‘Wichitalks’ to bring together entrepreneurs, artists

A new event in Wichita hopes to bring together people from different backgrounds to spark new ideas and collaboration.

At Wichitalks, speakers will give lightning presentations – like fast-paced TED talks – on a variety of topics.

The biggest rule for speakers? “Teach and not preach,” said organizer Kevin Falting.

“If you’re passionate about what you’re doing, we want you to talk,” Falting said.

Falting, who is originally from Texas, has lived in Wichita since 2013. When he’s not working as a mechanic at McConnell Air Force Base, he’s working on an online degree in computer science.

Organizing Wichitalks is a way for him to get more involved in the community, he said.

“I just got back from a deployment (in Qatar) and I thought, ‘How can I jump back into the swing of things?’ ”

He heard about an event in Boulder, Colo., called Ignite Boulder, and decided to create something like that here: five minutes per speaker to present on any subject, with automatic slides changing every 15 seconds.

“This is solely an event to share ideas, teach something new and spark conversation,” Falting said.

“Hopefully people are inspired by what they hear and communicate with each other. Learn about new organizations to be a part of, new businesses will come, and new communities will emerge.”

What are the topics?

People give an original talk on any subject they feel passionate about. Some may choose to talk about tips for being an entrepreneur. Others may want to talk about gardening without pesticides. Others may want to talk about effective tips for marketing. Or maybe a quick how-to on the tango.

But no sales pitches or promotions of businesses or products.

What to expect

Each speaker will be given five minutes. Each must have 20 PowerPoint slides that automatically move on to the next slide every 15 seconds, which will help move the presentations along.

Who will be there

Wichitalks will be open to the public. Anyone, from any background or industry, can attend. Speakers must sign up in advance.

When and where

The first Wichitalk will be held from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Jan. 29 at The Labor Party, 216 N. Mosley.

Presentations will begin at 7 p.m. and last for about an hour. People will then have a chance to mingle and talk about what they learned.

There is no cost to attend. Falting says he hopes to make Wichitalks a regular series.

Want to speak but need some help?

There are still slots for speakers to sign up. Falting recommends that potential speakers read Ignite Boulder’s presentation guidelines.

He also suggests visiting www.speaking.io for tips on public speaking.

To learn more or sign up to speak

Visit www.wichitalks.com or www.facebook.com/wichitalks.

This story was originally published January 1, 2016 at 3:21 PM with the headline "‘Wichitalks’ to bring together entrepreneurs, artists."