Blog #3: A Reflection on Ignite Talks vs. Ordinary Presentations - Module 4

     I can remember the first day of this class and how utterly captivated I was by Professor McVerry's lecture. At the time, I did not know that the presentation method was known as an ignite talk. Simply, I just remember thinking how engaging the lecture was. The ideas he discussed and emphasized were symbolically represented through pictures on a slide. Not once was I distracted.

     When our class came to learn about ignite talks and what exactly ignite talks entailed, I thought the presentation style was brilliant. More usual presentations, like a powerpoint with bullets, are informative, but often times, I find myself bored after only a few minutes of viewing the presentation. I think this is because the presentation lacks excitement or passion. The speaker is merely speaking about a subject, but is not immersed within that subject. The speaker tells the audience the facts, reads off the bullet points, but no one is fully engaged. Information hangs in the air; the audience, presentation, and speaker are just there.

     Whereas within the ignite talks, I feel the experience differs immensely. The speaker is passionate about their topic, therefore, he or she is fully immersed within the topic. Consequently, this makes the speaker want to teach others about their topic. The speaker is fully engaged; his or her voice is not monotonous, but rather enthusiastic. It is evident that the speaker WANTS to teach the audience about his or her topic. The speaker is excited to inform his or her audience. Likewise, I feel that the audience responds accordingly to this. The general ambiance of the ignite talk type presentation is fascinating to me. From my experience, I saw that the energy given off from a captivating speaker quite literally demands attention from the audience. The presence of a passionate, interesting, well-informed speaker makes for an involved audience. The speaker who wants to teach and is thrilled to teach encourages the audience to want to listen, and therefore, to want to learn.

     Above all things, I think passion within the classroom is most important. Or maybe vital would be a better term. I do not think a learning environment can last or survive without there being a form of passion present. With this, I feel there needs to be a mutual connection of passion and desire to learn between the teacher and his or students. Similar to the ignite talks, teaching in the classroom is all about learning and teaching passionately as well as through positive energy. With this being said, I believe ignite talks should be implemented more frequently in the classroom setting, especially with students in middle school and high school. During those academic years, students feel less motivated to work efficiently and productively in school. Ignite talks would give middle school and high school students a purpose to want to learn and to want to be academically focus.

     Ignite talks are inspiring. Even when I was listening to my peers discuss subjects that did not necessarily pertain to my interests, I still felt moved and touched. I still noticed the gears turning in my brain, the creativity forming in my imagination. In my personal opinion, ignite talks are the best way to present if one wants his or her audience to not only listen and learn, but to also be passionate and inspired by the subject matter.