step guide to using my planner, download the Guide “How to make an effective PowerPoint Presentation.”

All the best with your next presentation Olivia

Olivia, this is brilliant – thanks for sharing.

It’s good to let Ignite presenters know up-front they need to spend some serious time preparing, and your method is very sensible.

The 5 minute presentation which took 8 hours of preparation could easily be re-used as a longer presentation, now that all the hard work has been done.

Thanks Stephen. That’s very true that having prepared a 5 minute presentation you can easily scale it to a longer timeframe. The discipline of creating the 5 minute presentation first is likely to lead to a better 50 minute presentation too! Olivia

Love the post, esp the audio Slidecast. It’s mind opening to hear alternative perspective about the learning style theory.

I have a question though about the concept behind Ignite Presentation: why on earth do we need to spend so much time to rehearse so that the slides will correlate with what we say? Why not just use a clicker and click when it’s time to show the next slide?

There’s no good reason for doing it in a “normal” presentation, but it’s a major part of the fun of Ignite.

The idea is to make presentations enjoyable again, as an antidote to all the boring, death-by-powerpoint sessions we’re used to. Making the slides auto-advance adds an extra challenge and an element of danger to the presentations – once they start, there’s no going back.

Check out an Ignite in your local town, and you’ll see what all the fuss is about. Or check out the best videos at http://igniteshow.com

I agree with what Stephen has said. I don’t regard an Ignite presentation as a regular presentation, but rather as an art form. The constraints of the form lead to more creativity. In particular, the constraints of the form make it almost impossible to produce a series of boring bullet-points slides.

And it’s really fun for the audience!

However, I’m in two minds about lecturers at tertiary institutions asking students to deliver Ignite presentations (I’ve heard of this a number of times). I think for students who are novices at public speaking, the constraints of Ignite lead to another level of difficulty – kind of asking people to run before they can walk. If the aim is to avoid boring bullet-point presentations it would be better to simply say “Your presentation should be between 4 minutes 45 seconds and 5 minutes, 15 seconds. You can have as many slides or as few slides as you like, but no bullet-points!”

I’m asking my students to try Ignite! talks this semester. It’s the first time I’ve done them, as a bit of an experiment, so we’ll see how it goes. It’s not the only talk they’re giving, though, so the Ignite! talks are “low stakes,” as it were.

And for what it’s worth, I gave my students this link, and have already heard that they found it very helpful! So well done, you!

i am the tom!

That is great, Olivia!

I’ve learned quite a bit and admire the effort you put into this production and appreciate you sharing it.

Wonderful!!!! Many thanks!!!

great tipz, Olivia. thankz a lot. Keep the mood, ok? Z.

While I wholeheartedly disagree with your Ignite speech thesis about learning styles, I appreciate this post on how to prepare an Ignite speech. I have assigned my students the task of creating their own Ignite speech (it requires demonstration of all of the things we’ve been practicing since the start of the semester) and referred them to this post. Great job!

Love this blog post!

Here’s an infographic that I put together for the folks I coach on the Ignite style. Maybe helpful to your readers as well? http://wp.me/p1Hrlz-3Q

This is awesome!

the ignite presentation on learning styles is superb

Hello there! I could have sworn I’ve been to your blog before but after looking at many of the posts I realized it’s new to me. Anyhow, I’m definitely happy I discovered it and I’ll be book-marking it and checking back frequently!

Thank you so much for this manual! I have to give an Ignite presentation on a research project I’ve done and I had no idea how to start this. It helped me out a lot!

These are really great ideas in about blogging. You have touched some fastidious factors here. Any way keep up wrinting.

Helpful info. Fortunate me I discovered your site accidentally, and I’m surprised why this coincidence didn’t came about earlier! I bookmarked it.

Pretty cool idea, it’s always better to do it in a team of people of course whenever you got the chance to work with others. Brainstorming ideas and then making the presentation itself is way faster that way.

Thanks for posting your process (and also how long each step took, which is extremely helpful).

If you’re interested, I just posted a self-critique of my own Ignite talk. (It includes tips on things like having an effective opening line, using humour, and holding a microphone…)

Great work on the ways to prepare presentations. It is an essential part of any business activity.

Wow! Your article on the fastest way to craft an Ignite presentation is a treasure trove of practical advice. I appreciate the focus on brevity and impactful content. Your tips are sure to save a lot of time while ensuring a powerful presentation.

Thanks for sharing your expertise!

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Ignite Presentation: How to Prepare and Deliver a Successful One

Are you wondering how to captivate your audience and convey essential concepts in just a few minutes? If so, try an Ignite presentation.

Typically, an Ignite presentation is a format in which a presenter shares information while slides automatically advance to support the presenter. Nowadays, Ignite presentations are becoming popular due to the rise of technology.

Crafting a good presentation, it’s not that easy. Therefore, as a presenter, you must do everything possible to ensure that your audience captures everything.

In addition, you don’t want to keep your audience for long, and thus mastering the tricks to create an Ignite presentation is essential. For that, you first need to understand the origin, working, and formats of Ignite presentations.

What Is an Ignite Presentation?

An Ignite presentation is a format in which the speaker presents information with the support of slides that advance automatically. Ignite is promoted under the slogan, “Enlighten us, but make it quick.”

An Ignite presentation usually takes five minutes and contains twenty slides . Each slide is automatically displayed for fifteen seconds while the presenter delivers the information. The result of this process is more enjoyable and engaging.

If the Ignite presentation is done accordingly, this style is the best for conveying information in many situations. You can use it in classroom presentations, conference events, and toastmasters’ meetings to engage your audience maximumly.

Since we know what Ignite presentation is, let’s now look at its history from when it started, how it evolved, and some examples.

Brief History and Examples of Ignite Presentation

Bre Pettis and Brady Forrest held the first Ignite presentation in Seattle, Washington, in 2006.

During this time, the Make Magazine and O’Reilly Media sponsored Ignite. In November 2015, O’Reilly handed off the franchise to Brady Forrest, the founder.

Thereafter, the founder introduced Ignite talks. Ignite presentation has spreaded over 350 teams in schools, government, and private institutions.

Since the time Ignite presentation was introduced, it has helped most presenters, including teachers .

For example, most students have difficulty staying on a topic. Therefore, with the help of Ignite presentations, it gives a clear guide and a great way to teach students how to strengthen their presentation skills.

Ignite is short and focuses to a point with no sound or animations, thus suitable for students. Indeed, the introduction of Ignite presentations has helped combine big ideas and networking.

Though Ignite presentations began in the technology industry, not all of them are tech-based. The following are examples of Ignite presentations that you can look at to gather ideas:

• The Illusion of Speed”, at Velocity 2013, by Steve Souders
• Jane the Concussion Slayer, by Jane McGonigal
• Getting Past Hello How to Talk to Anyone, by Bethany Marzewski’s

Either way, if you want to sharpen your skill in creating and delivering a successful Ignite presentation, below are the tips to consider.

How to Create and Deliver a Successful Ignite Presentation: Step by Step

It is evident that Ignite presentation is an essential tool to deliver your idea in a friendly and engaging manner that doesn’t bore your audience . Thus, you need to master and practice the skills on how to create an Ignite presentation.

1. Start Early and Do Research

To narrow down a specific topic to a short presentation can take a long time than you think. Therefore, you can try combining strategic and big image thinking. This way, your audience will capture everything in a short time.

Do research as much as possible to know how to visualize an Ignite presentation. Remember, an Ignite presentation only takes five minutes. So, it’s best if you do thorough research to avoid wasting your time while on the stage.

2. Don’t Shorten a Longer Presentation

A presenter can try to condense a full-length presentation into an Ignite speech during a presentation. The best thing to do if you plan to use the existing material is to cut them rather than condense them.

This helps the presenter focus on the main points relevant to the audience. In fact, the reason why many smart presenters deliver bad presentations is that they use a lot of points and irrelevant materials. So, it’s good to shorten long presentations by taking only relevant topics.

3. Have One Idea per Slide

Depending on the length of the presentation, it’s good to use one idea on every slide. The idea must be delivered along with bold visuals and two to three narration sentences.

4. Visualize Your Slides

Once again, visualizing slides, including an Ignite speech, is very important in any presentation. This is because the audience has only fifteen seconds to capture every point. Therefore, making it hard for them to read the words displayed on the screen and listen to what you are saying simultaneously.

For that reason, presenters are advised to follow the 6/6 rule . The rule states that you should have less than 6 lines per slide and less than six words per slide. So, try to use a few words on your slides or avoid using the words as well.

5. Be Flexible

To manage time, try to be flexible by adjusting your time, slowing down , and increasing the speed here and there during the Ignite speech topics.

Slow down when you are emphasizing and speed up where a presentation needs momentum. Of course, the pace you use should match your content.

6. Script Your Speech

Scripting your presentation helps you to avoid “winging it.” Speech scripting is the best and safe way to deliver a successful and friendly Ignite talk . You can carry notes if scripting is allowed.

7. Practice

Rehearsal is essential before any presentation. The best way to rehearse is by reading with notes.

Set your slides to automatically slide every fifteen seconds to see your timer and notes. Run it as many times as possible until you get the right timing. This will help you anticipate the time in which your slides will change.

Secondly, practice without notes by running your presentations to see how they will work. After that, stop the clock on the screen to get used to it because you can lack a visible timer when on the stage. Lastly, practice without the slides repeatedly.

8. Narrate a Story

Even if your presentation is not story-like, find a story relevant to your topic. A story makes the session exciting and easy to understand.

Most Ignite presentation that works well are funny with engaging stories.

9. Be Ready to Answer Questions

As a speaker, you must make a list of questions that you can expect from your audience. Remember that your audience might have questions about the presentation, so it’s good to be ready.

10. Carry On

Relax, and breathe while on the stage, and then carry on. Remember to keep moving forward and avoid dwelling on negatives, especially when a mistake happens. In addition, space yourself as you don’t need to talk for the entire fifteen seconds.

In fact, you can use one wordy slide without saying anything letting your audience read for themselves. This way, you will give the audience a good time for the points to sink in. Furthermore, the audience will feel more relaxed and less tense when watching you.

Finally, master all the Ignite presentation formats, and you will conquer anything while on the stage.

Main Types of Ignite Presentations

There are many types of Ignite presentations, including the following:

1. Persuasive Presentations

A persuasive presentation is an Ignite presentation where a speaker convinces the audience to do something. Persuasive presentations can be challenging because you must persuade the audience to accept your ideas and take the necessary actions.

However, as a speaker, you can use some skills like storytelling to convince your audience. An example of a persuasive Ignite presentation is where a speaker tells the audience to start a specific business .

2. Instructional Presentation

This is where you give specific orders or instructions to the audience. For instance, an HR manager can hold a board meeting to instruct employees on the rules and regulations.

3. Informative Presentations

Informative presentations give some information about a particular topic. For example, business presentations and seminars can be categorized as informative presentations.

Advantages of Ignite Presentation

There are countless advantages inherent in this presentation style. They include:

1. Emphasize Content Decision

The Ignite presentation helps a presenter to eliminate tough decisions about her speech execution.

Moreover, spending more time on speeches allows the presenter to pinpoint critical information. Besides, it helps in explaining the main ideas avoiding rambling aimlessly.

2. Respecting the Audience’s Time

Most speakers ignore the time limit. Therefore, presenters keep the presentation time by having a self-playing presentation style.

For example, if a teacher uses the typical presentation, the students may speak longer than the allocated time. But if the teacher uses an Ignite presentation, students will stick to the five minutes given.

However, the Ignite presentation format doesn’t guarantee that a presenter will precisely finish the presentation within five minutes.

3. Encourages Concision

Due to the short time given and with twenty slides, the speaker must know how to arrange the presentation.

For example, you can cut and reduce the ads in your presentation if they are long. This will make your presentation effective , and the audience will receive and capture only the vital information.

4. Improves Communication Skills

When preparing an Ignite presentation, you must think well about a good framework and persuasive strategy.

Therefore, this helps you improve your communication skills . You can learn how to present your information and ideas in a suitable format and coherent manner.

5. Form Social Connections

Finally, Ignite presentation makes the people come together to share different interests.

As a speaker, many people approach you after the presentation, where you can engage in a conversation. Moreover, people can interact freely after the presentation to share their ideas about the Ignite speech topics .

Disadvantages of Ignite Presentation

Despite having several benefits, an Ignite presentation has some drawbacks, which include:

1. Limited Time

The fixed timing in an Ignite presentation can be very challenging for a speaker.

For instance, if your Ignite presentation is long, it means that it cannot be delivered within five minutes . In this case, you can try to cut irrelevant information to shorten it.

2. Lack of Audience Interaction

Ignite presentation runs automatically, and the presenter lacks time to interact with the audience during the presentation.

However, the speaker can interact with the audience after the speech since the Ignite presentation is short.

3. Technical Issues

Despite being a good presentation format, sometimes it can be ineffective due to technical delays. This can hamper your presentation and make your audience bored while trying to fix the problems.

4. Lack of Purpose

Presentation technologies aren’t necessary sometimes.

For example, building a slide presentation without real substance can harm the presentation’s impact. Furthermore, listing keywords aimlessly on slides may confuse the audience instead of helping them. Eventually, the audience will wonder about the idea of your presentation.

Conclusion: Ignite Presentation Pros & Cons

To keep your Ignite presentation on track, each slide must have strong points and relevant supporting topics.

Remember that you should try to make your audience understand what you are presenting. Otherwise, your audience can get lost when you make your Ignite speech topics hard to follow.

In addition, you must follow the Ignite presentation format when preparing your Ignite presentation and while on stage.

For example, you should learn how to visualize your slides and how to script your Ignite speech . But that should not worry you because this guide has everything you need to know about Ignite presentation.

Follow all the instructions, and you will deliver nothing but an enjoyable, engaging, and friendly Ignite presentation that won’t be monotonous to your audience.

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What is an Ignite presentation, and why should you try it?

What if there was a template you could use to help you with all of these decisions? There is such a template, and it is growing in popularity. Read on to find out more about Ignite!

What is Ignite?

Promoted under the slogan, “Enlighten us, but make it quick,” Ignite is a presentation format where a presenter speaks while slides advance automatically to support them. An Ignite presentation is exactly 5 minutes, and contains exactly 20 slides. The slides advance automatically after each slide is displayed for 15 seconds.

With fixed timing and clear constraints, the Ignite style is suitable for many situations , including classroom presentations, Toastmasters meetings, and both corporate and conference events.

History of Ignite Presentations

Brady Forrest, technology specialist for O’Reilly Media, and Bre Pettis of MAKE magazine developed Ignite in 2006 as a way for the Seattle tech community to get together, socialize, and share their personal and professional passions. Ignite was born out of this desire to combine amazing, big ideas with networking. After the initial event in Seattle, Ignite has gone global in over 100 cities.

Examples of Ignite Presentations

Though Ignite began in the tech community, not all presentations must be tech-based. Three of my favorite Ignite presentations are shown below:

• Great Designers Steal, by Jeff Veen
• Jane the Concussion Slayer, by Jane McGonigal
• The Doodle Revolution, by Sunni Brown

Benefits of Ignite talks

“ A good Ignite presentation — like all good presentations — should leave an audience satisfied but still hungry for more. ”

There are several benefits inherent in the Ignite method which will aid you and your audience.

1. The Ignite style can prove much more fulfilling for an audience than the standard free-form presentation.

Garr Reynolds wrote, “One secret to a healthy life (and a great presentation).” In his article , Reynolds defined the concept hara hachi bu – to eat until you are 80% full. Reynolds believes we should apply this concept both to our meals and to our presentations. The Ignite presentation format is so short that it gives the audience just a taste; the presenter isn’t stuffing them full of information. A good Ignite presentation — like all good presentations — should leave an audience satisfied but still hungry for more.

2. The Ignite format emphasizes content decisions, not numbers of visuals or timing.

While the idea of speaking under such strict constraints may seem intimidating, the Ignite format helps a presenter eliminate some tough decisions about the execution of his or her speech. The speaker can instead spend time on making content-based choices. Spending much more time on speech content allows a speaker to pinpoint and explain the main idea as opposed to rambling aimlessly.

3. Preparation is mandatory.

Preparation is essential for any great presentation. Most of us, however, aren’t actually willing to put in the amount of preparation time it takes to resonate with our audiences. Even presenters who believe they can “wing it” are forced to prepare with the Ignite format . The extra practice and preparation leads to stronger speeches.

4. Ignite presentations respect audience time.

Many presenters ignore time limits. With a self-playing format that requires the extra element of practice and preparation, speakers are more likely to remain on track for time .

For example, I teach the Ignite format in my public speaking class. During non-Ignite presentations, students are likely to speak longer than the time allotted, but during Ignite presentations, students rarely go much longer than 5 minutes. The Ignite format does not guarantee that a speaker will finish at exactly 5:00; for example, the students who go over on time speak after the presentation has finished.

“ If done properly, an Ignite presentation will do just that: ignite an audience to support your idea, event, or cause. ”

5. The Ignite format encourages concision.

With only 20 slides, a presenter must make important decisions about introduction, body, and conclusion. There is an emphasis on cutting and reducing, and this is always a good thing when it comes to presentations. The age-old advice of Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch also applies to presentations: we must learn to “murder our darlings.” The act of cutting and reducing adds to the effectiveness of the speech. Why? Strong presenters know that refining a presentation allows the audience to receive, hear, and digest only the most important information.

There are drawbacks to the Ignite format:

• The fixed timing can be a drawback if your message cannot be communicated within 5 minutes. For example, the Ignite style probably wouldn’t work for a lecture on the composition of the human brain. If your topic is complex, an Ignite may serve as an introduction, but the format isn’t conducive for all of those intricate and dense details.
• If you need to use multimedia , Ignite won’t work for your presentation. Video doesn’t fit well into the format. Additionally, transitions and animations aren’t recommended because of the simplicity emphasized by the automatically-playing format. Remember, you don’t have a clicker, so you can’t control the slides while you present.
• Additionally, since the presentation runs automatically, the speaker doesn’t have time for extensive audience interaction   during the presentation. However, since the presentation is short, the time after the speech works well for Q&A or discussion.

Though there are drawbacks to this presentation format, the benefits are much stronger, and I encourage you to try out Ignite for yourself. If done properly, an Ignite presentation will do just that: ignite an audience to support your idea, event, or cause.

Next in this series…

In future articles, I’ll examine how to prepare and deliver an Ignite talk and how to organize an Ignite event.

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This format is nearly the same as the Pacha Kucha format, of 20 slides of 20 seconds each. Wikipedia states that pechakucha started in 2003, so the ignite format seems a sped-up version. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PechaKucha

Nichol, you are right. Pecha Kucha and Ignite are similar formats with similar goals (brevity, dynamic, up-tempo, visual, …)

I really like the idea of ignite presentations. Too often we get caught up in slides and wordiness.

There’s a chance I could be speaking at an event soon and I think this would be a terrific time to try this out.

In Phoenix Arizona, we have hosted 13 large events of 18 Ignite Presentations in theaters of 800+ people. Having hosted over 200 presenters in the past few years – including a 10yr old presenter – I believe that anyone can deliver a clear passionate message in Ignite style.

http://www.youtube.com/user/IgnitePhoenix

Thanks Alex. Nice examples in the videos you chose, too.

I did an Ignite talk back in March here in Sydney, and it was a great learning experience. The talks that went down best on the night were the quirky or funny ones – which mine wasn’t!

That was perhaps the biggest takeaway for me: Once again, it comes down to knowing your audience. Ironically, I’d had some humour in my talk to begin with, but took it out because it felt a bit forced. That’s probably for the best.

I also took out the brief audience interactions I’d planned, because of the risk they wouldn’t work or would make me stumble. So the end result was a drier talk than I’d hoed for.

After reading Alex’s post, if you’re thinking of doing an Ignite talk, I’d highly recommend it. My advice is to pick a quirky, witty or impassioned topic. I also found this tip really helpful as a way to reduce nerves – whether you’re male or female: http://remotepossibilities.wordpress.com/2012/01/12/boost-testosterone-present-better/

Alex, I’m looking forward to your later posts in this series. It’s a great topic!

I loved this article on Ignite. I just did my first Ignite presentation at the American Evaluation Association (AEA) conference last month and loved the format. Learning to be concise and prioritize content are key.

Alex, this is brilliant – thanks for sharing. It’s good to let Ignite presenters know up-front they need to spend some serious time preparing, and your method is very sensible. There aren’t no good reasons for doing it in a “normal” presentation, but it’s a major part of the fun of Ignite. The main idea, in my opinion, is to make presentations enjoyable again, as an antidote to all the boring, death-by-powerpoint sessions we’re used to. Making the slides auto-advance adds an extra challenge and an element of danger to the presentations – once they start, there’s no going back.

Recent Tweets

What is an Ignite presentation, and why should you try it? (via @Pocket) cc @CVCollectiveMag @mastermynde @WeAreYQQ https://t.co/klvoNwd8uc — @hanspetermeyer Dec 4th, 2015

Love this… What is an Ignite presentation, and why should you try it? https://t.co/ZPyCV6hDGG by @6minutes — @DW8674 Dec 12th, 2015

I’d like to try this format. #aisl16la conference debrief: https://t.co/zxDG3DmOdv — @DaveWee1 Apr 15th, 2016

Should we try Ignite/Pecha Kucha for the PI Planning Briefing? (inspired by comments in PI Planning Briefing Retro) https://t.co/oZLtQYo3qO — @yuvalyeret May 17th, 2016

Why should you give an #ignitetalk? @alexrister1 names five benefits: https://t.co/Ja0bSC1krV #publicspeaking https://t.co/xIf9xO78EC — @ignitetalks Jun 8th, 2016

Great way to learn. https://t.co/KDkMbcRbGC — @SPGallagher Sep 4th, 2016

What is an Ignite presentation, and why should you try it? https://t.co/OGpb8twHQQ by @6minutes — @teacherka Dec 19th, 2016

What is an Ignite presentation, and why should you try it? Check out this blog post from Andrew Dlugan @6minutes https://t.co/9v5kmyyozu — @IgniteUXmi Feb 9th, 2017

What is an Ignite presentation, and why should you try it? https://t.co/NXW7aAVkeH — @reyaz4you Feb 10th, 2017

@cpaterso: Similar to @traintheteacher’s suggestion for Pecha Kucha: Ignite Presentation – you can adjust timings https://t.co/JalctBOU4O — @moTik Mar 24th, 2017

2 Blog Links

What is an Ignite presentation, and why should you try it? « Creating Communication — Nov 1st, 2012

Presentation Tips from Kevin Daum | Creating Communication — Jul 11th, 2013

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How to Deliver a Successful Ignite Talk in 10 Steps

by Rob Biesenbach | Presentation/Speech Tips

So you’ve accepted the challenge and agreed to do an Ignite talk . And now the terror sets in: what have I gotten myself into?  Relax. I did my first one this spring and it was a fun, though time-consuming, challenge. Here are my top 10 tips on how to deliver a successful Ignite talk.

What Is an Ignite Talk?

Just to review, an Ignite talk is where you have five minutes to deliver a presentation, and you must do it with exactly 20 slides. Here’s the tricky part: the slides advance automatically every 15 seconds.

If that sounds a little nerve-wracking, you’re right, it can be. But if you properly prepare, it can also be a great experience. One that I think will make you a better presenter in any format.

Here’s an Example

I encountered a  few technical difficulties with my Ignite talk, but I have recreated it by narrating the slides in this video , which serves to illustrate many of the tips that follow.

1. Read and Watch Everything You Can

It’s really hard to envision an Ignite presentation, so it pays to do your research. Here are some of the sources I was referred to when I prepared mine: a sampling of Ignite talk videos ; 8 Tips for Your Ignite Presentation ; and, if you’re in pinch, The Fastest Way to Create an Ignite Presentation .

Those are just a few — there’s tons more out there if you look.

2. Don’t Just Shorten a Full-length Speech

You’ll be tempted to simply condense a longer presentation you already have into an Ignite talk. But that’s going to be very, very difficult to do well. If you have to use existing material, you can’t just condense — you have to cut. Mercilessly. Cut whole sections. You’re just not going to have time to make that many points.

I based my Ignite talk on my 11 Deadly Presentation Sins speech. But instead of trying to get it all in, I focused on one main point that was relevant to my audience of PR people: why do so many smart communicators deliver such bad presentations? I definitely used a few points from my standard presentation, but I also created a lot of new material. (Some of which has made a great addition to the longer presentation. Win!)

3. Have Just One Idea Per Slide

This, by the way, is great advice for a presentation of any length, but it’s especially important for an Ignite talk. One idea per slide! That idea should be conveyed with a bold visual (see the next tip) and just two or three sentences of narration.

4. Make Your Slides Visual

Once again, this is important for any kind of presentation, but it’s critical for your Ignite speech. The audience only has 15 seconds to absorb each point, and it’s impossible for them to both listen to the words you’re saying and read a bunch of words on the screen.

You’ll notice I have very few words on my slides. Some have none it all. That’s the way to do it.

You may have heard the stupid 6/6 rule somewhere — that you should have no more than 6 lines per slide, with no more than 6 words on each. Well that’s 36 words, which is about 30-to-35 too many. Here’s what that slide will look like:

5. Slow. Yourself. Down

You can tell when someone has just condensed a long presentation into an Ignite speech. They’re talking like their hair is on fire, trying to cram way too much information into a sliver of time. A good public speaking pace is about 125 words per minute, so 15 seconds amounts to about 30 words per slide.

I actually counted the words in my slide notes and found that each slide averaged around 33 words.

If you find you have to rush through your slides, you need to cut more ideas from your presentation. It’s not a speed-talking contest.

6. Allow Yourself a Little Space

You do not have to fill the entire 15 seconds with talking. In fact, one clever trick is to throw in one wordy slide and say nothing, letting the audience read it themselves. I prepare about 12-to-14 seconds of narration for each slide. That way I can either include some pauses to let the points sink in, or I can throw in a quick ad-lib in the moment.

By speaking at a normal pace, not only will it make you feel more relaxed, your audience will feel less tense watching you. Believe me, nobody’s going to fault you for not talking enough!

7. Be Flexible

On the other hand, if I can see the clock, I will adjust my cadence to fit the time, slowing down and speeding up here and there. As with any speech, it’s good to vary your speed, slowing down for emphasis (see 1:39 and 1:54 on the video) and speeding up where a story needs momentum, for instance.

Though the pace should match the content, of course. You shouldn’t have to go slow to correct a miscalculation in your timing. Slow down only where you’re making a very important point.

Now here’s a pro-tip if you’re really feeling at ease: you can actually throw in extra words if you see you’re ahead of your planned pace. In my sixth slide (Your Brain on PowerPoint, at the 1:15 mark), I added the words capitalized here: “by putting an end ONCE AND FOR ALL to death by PowerPoint.”

I do this a lot because I’m always fiddling around with emphasis and exact wording, but if you’re easily flustered, you may want to just stick to the script. Which brings us to our next point.

8. Script it Out

You do plan on scripting your speech, don’t you? You’re not just going to “wing it?” Because I assure you, nobody wants to see you wing it. Nobody. (See 3:45 on the video.)

The only way to deliver an Ignite talk successfully is to script it out. Now you don’t have to do it absolutely verbatim (see next tip), but that is definitely the safe way to go.

If you have to, and it’s allowed, you can bring notes to the stage to help you, but that’s not going to be nearly as effective as internalizing it.

9. Practice, Practice, Practice

Even more than with a traditional presentation, rehearsal is essential .

I don’t know how many times I practiced my Ignite speech, but I’m certain it was well over 100. I started working on the presentation about two months in advance and rehearsed in four phases:

• Read with Notes . Start by setting your slides to advance automatically every 15 seconds. Set the slideshow so you can see both your notes and a timer so you can anticipate when the slide will change. Run it over and over in this mode until you get the timing down. You’ll find you’ll have to cut or add words to fill the space on each slide.
• Practice Without Notes . Next, start running the presentation without the notes and see how you do. One of the benefits here is, the more you do it, the more you’ll find new and improved ways to express each idea.
• Go Off the Clock . Now turn off the timer on the screen. It’s a good idea to get used to this because you may not have the luxury of a visible timer when you’re on stage.
• Practice Without Slides . Here’s where you start practicing in your head, over and over and over again. Practice in the shower, practice at the gym, practice on your commute — out loud where you can, in your head when necessary.

By now you should have the content internalized. If you’re this prepared, where you don’t even need to see your slides to cue your thoughts, then you’re ready for anything. Which you should be. Because anything can happen.

10. Keep Calm & Carry On

Like I said, my Ignite talk had multiple technical snafus, but I managed to get through it . A big part of that was preparation.

For instance, I was told we’d be able to see our slides as we spoke. Turns out we couldn’t it — there was just a screen behind us. Luckily, I’d practiced without my slides.

If you find yourself in this situation, you may able to see the change in light from the projector to signal that a slide has advanced. You can also position yourself at a bit of an angle so you can use your peripheral vision (see photo). And if you have to steal a glance at the screen, it won’t look as bad as completely turning around and putting your back to the audience.

And when mistakes happen, as they inevitably will, relax, breathe deeply and just carry on. Keep moving forward without dwelling on the negative and you will be rewarded for showing grace under pressure.

Master the Ignite Format and You Can Conquer Anything

Practically every one of these tips can be applied to standard presentations — limiting yourself to one idea per slide, making your slides less wordy and truly visual, slowing down (most presenters speak too fast), varying your pace and rehearsing the hell out of it.

That’s why doing an Ignite speech is not just a fun and exciting experience — it’s actually about making you a stronger presenter in any format. So if you have the chance to do an Ignite talk, I highly recommend it.

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Laura M. Foley Design

Cheat Death by PowerPoint!

Mastering the Ignite Presentation Format

Enlighten us, but make it quick! This is the motto of the Ignite presentation, a fast-paced talk that uses 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds for a total speech time of 5 minutes. In this full-day course, you’ll learn the best ways to narrow down your ideas, time your speech, and design slides that help you sell your speech.

Highlights of the workshop, introduction to the ignite format.

Learn what an Ignite is, see some great examples of winning Ignites, and get an overview of the Ignite presentation process.

Choosing Topics and SMART Goals

With so many possibilities, how can you choose just one topic to present about? You’ll learn how to narrow your focus in order to decide on your Ignite topic and to set SMART Goals that ensure you are able to create a complete 5-minute Ignite experience.

Presentation Structure

There are many ways to structure your presentation. You’ll learn about which one is the most effective for your topic and how to guide the audience down the path of understanding that you create.

Outlines, Scripts, and Timing

Organizing your thoughts, scriptwriting, and getting the timing exactly right are crucial for Ignite success. You’ll see how by laying the foundation, you can create a great presentation.

Slide Design and Ignite Performance

Did you know that slide design is among the very last thing you do when creating an Ignite presentation? You’ll learn how to design slides that complement your presentation, not distract from it. You’ll also learn how to seek out constructive feedback that you can use to make your Ignite even better.

“Thank you for bringing your energy, insight, and experience to our group!” Nicole, employee at major athletic wear manufacturer

“Very informative and helpful! The world needs more fun Ignites.” Sily, employee at major athletic wear manufacturer

This training session is suitable for groups of 10–15. It can be delivered as one 7-hour day or across two 3.5-hour days.

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Sonja Stetzler

Effective Connecting

September 28, 2016 By Sonja Stetzler

6 Tips for Creating a Powerful Ignite Presentation

How to create an impactful ignite talk.

I was recently chosen to present at an Ignite conference. For those who are not familiar with Ignite, it is a fast-paced public speaking event where you speak for 5 minutes with a slide deck where the slides advance automatically every 15 seconds. This type of presentation can greatly impact an audience with your message – if done well.

Here are 6 lessons I learned as I put together my presentation:

1. Be concise. It is best to choose a single message that you want your audience to remember rather than try to talk on several points. Choosing one message was tough, as I had a lot I wanted to share with my audience. Researching my audience helped narrow my message to one core message that I could build my 5-minute presentation around.

2. Tell a Story. This style of presentation lends itself to storytelling. A story emotionally engages an audience, and I found a story from my experience that fit with my message. Five minutes is not a lot of time, so choosing the right story is key to success with this format.

3. Precision counts. In the planning stages of this presentation, I knew my wording needed to be precise. Using the statistic that people speak on average 150 words per minute, I determined that I should deliver about 37 words per slide. I typically don’t script my presentations to this extent, and I found that in this case, precise scripting was necessary so that my words and slides were coordinated.

5. Practice . This is a must! My presentation is still a couple of weeks away, however, with my script complete, it’s time to ensure my words are in sync with my slides. Practicing helps with pacing my delivery and knowing where to pause. Practicing each day ensures a confident delivery on presentation day.

6. Repurpose your talk. Not one to waste time, energy, or resources, I’ve got plans for this piece of content I’ve generated. My slide deck (with some minor tweaking) will be posted on Slideshare, and I will share my video of this talk after I have delivered it.

Preparing and delivering a presentation in this format, I learned a new skillset. In our attention-deficit world, I think the ability to deliver a short, yet impactful presentation will lend itself to many more speaking opportunities and yield a greater influence on those in my audience.

Interested in coaching on how to prepare and deliver an Ignite talk? Let’s connect here.  

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10 Tips to Give an Ignite Presentation

You have to give a presentation. You have 5 minutes to get your point across. Ignite is the place to learn how to do just that.

In my last blog post , I discussed the phenomenon of Ignite presentations . Ignite is a series of speedy presentations, where each speaker shares their personal and professional passions, using 20 slides that auto-advance every 15 seconds for a total of just five minutes.

With up to 20 speakers sharing the stage on the same night, Ignite presentations challenge the speaker to get their point across concisely, persuasively – and most importantly, memorably.  Add to that the expectation of clear and entertaining slides, a lot is riding on these 5 minutes.

• PREPARATION – A great benefit of Ignite presentations is that it is virtually impossible to ‘wing it.’  Each speaker must work hard to ensure that their presentation is of a relevant, interesting topic, given that they’re sharing the stage with so many other unique and intelligent individuals. Whether you’re competitive or not, no one wants to be the one to fade into the background. Add to that the fact that this engaging presentation and corresponding slides has to fit into the allotted 5 minutes, and there’s some serious preparation that needs to be done here.
• PRACTICE . There can simply be no Ignite presentation without extensive practice. How else can you ensure that your presentation falls within the 5-minute limit?
• DON’T FORGET SPEECH STRUCTURE – Whether you’re talking for 5 minutes or 2 hours, a presentation must always have an introduction (an engaging opening, followed by a description of what are you going to talk about), body (talk about it), and conclusion (recap main points, call-to-action where relevant).
• ENTERTAIN YOUR AUDIENCE . Tell stories. Use humour – either in your speech content or your slides. Describe your ideas things in a way that your audience can easily understand.
• DON’T SWEAR . Really. A good speaker can get their point across without the “shock value” of swearing.
• KEEP YOUR HANDS OUT OF YOUR POCKETS . In most Ignite presentations I’ve seen so far, the speaker is given a microphone to hold in one hand, leaving their other hand free…which many speakers then plant in their pocket for the full 5 minutes of the speech. Look, it’s not a terrible thing to put your hand in your pocket – but hiding it away for the duration of the speech should be avoided.
• FACE THE AUDIENCE – NOT YOUR SLIDES .   Some of the Ignite speakers at the event I attended planted themselves sideways on the stage and kept their eyes on the slides at all times. Whether you’re speaking for 5 minutes or for 2 hours, it’s NEVER good practice to turn away from your audience to look at your slides. YOU are the source of your presentation – not the slides. Even if they’re really cool.
• DON’T HOLD YOUR NOTES . The beauty of slides is that they should be enough to remind you of what you’re supposed to say in your presentation. It’s only 5 minutes – and if you’ve practiced enough, you shouldn’t need them. Holding notes can be distracting to the audience – and besides, the majority of Ignite speakers don’t use them. So this is one way that you shouldn’t be different from the rest.
• GIVE A SPEECH THAT HAS A POINT – NOT ‘SHORT BITS’ THAT REVOLVE AROUND THE SLIDES.   Most Ignite speakers focused on their presentations and created slides that backed up their points. Some, however, succumbed to the temptation of finding cool or funny slides, and then building their point around the slide. Remember that you’ve got 5 minutes to make a point, and your slides are used as backup – not as the presentation.
• NO MORE THAN 6 WORDS PER SLIDE. If you’ve got any more than that, and your slide goes from ‘backing up your point’ to ‘reading material.’ Your audience will turn their attention away from you, and spend part of the valuable 15 seconds reading your slide.

Check out this excellent example – “How To Buy A New Car” by Rob Gruhl.  He exemplifies points #1-9 beautifully. In his final slide, however, he disregards point #10. While I do like that he recaps his main points, I think he could have found a great image to recap rather than using so much text on the slide. Overall, however, this is truly a speech that stands out, for all the right reasons.

Jamie Oliver uses notes! 😉

http://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver.html

I didn’t say that you should NEVER use notes. You shouldn’t use notes in a 5-minute Ignite Presentation…when you have 20 slides backing you up and only 5 minutes to talk. At that point, you should really know your content.

And that’s the 2nd time someone has mentioned Jamie Oliver’s TED speech to me…I sense a speech video analysis coming on!

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Using the ignite presentation format to jump start a class.

Ignite is a presentation format that forces the speaker to get to the point fast. Slides are advancing quickly and automatically which forces speakers to be far more concise and thoughtful than they would be in any other format. Speakers think more in terms of messaging than explanation. Since several speakers follow each other many interesting ideas are shared with the audience very quickly.

The goal for this teaching strategy is two-fold:

• I was looking for a teaching strategy allowing students to practice concise messaging without consuming a lot of time. Students are good at listing and describing but they struggle drawing concise conclusion or extracting a nuanced message from data and facts.
• I’m always looking for unexpected ways to start a class and stimulate thinking and discussion.

I started using the strategy this semester for the first time. Overall, I saw an improvement in designing concise messages. This could be due to the presentation format but also because students learn from each other. Short Ignite presentations at the beginning of the class proved to be a good discussion starter. Students like the fast pace and realize quickly that this type of presentation needs quite a bit of thought and preparation. In coming semesters, I plan on playing with instruction, numbers of slides and slide length to maximize the learning outcome.

Originally: Each speaker is allotted 5 minutes and 20 slides. Each slide has one idea. Slides advance automatically every 15 seconds. Speakers follow each other.

• Students design 3 slides, 15 seconds each (white background, no design templates, emailed before class so I can assemble the PowerPoint).

• Between presentation slides I insert a name slide (3 seconds). This allows the currently presenting student to finish and the next student to get ready. Students just stand up and speak after they see their name.

Recommended Resources

• Presentation video link
• http://www.ignitetalks.io/

Contact Information

Sabine Zempleni, [email protected], Assistant Professor of Practice, Nutrition and Health Sciences

Return to Poster Presentations

Great idea!

This is really great and I think it would also work really well for Zoom class. Just FYI, there is a way to time and auto advance in Google slides: https://business.tutsplus.com/tutorials/how-to-time-slides-on-google-sli...

IGNITE student presentations

1. This is great! I would love to try this out with my classes. It incorporates peer-to-peer learning so I would count that as pulling triple duty! 2. Do you assign the same questions/topic to everyone in class, or do you divide up a topic so that each student contributes a portion and you put it together in logical order? 3. Do students know ahead of time in what order they'll be presenting? 4. Do you encourage students to provide feedback to others on content/style? 5. I assume the task is for credit? Any tips on grading?

More Details

• Student Engagement

Ignite Presentation

Communicate and persuade with a lightning talk.

Developing a a strong sense of pacing is an important skill for presenters. Ignite presentations help you improve your timing by requiring you to accompany an automatically advancing slide show: 15-20 slides over 5 minutes. Ignite talks are typically part of an event where there are several talks in a row, the goal of which is for participants to learn to present their ideas and stories in ways that use Powerpoint creatively, rather than as a crutch. In this project, you will develop a powerful, persuasive powerpoint presentation of 15-20 slides which you will present live for others.

• Presentation

Learning Goals

After you finish this activity you will be able to:

• Create an image-based PowerPoint presentation
• Concisely and persuasively summarize a topic within a fixed time frame
• Use images appropriately (and legally) to illustrate a point
• Master best practices in oral presentation
• Assignment Rubric

Instructions

Follow these steps to complete the project.

To track your progress, click each step as you finish.

Get inspired

An excellent first step in creating any media work is to examine exemplary works of the same type. Make a list for yourself of what makes these examples strong and inspiring.

Don't skip this step!

Tame your tools

By growing your skills in the tools used in any project, you save yourself time and produce stronger work.

Create a folder to store project resources

When beginning a new media project, it's best to organize your resources in a single location.

Alternate File Storage You may also organize your documents in cloud storage, such as Box or Google Drive .

Research a topic and gather images

The research phase will help you clearly identify and focus your ignite presentation around a single topic.

Google Search

Example | climate change

Google Image Search  Image Repositories There are many other image repositories online offering free strock images, including Pixabay , Unsplash , and Pexels . ">

Example | climate change effects

There are many other image repositories online offering free strock images, including Pixabay , Unsplash , Pexels , Vecteezy , and more.

Write your Ignite presentation script

Writing a script will help you avoid ad-libbing and running over time. If you have not already, read the Ignite Presentation Quality Checklist .

Create a Powerpoint presentation

In this step, you'll launch Microsoft Powerpoint, create a blank presentation, and set the slides to auto-advance every 15 seconds.

Add images and text to your presentation

In this step, you'll add your chosen images (and any text) to your Ignite Powerpoint presentation.

Rehearse your presentation

In this final step, you'll practice your presentation 3 to 5 times before presenting it to an audience. Your aim is to be able to give the presentation without notes.

Congratulations!

You've grown your multimedia literacy while creating cool things! Well done, you!

You might consider nominating work you are proud of to the Remix Project Showcase !

Walkthrough

Watch a walkthrough for this project.

Get Inspired

Explore examples of similar projects.

• Why and How to Give an Ignite Talk Ignite
• Best Ignite Speeches Ignite
• Flash Mob Gone Wrong Tom Scott

Tame Your Tools

Master the skills used in this project.

LinkedIn Learning

LinkedIn Learning is a paid service. However, as faculty, student, or staff at Notre Dame you are eligible for free access. For more information, see our FAQ on LinkedIn Learning

• How to Give a Great Ignite Talk Scott Berkun
• Ignite Presentation Quality Checklist Chris Clark
• Create an Awesome Ignite in six Steps Laura Foley
• Formatting Powerpoint/Google Slides for an Ignite Will Fassbender

Notre Dame has many helpful resources, including our Media Corps coaching staff , located in the Hesburgh Library.

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How to Prepare to Give an Ignite Talk (or other timed presentation)

In 14 days, I will stand in front of 2000 people and give a five minute talk. In this Ignite Talk, I have 20 slides that will auto-advance every 15 seconds. My slides were due two weeks ago which means I am locked in to that slidedeck–no changes in order, images, phrases, nothing.

But I have a plan. And I’m here to share it with you.

I’ve given 8 timed presentations called a variety of things–Ignite, PechaKucha, CUE Boom, ADE Showcases. Despite the names, they all have one terrifying thing in common: there is no tangent, there is no redo, there is no flexibility beyond the given time. If that talk is 5:00, your mic is cut at 5:01. If you slow down or blank out, your slides keep going without you. I’d imagine this is the closest educators get to BASE jumping; if something goes wrong, it’s very bad and many people will not be able to look away. And much like extreme sports, I’m addicted to these (albeit less) high stakes presentations. And here is how I prepare for it.

The Ignite Proposal

If you’re presenting with me at #iste19 , skip ahead. Your session is already accepted. Cool. If not, keep reading. First off, here’s my proposal that was accepted for the ISTE 19 Ignite, Invisible Habits: How Might We Change the “Rules”of School? . My thinking behind this presentation is that the selection committee is terrified of crappy PowerPoint, and wants to know you won’t create slides that are bullet points or paragraphs. They do NOT want you reading your slides as the audience suffers Death by PowerPoint. I think they are looking for a simple, powerful, transformative idea from a presenter that can deliver clean, beautiful slides. And hopefully that’s what you see with my proposal.

Presentation Accepted! Now What?

Yippee! Your presentation was accepted. Most of these timed presentations only give you a couple weeks to submit final slides. But that can be a good thing. My trick: write down as many ideas as possible on post-it notes and cover a whiteboard. Remember: one idea per post-it note. Generate as many ideas as possible; don’t worry if they start to feel similar to each other. That’s a good thing.

Next, create a 4×5 grid for the five minutes (or whatever protocol is set) for your presentation. Start to move around the post-it notes to try and create some simple narrative. Every good story, and every good presentation, has a beginning, middle, and end. Try to find yours. Ideas that super don’t fit go to the side of the whiteboard; ideas that work go inside the grid.

At this point, do NOT open any presentation software. It will get you off track. At this point, it’s about ideas and story, not design. Try to read through all 20-ish post-its to see if you can tell a vaguely cohesive story. I try to take it even further and take photos of all 20 post-its, add them to a folder on my phone’s Photos app, and try to swipe through them all in five minutes. Once you’re good on the flow, open some software and start designing. With quick presentations, words are your enemy. Pick memorable images that fit your story. Then submit the slides. My slides for my ISTE19 Ignite look like this, btw:

One pro tip: submit images, not slides. If you have text on your slides (and you will), export each slide as a jpg. Then, create a blank presentation, upload/add all 20 images onto 20 blank slides, and save/submit that slidedeck. One time, my slides were a disaster because the presentation computer didn’t have the font I chose. I had to manually recreate all of them minutes before going on. Not fun. Also not recommended.

Slides Submitted! Time to Rehearse the Ignite!

Here is my favorite trick, and one that I’m sharing with you now… make a movie out of your slides. In fact, I even made a template in Final Cut Pro for you:

Download this Final Cut Pro template . It has a timer in the corner, auto-advancing slides every 15 seconds, two seconds of pre-roll, and even text above slides for notes (as you begin to learn it).

Feel free to tweak and share this template (but please give me credit if you reshare). I created this in Final Cut Pro, so you’ll need Final Cut Pro to use it. Make it your own, save it as a 5:02 movie, and AirDrop it to your phone. Now you can practice it and the slides (aka images) will switch every 15 seconds, just like they will in your legit presentation in front of 2000 of your closest friends.

Last Steps Before the Big Presentation

My personal preference is to have my talk mostly memorized. If it’s 100% memorized, I feel it sounds inauthentic, like reading a script. If it’s too loose, the timing is off and slides won’t quite match your words. The magic–the Goldilocks window–is to get the timing just right, but have the words be just a little different each time. I’m a super bad actor, so I just can’t recite a memorized script with enough emotion. Other might, I can’t. So for me, this Goldilocks memorizing is the dream, the goal.

The Big Presentation!

It’s the day of your Ignite/Pechakucha/Boom/Showcase! If it’s later in the conference, ignore it. Completely ignore it until the day of. If you obsess over this presentation, it will ruin your conference. But, the day of… that’s critical. Find a hour-ish beforehand to run your slides (on that awesome movie you made two weeks ago) over and over. In an hour, you can knock out 20 run-throughs. That’s plenty. Find a quiet place, even it that means sneaking into a room in the conference center you’re not supposed to be in. Then, chill. Drink water and stuff. Eat lunch, especially if you get hangry like me.

Get a couple friends to record your presentation. The conference will likely be livestreaming it to your 20,000 closest friends, but you’ll want the footage right away. Bonus points if you get 3 friends to record from 3 angles–a multicam edit like my ISTE 17 Ignite is in your future. And then, take a big breath. This was likely the most challenging presentation you’ve ever given.

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Scott Berkun

How to give a great ignite talk.

Ignite  is a presentation format that’s simpler than  Pecha Kucha  but longer than lightning talks . In Ignite each speakers gets 5 minutes, and must use 20 slides with each slide advancing automatically after 15 seconds, forcing speakers to get the point, fast.  Having slides that automate seems mad, and in a way it is, but the surprise is that for most speakers it forces them to be far more concise and thoughtful than they would in any other format. 

Even without the automation, my advice holds well for any kind of short talk. Why should anyone get the stage for 20 or 50 minutes if they can’t keep people’s attention for just 300 seconds? In many ways it takes more craft to make a short talk work well than a long one. 

Often Ignite events have a dozen or more speakers, creating a fun evening with a wide range of advice, stories and entertainments.

I’ve spoken at many Ignite events and here’s what I’ve learned:

• Pick strong stories   and big themes . What do you love? What do you hate? What is the best advice anyone ever gave you? Pick stories with big themes, since they require less introduction. What are the 4 most important things to know about X that no one talks about? The stronger the topic & title the easier the material is to create. Consider what one thing you want people to have learned when you’re done and make sure to drive that home at the end.
• Outline 4 or 5 main points.  You need a simple structure to make your message clear, and make sure people can follow along. Don’t assume you can just ramble your way through: the short format means you need to be more careful about how you use your time, not less. Ask yourself: what are the major lessons or points you want people to remember when you finish? That’s the structure of your presentation.
• Figure out your points before you make slides . Talking about something for five minutes is easy – really, give it a shot once or twice before you make a single slide (practice with a  timer ) it will help you sort out what you want to say. You’ll quickly discover how unlikely it is to run out of things to say during an ignite talk. Once you know the 4 major points you want to make, only then work on finding images and slides to support what you’re going to say.
• 300 seconds is easy to practice.  You can practice 10 times in an hour. Do it (The average Ignite speaker practices 5 times ). 300 seconds equals 10 television commercials – you can make great points in a short time if you refine your thoughts.  The entire sermon on the mount can be read in about 5 minutes and The Gettysburg address takes about 2 and a half minutes.
• It is good to breathe and have pauses . There is no law that says you must fill every second with talking. When you practice, practice breathing. Give your audience a moment to digest the last thing you said. Take a moment between points. Like whitespace in visual design it’s the pauses that make what you do say stand out clearly. Give yourself a slide or two that’s for just for catching up and taking a breath.
• Don’t get hung up on slides . What you say matters most. Good slides support what you’re saying, not the other way around. The last thing you want is to end up chasing your slides, a common problem at Ignite as you’ll never catch up. Pick simple images and if you must use text, be sparse (and use large 50+pt fonts). No bullet lists, just one or two points. Make the slides flexible enough that if you fall behind it’s easy to skip something to catch up.
• Make your talk fault tolerant . Unlike normal presentations, if something goes wrong there’s no going back. You should build your talk into 4 or 5 pieces, where each piece could stand alone. Then if you fall behind, or something goes wrong, when the first slide for the next part comes up, you can easily recover.
• Commutapult
• Great Designers Steal
• How to solve a song
• Secret world of Lego
• You can hack the format . The idea of a ‘slide’ is vestigial – they’re not slides anymore. Put the same slide twice if you want to have more time to make a point.  Or don’t use slides at all if you don’t want them. I’ve hacked the format a few times, including using a special time counter deck to give me more flexibility (see photo above). You can see this in action in my ignite talk on Attention and Sex or grab the deck here if you want to use or hack it further.
• Plan to lose your first and last slide . Time will get eaten by getting on and off stage, the audience laughing and by any ad-libs you do. When you practice allow for some extra seconds, especially in the second half of your talk, when you might need to catch up. Plan and practice for about 4:30 instead of the full 5:00.
• Keep your fonts large . Assume people don’t see well. Even if they did, people will be trying to listen to you. The more you try to cram text on the screen at the same time, the less likely any of it will be understood. Same goes for complex diagrams – there just isn’t time. Simple images or photographs work best. And again, you are not required to use slide at all.
• You can find royalty free images to use . Search Google’s Creative Commons ,   flickr using the advanced options to show you creative commons images. Or try freeimages.com  or istockphoto . Please attribute any photos you use with either the URL in small font on the bottom, or a last slide that simply lists all the URLs for photos that you used.

The rest of my advice is in the form of an ignite talk (from Ignite Seattle #6) :

Photo credits for photos used in the above talk (they’re on the last slide but hard to see):

• Campfire , Love , Heart / Love , Sneak Attack , This day , Death , G. Reaper , Speed limit
• Jason Grigsby’s advice on how to speak at ignite
• Cory Forsyths advice from Ignite NYC
• Learning from Pecha Kucha night

If you’ve spoken at Ignite and have more advice leave a comment.  I’d love to hear your thoughts on how preparing helped… or didn’t :)

71 Responses to “How To Give a Great Ignite Talk”

Compfight is a simple way of searching for Creative Commons images on flickr.

http://www.compfight.com/

Thanks Chris. Big list of other sources here:

http://randomknowledge.wordpress.com/2008/05/09/how-to-find-images-on-the-internet/

I did an Ignite last week and blogged about my lessons (and slides) at http://adam.goucher.ca/?p=985 .

Also see this excellent guide to pecha kucha, a similar format:

http://avoision.com/pechakucha/

Maybe the other Ignites are better forums (fora?) but the Boston ones have been so crowded, loud, and hard to hear at – I’ve never been very interested in talking there and rarely in trying to hear anyone, either. I always end up at the back chatting over a beer, making it even more obnoxious for everyone trying to talk. I was surprised to see no tips on how to deal with a distracted audience that’s drinking and socializing, kind of like at a comedy club…

Lynn: actually when I spoke at the first Ignite in Boston, the one in Cambridge, it was an awful venue for speaking. I forget which bar it was, but it most of the people there were not listening, and they were also quite hostile by the time I got on stage as the opening speaker.

But all the other ignite events I’ve seen or been to were much more favorable. I haven’t heard many folks complain – anyone else find ignite events hostile?

I think it’s on the shoulders of the organizers to make the environment reasonable for speakers. At some point, say speaking in the middle of subway train station, there’s not much a speaker can do.

I’ll post something soon about speaking in unpleasant environments.

After speaking at both Pecha Kucha and Ignite events – and loving the swiftness, excitement and audience involvement possibilities in both – the biggest factors between a good and great events seem to be the quality of speakers (no surprise here), a strong overarching theme, the venue that enables people to hear, see and feel comfortable in the audience – and the seamless support of tech needs.

Like Scott, I make my living giving speeches and consulting, ironically on communicating to collaborate.

As a long-time advocate of storyboarding conferences and meetings and varying the formats in which people “speak” at them (ignite, in conversation with…., meet the pros, speed coaching, fast panels, etc.) I just wish more meeting planners would mix it up more. Scott – bet you’ll stir things up Here I’ve written more. http://www.movingfrommetowe.com/2008/01/17/fast-way-to-learn-from-each-other/

http://www.movingfrommetowe.com/2008/08/17/you’ve-got-five-loooong-minutes-to-grab-their-attention/

Another good pile of advice:

http://blogs.msdn.com/betsya/archive/2009/08/24/giving-an-ignite-presentation-what-i-learned-at-gnomedex-2009.aspx

Scott, I’m helping organize an internal Ignite-styled event and would like to share your video with prospective speakers. Unfortunately, YouTube is blocked by IT here. Can I share internally, or is there another source (perhaps it won’t be blocked here)?

Thanks for the great tips, Scott. I just gave my first Ignite talk last week. ( http://www.ignitesydney.com/speakers/ )

The thing that seemed to get me over my (big) nerves was defining beforehand the ONE point (roughly a sentence) I wanted to say during each slide. I had other things I wanted to say, but I realised it didn’t matter whether I said those secondaries or not. That helped me relax and let go, and it made my spiel SO much easier to remember!

As an introvert, it also seemed to help to do “power poses” shortly beforehand. (See Amy Cuddy’s great PopTech talk at

I think I’ll write a blog post about how I rehearsed, because I had a fairly involved setup!

On your last point – about finding images – I highly recommend the 1000s of free photos available through PPT itself. That’s where I tend to get pretty much all my photos, including for my Ignite talk. For a how-to and links to examples, see http://remotepossibilities.wordpress.com/2012/02/27/how-to-find-1000s-of-great-free-photos/

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It’s soo amazing and will like to be there to present my but its unfortunate I could not get visa to the program

I just wrote a little app for android that gives you a simple and beautiful timer for ignite and pecha kucha talks – I think this might help to give (or train for) a great talk: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.incloud.ignitetimer

I gave two Ignite talks so far: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLdhamQlFfg http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2pnD2ZsEYs&t=1m30s

I found it very useful to count the number of sentences I can say in 15 seconds. This paces me throughout the whole talk, and forces me to condense my thoughts into concise points.

Great talk, very informative keep up the good work.

This is a terrific way to get yourself to improve your public speaking skills. Also works great as a little format for doing videos too.

Ignite presenter should be well prepared, present to your topic atleast 10 times to your wife / friend to get used to time sync. It’s not that tough but not that easy either.

Thanks Scott, some great advice here. Hate to nitpick but the link to “How to solve a song” is pointing to the “Commutapult” presentation.

Thanks for catching. Fixed.

Hi, Thanks for the article. Great tips! What I’m wondering is how you automatically advance the slides. In powerpoint, using the auto transitions seems to cumulatively make it longer than 5 minutes because no transition ever takes 0 seconds. Any advice? Thanks!

Instructions here:

https://igniteseattle.com/2014/05/18/how-to-make-slides-ignite-friendly/

Great tips. I would also add my favorite method: use humor to build an emotional connection with the audience. :)

I like talking in public but still need more practice. Many thanks to Scott for these useful tips.

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How to Create an Ignite Presentation

Some resources for creating a dynamite Ignite:

Study a Quality Talk to See what Makes it Good 

How to Give a Great Ignite Talk 

How to Create an Ignite Presentation 

Creating Slides for a Pecha Kucha 

Ignite-Style PPT Template

This is a template with built in timings for an Ignite presentation (20 slides, 15 seconds each)

Microsoft 365 Life Hacks > Presentations > How to use AI to help improve your presentations

How to use AI to help improve your presentations

Creating and giving a presentation isn’t always easy, especially if you want to deliver a dynamite lecture. However, by harnessing the power of AI tools, you can elevate your presentations and leave a lasting impression on your audience. See how AI can provide valuable insights and enhancements to make your presentations stand out.

How AI can create structure in your presentation

No matter the subject, every great presentation has a narrative. You begin by introducing yourself and why you’re the best person to present this subject. Then, you mention the general outline and key topics before diving into the details: problems, potential solutions, and calls to action. Finally, you end with a conclusion that wraps up your topics and brings your presentation full circle.

Sometimes, this structure can be hard to define. Asking AI to create an outline for a presentation can be a great time-saving shortcut. If you’re starting with a complex research paper or passage, you can directly copy and paste it into the AI chat window, then ask to summarize it. AI can also extract key points for headings, which can create your outline for slide titles.

Use AI to design visually attractive presentations

You don’t need to be a graphic designer to create presentations that are both striking and easy to follow. With AI tools integrated into Microsoft PowerPoint , you can design slides that consider factors like readable fonts, compatible color schemes, the informational hierarchy , and information spacing that won’t overwhelm the audience with too much to see on each slide.

AI image creators can also translate your text into custom visuals: not only can this bring your slides to life, but it can also save you time from searching through image libraries, stock photos, or visual sources from the Internet.

Tell your story with captivating presentations

Powerpoint empowers you to develop well-designed content across all your devices

AI tools that transcribe recordings into presentations

While the visual presentation is one aspect of your project, your speech and delivery are vital. The key to this is practice. Rehearsing your presentation out loud, and especially multiple times before you go onstage, can aid in balancing when to present new points, ensure smooth transitions between slides, time your overall presentation, and help you refine your text so you can sound clearer.

AI can help! Advanced tools can transcribe your spoken words, both in real-time and through prerecorded clips on your computer or mobile device. This not only assists in creating accurate speaker notes but also provides an opportunity to learn how you sound, allowing you to refine and improve your delivery. In PowerPoint, speaker notes are hidden from the audience during a live presentation, and AI integration can generate live notes from the sound of your voice—which makes it easy to practice and familiarize yourself with your content.

AI tools that can summarize, design, and transcribe your presentations can make it easier to engage with your audience confidently. See more presentation tips to enhance your points, such as how to craft a compelling story or how to overcome public speaking anxiety .

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How to Create an Animated GIF in Microsoft PowerPoint

I f you want to spruce up your PowerPoint presentation with animated GIFs, you’ve landed on the right article. Animated GIFs are a great way to captivate your audience and leave a lasting impression. In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through a step-by-step process of creating animated GIFs from a video, custom animations, and multiple slides. Let's dive in.

How to Create an Animated GIF From a Video in PowerPoint

The easiest way to create animated GIFs in PowerPoint is from a video. Here's how to go about it.

• Start with a blank slide—right-click on a slide, click Layout , and select Blank .
• Navigate to the Insert tab, click Media , select Video , and click This Device if the video is saved on your computer.

If your video fails to play, check out our guide on how to fix microsoft powerPoint not playing videos to fix the issue.

• With the video selected, navigate to the Playback tab and select Trim video .

You can also use the red & green clips or the reverse & forward buttons to adjust the video length.

Adding text or a callout to your video is a great way to add context and keep things interesting.

• Under the Insert tab, click Shapes , and select any of the shapes under Callouts .
• Drag your mouse on the slide to draw the callout, then move the yellow circle on the callout to point it in your desired direction.
• With the callout selected, you can change its Shape Fill and Shape Outline colors under the Shape Format tab.
• Double-click on the callout to add some text and format it with options under the Font group of the Home tab.
• When you’re all set to export the file, click File and Save As , or simply use the Ctrl + Shift + S shortcut to open the Save As dialog box.
• Choose a file location, enter a File name , select Animated GIF Format as the Save as type , and click the Save button when you’re done.

How to Create a Custom GIF From Animations in PowerPoint

Instead of extracting clips from videos to make a GIF, you can create one from scratch directly inside PowerPoint using animations. Here's how:

• Set a custom slide size for your GIF—navigate to the Design tab, select Slide Size , and Custom Slide Size .
• In the dialog box that appears, enter your custom dimensions and click OK . (For this example, we’ll stick with the default slide size.)
• Add the elements you want to animate onto the slide. These could be text, images, icons, or illustrations. (For this example, let’s use some icons from the PowerPoint library.)
• So under the Insert tab, click Icons .
• Select the icons you want to add to the slide and click Insert .
• After inserting the icons (or other graphics of your choice), you can adjust their size, colors, and positions. You can also add a drop shadow to any graphic to add depth and enhance its appearance.
• Now, it’s time to add the animations. You can apply some free cool animations to the elements from the built-in animation library. After adding your desired animations, the file is ready for export.
• To export the file, navigate to the File tab.
• Click Export and select Create an Animated GIF .
• Set the GIF quality
• Make the GIF transparent
• Set the duration spent on each slide
• Specify the slides to include in the GIF
• When you’re done, click the Create GIF button.
• In the dialog box that appears, choose a file location, enter a name for your GIF, and click the Save button.

How to Create a Custom GIF From Multiple Slides

Asides animations, you can create a custom GIF by looping through a bunch of slides. Let's walk through the steps:

• Add the content you want to include in the GIF onto the slides. (For this example, we’ll be using four stickers.)
• Arrange the content as desired on each slide.
• Navigate to the Export GIF settings, adjust the settings to fit your requirements, and click the Create GIF button.

How to Insert a GIF in Microsoft PowerPoint

• To insert a GIF in PowerPoint, drag and drop the file directly onto a slide. Or you can navigate to the Insert tab, click Pictures , and select This Device .
• Select your GIF and click the Insert button to add it to your slide.
• You can crop it, modify its appearance, and position it as you like.

Transform Your Presentations With Animated GIFs in PowerPoint

There you have it—everything you need to know to create animated GIFs in Microsoft PowerPoint. Take some time to practice these techniques and experiment with them to create the perfect GIFs for your presentation.

However, remember not to overdo it—using them sparingly and purposefully will have a greater impact. Alongside this, there are more ways to build engaging presentations in PowerPoint.