Get Personal Feedback on Your Ignite Pitch!

Have a great idea and/or a fascinating experience you want to share from the Ignite stage? Your very first step is to submit a pitch!

You don’t need to have all the details figured out. You just need a title and a 100-word description. Sounds simple enough…

Nonetheless, we know that it can be stressful to come up with that perfect pitch (and what makes a perfect pitch anyway?). So for the very first time in Ignite Seattle history, we’re doing something extra to help you perfect your pitch and increase your chances to be one of the 12 speakers selected for the upcoming Ignite #47 (in which tickets are already on sale!)

Submit a draft pitch to us by 11:59pm on December 1 and you will receive written feedback from our team of professional speaker coaches!

That gives you time to refine your story ahead of the final pitch submission deadline of January 9, 2025. 

To get started, check out our insider guide on getting a story selected. And if you need some further inspiration, kick back and watch 5 of our favorite talks from the past 5 years:

Ready to get started and take advantage of this amazing opportunity to get valuable feedback from Ignite Seattle team on your pitch? Click here to tell us about it.

PS. Help spread the word! If you know someone who has a great story or idea, or wants to feel more confident as a speaker, forward this post and invite them! 

Announcing the Ignite #46 Speakers, (October 3, 2024)

We’re thrilled to announce our speakers and talks for Ignite Seattle #46 (just a few weeks away!):

  • “What the Fu*k Is a Chaplain?”– Justin Almeida
  • “How to Dodge a Cringey First Kiss Disaster”– Alisa Eddy
  • “The Superhero Within You: Curing Cancer & Becoming a DNA Decoy”– Soren Ghorai
  • “The Ghosts Who Build Trails”– Jorden Goodrich
  • “How Gnomes Saved Me from the Abyss of Despair”– Laura Argilla
  • “Fixing Graffiti Goes Like THIS!”– Linda Keeney
  • “From Iran, Iraq, and Afghanistan to Seattle”– Junichi Sumi
  • “More Bigger, More Brainier”– Tommy Wood
  • “Flirt Like a Boomer”– Cassie Maz
  • “Confessions of a Parkinson’s Optimist”– Matt Shobe
  • “Speaking English as a First and Second Language”-Dan Baird
  • “The Real Costs of a Brazilian Wax”– Jeri Seamands

Join us at Town Hall on October 3 to hear funny, thoughtful, inspiring, and educational stories.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

$10 early-bird discount ends September 27!

Pitch Your Talk for Ignite Seattle #46!

Ignite Seattle #46 is right around the corner! Tickets are on sale now for our next event, happening October 3 at Town Hall Seattle. We’re excited for another night of live community storytelling at its informative, entertaining best, and we can’t wait to see you there.

To make this night work, though, we need your help. 

In fact, we need YOUR STORIES!

SUBMIT YOUR IGNITE TALK IDEA HERE!

Do you have a great idea or a fascinating experience? Of course you do! Ignite Seattle is a unique chance to share, in just 5 minutes, something important, funny, or wonderful. What are you passionate about? Have a story that changed your perspective? Big or small, heart wrenching or humorous, we want to hear it.

You don’t need to have all of the details figured out. You definitely don’t have to worry about the slides yet. You just need a killer title and a 100 word description.

Speaker submissions for Ignite #46 are due AUGUST 22, 2024


Not sure how to pitch a story? Or even what makes an Ignite-style story? No problem. We’ve got you covered. 

Check out our insider advice on getting a story selected.

Feeling nervous about public speaking? We get it. We’re here to help! Ignite Seattle has a team of professional speakers (all of them past Ignite alumni) who will coach, mentor, and assist you at every step if your submission is chosen.

Need some inspiration? Kick back and watch 5 of our favorite talks from the past 5 years. (Yep, we’ve got a thing about the number five!)

Now… what’s YOUR talk going to be about? Click here to tell us about it.

PS. Help spread the word! If you know someone who has a great story or idea, or wants to feel more confident as a speaker, forward this post and invite them! 

Announcing the Ignite #45 Speakers, Coming to Town Hall March 21

Ignite Seattle #45 is just a month away, and we’re thrilled to announce our next fantastic lineup of speakers and talks:

  • “So You Live In a Fault Zone” from Tiahnan Caulley
  • “How to Make an Impossible Movie” from Jeremy Cavner
  • “A Unique Way of Being a Foster Parent” from Silvana Clark
  • “My First Time Eating Artichokes Led Me to Live and Work on a Sustainable Farm” from Andrés Tereza Gomez
  • “The 40-year-old (Rugby) Virgin” from Beth Kelley
  • “How to Knock ‘Em Dead With a Killer Eulogy” from Christopher Matthias
  • “Why I wish I’d met my Mom’s gynecologist” from Suzan Mazor
  • “How I Saved the World and No One Knows” from Abraham McBride
  • “The Unhinged Joy of Marathon Pacing” from George Perantatos
  • “How to Lose Yourself in a Labyrinth” from Kristen Winn

This is going to be one of our best lineups yet, and you don’t want to miss it. Join us at Town Hall on March 21 to hear these interesting people tell interesting stories. You’ll laugh. You’ll learn. You’ll think. You’ll walk away inspired.

BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW

Early bird rates are just $10, and we often sell out, so get yours today!

Choosing a speaker lineup is never easy. Thank you to the many dozens of you who took the time to pitch ideas.

AMA with the Ignite Seattle Team (Thurs. Jan 25th, 7pm PST)

Come meet the Ignite Seattle organizing team for a fun and informal AMA (Ask Me Anything) session. Our speaker coaches and producers will be there to answer whatever questions you are curious about. Or maybe you have an idea or suggestion for us to consider.

This free event, open to all, will take place next Thursday, 1/25 at 7 pm PST on Zoom (Register Here).

Do you want to learn our secrets for organizing such great events? Want advice on pitching us your Ignite talk idea? Curious about what it’s like to be part of the Ignite team and want to join us? Or want public speaking tips from people who’ve literally walked the walk and talked the talk? This is the event for you.

We’ll be hosting this AMA (ask me anything) style where you’ll get to go behind the scenes of one of Seattle’s most popular live storytelling events. Speaker submissions are due in less than a month, so this is the perfect opportunity to get our feedback if you’re even just starting to brainstorm – you won’t want to miss out!

Register here

Free speaker coaching office hours (Tue Dec. 12th, 6pm PST, Zoom)

Want feedback on your public speaking skills? Have a talk idea you want to practice in front of an expert and a small friendly group? This is for you.

  • When: Tuesday, Dec. 12th, 6pm – 7:30 PST, Zoom (register here).
  • Cost: Free
  • Fun: Definitely
Register here

Details: All are welcome at this fun and informal online session run by me, Scott Berkun, the head speaker coach for Ignite Seattle and author of the bestselling book, Confessions of A Public Speaker.

Come with a talk idea or a presentation you want to practice. Any kind of presentation or story is welcome (does not have to be an ignite talk). Or come to be in the audience, listen in and learn tips, lessons and advice.

How it works:

  • Speaking slots are first come first served
  • Each speaker will get 2 to 3 minutes, no slides allowed
  • You can use a new story or something you’ve presented before, up to you
  • You will get actionable feedback and lessons
  • We will continue until we run out of speakers 🙂
  • There will be time for Q&A, so bring your questions
Register here

Ignite Seattle #44 recap – Rewatch and share your favorite talks

In typical Ignite Seattle fashion, we laughed, we learned, we spent an evening together with some of the best community in the city– #44 was another for the books!

Whether this was your 1st time attending or your 44th, we are grateful for your continued support, energy, and excitement for Ignite. You help make this dynamic community what it is and we can’t wait to see you again at a future event!

And now, without further ado, speaker talks are now live and available for your viewing and sharing pleasure. Post far and wide, you never know whose creativity you’ll ignite to tell their story.…

Ignite Seattle #44 talks:

View Photos from Ignite Seattle #44 

Feeling inspired? Consider applying to speak at Ignite Seattle #45!

apply to be a speaker

If you aren’t ready to apply, snag your tickets for our next event, Thursday, March 21, 2024. Reserved seating goes quick, so grab yours now for the best seats in the house!

get your tickets