japanese presentation pecha kucha

4 Tips To Craft A Winning Pecha Kucha Style Presentation

• By Judhajit Sen
• May 14, 2024

Pecha Kucha, also known as “PechaKucha,” is a presentation format that emphasizes speed and visuals. Originating from Japan, the term translates to “chit-chat” in Japanese, reflecting its conversational nature.

In this style, presenters tell stories using images rather than lengthy text. Each presentation consists of precisely 20 slides, each displayed for only 20 seconds. This strict timing means the entire presentation lasts just 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

The challenge lies in conveying ideas effectively within this brief timeframe, requiring speakers to be concise and impactful. The auto-advancing slides keep the pace swift, leaving no room for going back or lingering.

Pecha Kucha isn’t just for formal settings; it’s a popular choice for various occasions, from business meetings to informal gatherings. It’s a tool for sharpening public speaking skills and fostering connectivity among participants.

Whether in academic conferences, business plan presentations , or creative disciplines, Pecha Kucha offers a unique way to share stories and ideas with energy and purpose.

Key Takeaways

• Start Strong: Select a topic that excites you and clearly defines your main message to engage your audience from the beginning.   
• Preparation is Crucial: Plan your narrative before creating slides, ensuring a cohesive and impactful presentation.   
• Structure like a Story: Craft your presentation with a clear beginning, middle, and end, using storytelling techniques to maintain audience interest.   
• Prioritize Quality Visuals: Choose high-quality images that align with your message and evoke relevant emotions, enhancing audience engagement and retention.

Origins of Pecha Kucha Style Presentations

Pecha Kucha presentations originated in Tokyo in 2003 when architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham pioneered the format. Initially conceived as a platform for young designers to showcase their work and exchange ideas, Pecha Kucha embraced the principle of “talk less, show more.”

Pecha Kucha swiftly gained traction from its humble beginnings, expanding beyond design to become a global phenomenon. It found applications in various settings, from academic conferences to business meetings and informal gatherings. The emergence of dedicated communities organizing “Pecha Kucha Nights” further propelled its popularity.

The success of Pecha Kucha also spurred innovation, giving rise to related types of presentation styles such as Ignite in 2006. Despite variations, the essence of Pecha Kucha—concise, visual storytelling —remains at the heart of its enduring appeal, fostering creativity, collaboration, and exchange of ideas across cultures and disciplines.

How Pecha Kucha Works

Pecha Kucha operates on a specific format, blending words and images, which is   designed to keep presentations engaging and concise. Here’s how it works – 

1. The Topic: Presenters tackle a predetermined topic, often related to their work or interests. They must convey their ideas using precisely twenty slides.

2. The Images: Each Pecha Kucha slide features a central image, usually with minimal text. While captions are allowed, they must be brief to ensure the audience can grasp them within the allotted time. Some events permit video art as well.

3. The Rules: Pecha Kucha is governed by strict regulations akin to haiku poetry. Speakers have six minutes and forty seconds to complete their presentation. They can speak for only twenty seconds per slide without pausing, revisiting previous slides, or skipping ahead.

This approach diverges from traditional presentations that risk “Death by PowerPoint,” where presenters merely read text-heavy slides, leading to boredom among the audience. Pecha Kucha challenges presenters to captivate their audience by telling stories with visuals rather than descriptions.

The term “Pecha Kucha,” meaning “chit-chat” in Japanese, encapsulates its essence—a fast-paced presentation style emphasizing images over text. Originating from the brainchild of architects Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein, Pecha Kucha  has become a global phenomenon since its inception in 2003, with over 1,000 cities hosting Pecha Kucha nights annually.

Studies have shown that Pecha Kucha is effective in engaging students and enhancing learning outcomes. Students exhibit higher levels of enjoyment and engagement with Pecha Kucha presentations, leading to improved critical thinking skills and better retention of material.

Benefits of Pecha Kucha Presentations

Pecha Kucha presentations offer a host of benefits, making them a valuable tool for engaging audiences and enhancing communication skills – 

1. Engagement: The timed format of Pecha Kucha presentations keeps audiences captivated, with slides changing every 20 seconds. This dynamic rhythm prevents distractions and maintains audience focus throughout the presentation.

2. Focus: The strict time limit encourages presenters to stay on topic. This skill is invaluable in environments where time is precious, such as the corporate world, fostering concise and efficient communication.

3. Visual Impact: Pecha Kucha presentations convey complex ideas in a memorable way by relying heavily on visuals. Visual presentation aids stimulate the brain and enhance audience comprehension, ensuring key messages resonate long after you end a presentation .

4. Promotion of Creativity: The challenge of distilling ideas into a concise and visually compelling format encourages creative thinking. Presenters must craft a seamless narrative, fostering connections between ideas and engaging the audience through innovative storytelling techniques.

5. Improved Audience Experience: Pecha Kucha presentations offer audiences a more dynamic and engaging experience. They are concise, prevent boredom, and require presenters to deliver a coherent story, resulting in a seamless narrative. This format minimizes distractions and maximizes engagement, making it enjoyable for presenters and audience members.

6. Skill Development: Pecha Kucha presentations help develop valuable skills applicable in various settings. From the corporate world to educational environments, communicating concisely and engaging audiences effectively is highly sought after. Research supports the benefits of Pecha Kucha in enhancing public speaking abilities and fostering audience engagement .

Pecha Kucha presentations offer a refreshing approach to communication, promoting engagement, creativity, and skill development across diverse contexts.

Tips to Craft a Winning Pecha Kucha Presentation

Crafting a Pecha Kucha presentation that wows your audience requires a mix of skill and strategy. Here’s a rundown of tips from presentation experts to help you nail your next presentation.

Start with a Strong Foundation

Creating a memorable Pecha Kucha presentation begins with choosing the right topic and defining your main message. Here’s how to lay the groundwork for success – 

1. Choose an Engaging Topic: Select a topic that aligns with your passions, talents, or interests. Your presentation should be on a subject that excites you and is likely to captivate your audience. Whether it’s something quirky like a magazine collection or a fun place to visit, your topic should reflect your enthusiasm and personality.

2. Define Your Main Message: Clarify the core message you want to convey to your audience. Ask yourself key questions such as the purpose of your presentation, what you want your audience to know, and what action you want them to take afterward. Your main message should be clear, concise, and easily understandable, guiding the direction of your presentation.

3. Take Time to Prepare: Prioritize preparation by thoroughly planning your presentation before creating slides. Consider the story you want to tell, the impression you want to leave, and the emotions you want to evoke in your audience. Draft your ideas freely, allowing them to flow without filtering, and refine them into a cohesive narrative.

Set yourself up for success with a solid start and create a Pecha Kucha presentation that resonates with your audience.

Structure Your Presentation

Creating a captivating Pecha Kucha presentation requires careful structuring to keep your audience engaged. Here’s how to craft a compelling narrative – 

1. Start with an Outline: Outline your presentation using a basic essay structure. Start with a clear thesis statement, support it with evidence in the body of your presentation, and summarize your main points in the concluding slides. This presentation outline will provide a roadmap and ensure your message is cohesive and well-organized.

2. Use Engaging Storytelling: Structure your presentation with a clear beginning, middle, and end, just like a story. Incorporate personal experiences or anecdotes to humanize your presentation and make it relatable for your audience. People are drawn to stories, so leveraging storytelling techniques can help you capture and maintain their attention.

3. Establish a Clear Structure: Ensure your presentation follows a clear and coherent structure. Organize your ideas into sections and define the content of each slide. Aim for a linear style with an introduction, body, and conclusion. Consider using frameworks like the Pyramid Principle, which presents the main idea upfront and supports it with hierarchical supporting points. This approach encourages critical thinking and helps your audience understand the larger message.

4. Refine Your Content: Take the time to refine your presentation structure and content. Group your ideas into cohesive sections, ensuring each slide flows logically from the one before. Pay special attention to your introduction, middle, and closing sections, as critical elements will leave a lasting impression on your audience. Remember that crafting the perfect structure and content may take several attempts, so don’t be discouraged by the iterative process.  With practice, you can create a   persuasive presentation that your audience can relate to.

Select Images To Maximize Visual Impact

Choosing the right images for your Pecha Kucha presentation is crucial for engaging your audience and enhancing your message. Here’s how to make the most of your visuals – 

1. Prioritize Quality: Opt for high-quality images that are clear, captivating, and visually appealing. High-resolution visuals, especially when displayed full screen, can significantly elevate the overall impression of your presentation and grab your audience’s attention.

2. Align with Your Message: Ensure that your chosen images align with your presentation’s narrative. Reflect on each slide’s content and select visuals that reinforce your intended message. Establish visual coherence by choosing images that seamlessly integrate with your theme and support your story.

3. Evoke Emotions: Consider your images’ emotional impact on your audience. Choose visuals that resonate with your viewers and evoke emotions relevant to your message. Well-selected photos can make your presentation  more engaging, leaving a lasting impression on your audience.

4. Avoid Distractions: Avoid cartoonish or clipart photos that may detract from your presentation’s professionalism. Instead, opt for modern, minimalist images for a sleek, professional look or vibrant, colorful visuals for a more playful and creative feel. Ensure that your images complement the overall aesthetic of your presentation template and align with your brand’s identity, if applicable.

5. Use Available Resources: Use stock images and Pecha Kucha templates from various online sources. These resources can inspire and streamline the image selection process, helping you create a visually stunning presentation that captivates your audience from beginning to end.

Master Your Presentation With Practice

Practice makes perfect, especially when delivering a flawless Pecha Kucha presentation. Here’s how to hone your skills and ensure a polished delivery – 

1. Rehearse for Natural Delivery: Practice your presentation’s content and timing to convey your enthusiasm and expertise on the topic. Rehearse multiple times to familiarize yourself with the flow of your presentation and ensure a natural delivery. Avoid reading from a script, as it may signal unfamiliarity or disinterest in your topic.

2. Timing is Key: Pecha Kucha presentations are about timing and precision. Conduct your presentation’s dry runs to ensure you feel comfortable with the flow and pacing. Set a strict timer for 20 seconds per slide to stay on track and avoid exceeding the time limit. Utilize features in presentation software like Google Slides or PowerPoint to automatically advance slides at set intervals.

3. Speak Clearly and Moderately: While 20 seconds per slide may seem short, speak at a moderate pace to ensure clarity and comprehension. Avoid rushing through your presentation, but also refrain from lingering on any one slide for too long. Find a balance that allows you to cover each point effectively within the allotted time.

4. Practice Techniques for Clarity and Conciseness: Short presentations require clear and concise communication, which can be challenging. Practice adjusting your content to fit the 20-second-per-slide format, making necessary adjustments to ensure balance and coherence across all slides. Focus on perfecting your delivery, including intonation, vocal tone, pauses, breath control, body language , and eye contact .

5. Utilize Recording and Mirror Practice: Record yourself delivering the presentation or practice in front of a mirror to evaluate your performance. This may initially feel uncomfortable, but it’s an effective way to identify areas for improvement and refine your presentation skills. With consistent practice and feedback, you’ll enhance your ability to captivate and engage your audience during the actual delivery.

Crafting a Winning Pecha Kucha: Key Tips Unveiled!

Pecha Kucha presentations are all about speed, visuals, and concise storytelling. Originating from Japan, this format challenges presenters to convey ideas effectively within a strict timeframe of 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each. But fear not! Here’s a rundown of key takeaways to help you craft a winning Pecha Kucha presentation.

Starting strong is key. Choose a topic that excites you and clearly defines your main message. Preparation is crucial, so plan your narrative before creating slides. Structure your presentation with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Prioritize quality visuals that align with your message and evoke emotions relevant to your audience.

Practice, practice, practice! Rehearse for a natural delivery, focusing on timing and clarity. Use recording and mirror practice to refine your skills and perfect your delivery. With these tips in your toolkit, you’re ready to wow your audience and nail your next Pecha Kucha presentation!

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What is Pecha Kucha?

Pecha Kucha is a presentation style from Japan that focuses on speedy, visual storytelling. Presenters use precisely 20 slides, each displayed for 20 seconds, making the entire presentation last only 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

2. How does Pecha Kucha differ from traditional presentations?

Unlike traditional presentations with lengthy text, Pecha Kucha emphasizes concise storytelling with captivating visuals. Speakers have strict time limits, promoting engagement and preventing boredom among the audience.

3. Where can Pecha Kucha presentations be used?

Pecha Kucha isn’t limited to formal settings; it’s popular in various contexts, including academic conferences, business meetings, and informal gatherings. It enhances public speaking skills and fosters connectivity among participants.

4. What are the benefits of Pecha Kucha presentations?

Pecha Kucha presentations offer several benefits, including higher audience engagement, improved focus, enhanced visual impact, promotion of creativity, and skill development. They provide a dynamic and enjoyable experience for both presenters and audience members and foster effective communication across diverse settings.

Create Captivating Pecha Kucha Presentations with Prezentium

Crafting a Pecha Kucha presentation that captivates your audience is a breeze with Prezentium by your side. Our AI-powered business presentation service specializes in delivering stunning presentations tailored to your needs.

With Prezentium’s overnight presentations service, email us your requirements by 5:30 pm PST, and wake up to a stellar presentation in your inbox by 9:30 am PST the following business day. Our team combines business understanding, visual design, and data science to make your Pecha Kucha presentation stand out.

Need help to transform ideas into exquisite presentations? Our team of Prezentation Specialists is here for you. From brainstorming sessions to creating new designs and templates, we’ll help you craft a presentation that leaves a lasting impression.

Join our Zenith Learning workshops and training programs to master the art of interactive communication. Learn the best practices of structured problem-solving and visual storytelling, empowering you to deliver impactful Pecha Kucha presentations confidently.

Start crafting winning Pecha Kucha presentations with Prezentium today. Let’s turn your ideas into captivating stories that resonate with your audience. Reach out to us now and unleash your creative potential!

Why wait? Avail a complimentary 1-on-1 session with our presentation expert. See how other enterprise leaders are creating impactful presentations with us.

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Home Blog Presentation Ideas How to Create a Highly Effective Pecha Kucha Presentation

How to Create a Highly Effective Pecha Kucha Presentation

Brevity is considered the soul of wit, but it can also be a powerful technique for effective communication. When you say more with less, you capture your audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression. This is precisely what Pecha Kucha is all about.

It’s a quick-fire format presentation where the speaker tells a story using photos within strict timing.

Whether you’re a seasoned presenter or just starting, Pecha Kucha has something to offer those who want to take their presentations to the next level. In this article, we’ll dive into its benefits as a presentation style and provide tips and strategies for creating effective Pecha Kucha presentations.

What Is Pecha Kucha Presentation?

The format of a Pecha Kucha, or 20×20 presentation, is simple: the presenter shows 20 slides containing an image, each displaying for exactly 20 seconds. The images will auto-forward, so there’s no way of going back to or skipping ahead of the slides. This means each presentation is exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds long.

This style is quite similar to lightning talk, where the speakers have five minutes to present a five-slide presentation, or the ignite talk, where presenters have 15 seconds to present each slide of a 20-slide presentation.

The challenge for presenters is to convey their idea with the combined use of images and concise, impactful statements within this tight time frame.

Pecha Kucha, which means “chit-chat” in Japanese, was created by architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, who seek to encourage a fast-paced presentation style. Since then, it has become a worldwide phenomenon, used in settings ranging from academic conferences to business meetings and even informal gatherings.

The Benefits of Pecha Kucha

Pecha Kucha presentations are highly engaging. The timing of Pecha Kucha presentations adds an element of excitement. Each slide changes every 20 seconds, keeping the audience engaged, and this helps hold their attention and prevents them from becoming distracted or disengaged.

Pecha Kucha helps you focus on the main topic. The time limit helps presenters stay on track and avoid going off on tangents, which can be a problem in more traditional presentations. This can be a valuable skill in the corporate world, where time is often limited, and getting to the point quickly is crucial.

Pecha Kucha presentations are highly visual. Because Pecha Kucha presentations rely heavily on visual aids, they can effectively communicate complex or abstract ideas to an audience. This helps make presentations more memorable and impactful, as the brain processes visual information more quickly and effectively than written or spoken information.

Pecha Kucha promotes creative thinking and communication. The format challenges presenters to distill their ideas into a concise and visually engaging format. So instead of running around the bush and filling in their talk with non-essential information, they focus on the most important aspects of their message. 

Furthermore, the challenge of syncing the message with images stimulates creativity by inspiring connections and associations between ideas.

How to Make a Pecha Kucha

1. define your main message.

Defining your main message, a.k.a thesis, is crucial in preparing a presentation or communication. When you can pinpoint the core message you want to convey during a presentation, it becomes easier to identify which information to include and which to eliminate.

To narrow down your presentation’s key message or idea, ask yourself the following questions.

• What is the purpose of my presentation – to inform, to inspire, to convince?
• What do I want my audience to know?
• What do I want my audience to do after the presentation?

Your main message should be a direct answer to these questions and something your audience can easily grasp and remember.

Example: Let’s say you are giving a presentation on a new diet cereal bar product. A good thesis could be, “Diet cereal bars are a convenient and nutritious snack option that can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

From here, you can start outlining and structure your presentation. Let the main message lead the way.

So, in our example, you can cite studies showing the health benefits of eating a nutritious diet and present the nutritional value of cereal bars that can help achieve that goal.

2. Select the Best Visuals

You can identify the main message of your presentation and the points that go along with it. The second step would be turning them into visuals.

Many presentation guides will tell you how important visualizations are in a PowerPoint, but Pecha Kucha takes that even further. As mentioned, it emphasizes storytelling with the use of images.

You may still use text to provide context for visual elements, but use it sparingly and avoid paragraphs. Remember, you only have 20 seconds to present each slide, so your audience won’t have the time to read lengthy texts.

Instead, you should use high-quality images directly related to your message. This will help reinforce your message and ensure your visuals are not distracting or confusing.

It’s a hard rule to avoid cartoonish and clipart photos, especially in the business setting, as they make your slide look tacky. This might mean using more modern, minimalist images for a sleek, professional look or more vibrant, colorful images for a more playful and creative feel.

It’s also important to consider the overall aesthetic of your presentation template and choose images consistent with that theme. If you represent a brand, use slides with the look and feel you are known for.

Example: In our diet cereal bar example, you may choose images that showcase the bar’s ingredients, such as images of whole grains, nuts, and dried fruits. You could also use images of people engaging in healthy activities, such as jogging or hiking, to reinforce the idea that the cereal bar is a healthy snack option for people on the go.

3. Structure Your Presentation

Like other forms of presentation, a Pecha Kucha presentation should have a clear structure – no matter how short. You may need it more in this scenario to avoid losing any of your precious time going off on tangents.

Conversely, it will be easier for your audience to follow along and understand your message if you present it organized and coherently.

You can follow several presentation structures, but for something like Pecha Kucha, we recommend a more linear style. One that has an introduction, body, and conclusion.

The Pyramid Principle has all these elements and might work in a fast-paced presentation format. In this style, the main idea or conclusion is presented at the beginning, followed by a series of supporting points that are organized hierarchically. This approach can help your audience engage in critical thinking, as they are encouraged to consider how each piece of information relates to the larger message being presented.

Example: Let’s return to our diet cereal bar example to illustrate how the Pyramid Principle can be applied in a Pecha Kucha presentation.

Open your presentation by stating your main idea or message: “Our diet cereal bars are a convenient and nutritious snack option that can help you maintain a healthy lifestyle.”

Then, discuss the supporting points that further develop the main idea.

• You may discuss the natural ingredients and X calories it contains, making it a healthy snack option.
• You may talk about the range of delicious flavors that it comes with, establishing the idea that it’s a nutritious option that does not compromise on taste.
• You may talk about the convenient packaging that makes it perfect for busy people on the go.

4. Practice, practice, practice

Pecha Kucha’s presentation is all about timing and mastery, so you must conduct a  dry run to ensure that you’d feel comfortable with the flow of your presentation on the actual delivery.

Rehearse your presentation multiple times as if it’s the real thing. This means setting a strict timer for 20 seconds per slide to ensure that you are staying on track and not going over time. Google Slide and PowerPoint have an option that automatically advances slides within several seconds.

Although 20 seconds may feel very short, speak at a moderate pace to ensure you are not rushing through the presentation. But, also avoid lingering on any one slide for too long.

Tips and Tricks for an Effective Pecha Kucha Delivery

1. using engaging storytelling techniques.

Although we did say that you may state your main idea at the beginning of your presentation , you don’t just get to drop the bomb, or it will sound dry. Using an engaging story will help you do this with finesse.

People are naturally drawn to stories – they love journeys. Structure your presentation like a story, with a clear beginning, middle, and end. Sharing personal experiences or anecdotes can help to humanize your presentation and make it more relatable for your audience.

Example: You can share a personal anecdote about your struggles with maintaining a healthy diet. You could talk about how you struggled to find healthy snack options while working long hours at your desk job.

2. Connecting With Your Audience and Maintaining It

Sharing a story or a personal experience is one way to connect with your audience. Still, it isn’t just about getting their attention – keeping their attention on you is far more important.

It’s common advice for speakers to keep eye contact with the audience. We’d like to add something to this – look at your audience intently and respond to what you see. Knowing your audience’s nonverbal cues can help you connect with them and respond to their needs.

Speaking of nonverbal, you should be aware of your body language too. Use intentional hand gestures, but avoid excessive movements that may take the audience’s attention from you.

Finally, don’t forget to smile. Smiling helps convey a positive and approachable attitude and shows that you like your audience.

3. Handling Unexpected Challenges Or Technical Issues

With over six minutes to present your case, there should be no room for mistakes when making a Pecha Kucha presentation. The best advice is to have a backup plan for your backup plan.

No, we don’t mean carrying 2 laptops and 2 projectors around! But it’s best practice to have a USB drive with your presentation saved on it, just in case. You may also save your presentation on the cloud if you lose both copies on your device and external drive.

In the event of a complete technology failure, be ready to present without the slides. Remember, the slides are only a visual aid, and your delivery and message are the most important aspects of your presentation.

Pecha Kucha makes it possible to deliver a compelling presentation within minutes. Remember to keep your main message at the forefront when creating this type of presentation, choose high-quality visuals that reinforce your message, and practice your timing to ensure your presentation flows smoothly. With these tips, you can deliver a presentation that leaves a lasting impression on your audience.

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American Society for Microbiology

Better student presentations using the pecha kucha format.

Dec. 9, 2020

Students Communicated Better Using Pecha Kucha 

How to implement pecha kucha in your classroom.

• Go to the “Transitions” tab.
• Set the “Duration” at 00.01 so the transition time between slides is less than one second.
• Uncheck “On Mouse Click” and check “After.”
• In the window next to “After,” enter 20 seconds.
• Clicking “Apply to All."

• Communicating Science
• Curriculum Reform

Author: Min-Ken Liao, Ph.D.

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Mastering pecha kucha presentation - A definitive guide

Master the essence of this unique style, craft impactful Pecha Kucha presentations.

Supriya Sarkar

Building presentations

Are you ready to dive into the world of Pecha Kucha presentations and ignite your audience's interest with a dynamic and concise presentation style?

Pecha kucha, often referred to as PK, is a presentation format that originated in Tokyo and has taken the global stage by storm. It's closely related to the Ignite presentation method and has gained popularity for its fast-paced, creative approach to sharing ideas and inspiration.

What is Pecha Kucha?

Pecha Kucha is a presentation style that follows a strict structure: 20 slides for 20 seconds each, resulting in a total presentation time of exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds. The format was created by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham in 2003 and has since spread to cities around the world. In fact, many cities host Pecha Kucha nights where presenters showcase their ideas and stories using this unique and engaging format.

The 20×20 presentation method

The heart of a Pecha Kucha presentation lies in its 20×20 format. Each slide is displayed for 20 seconds, and there are precisely 20 slides in the entire presentation. This constraint forces presenters to be concise, focused, and to the point. It's a refreshing departure from lengthy PowerPoint presentations that can sometimes leave audiences feeling overwhelmed.

Why did Pecha Kucha presentation gain popularity in the business world?

Pecha Kucha was designed to engage the audience during a presentation. The presenter has to deliver the lesson or presentation in the form of a story instead of making it feel like a lecture. Pecha Kucha gained popularity in the business world because of its unique style and efficiency with which time-sensitive information gets delivered.

Also, the Pecha Kucha presentation is versatile since it is used for various industries or topics. A presenter can render a valuable piece of information quickly without eliminating the essence of the information.

How can Pecha Kucha benefit your business presentation?

Pecha Kucha style of presentation is being used around the globe by various industries. It has shown many advantages in the business world that make it unique and useful. Some of the advantages are:

• Time efficiency: With 20 slides displayed in just 6 minutes and 40 seconds, this concise format saves time. It aids in quick and efficient communication, enabling swifter decision-making by employees and management.
• Engagement: The rapid format keeps audiences captivated and focused. This high level of engagement ensures the core message remains impactful without losing its essence.
• Clarity in communication: Pecha Kucha focuses on clear and concise messaging and promotes straightforward communication, enhancing understanding and retention of information.
• Visual storytelling: This format emphasizes strong visual impact and integrates storytelling powerfully with visuals. Connecting verbal content with impactful visuals makes information more memorable and enhances retention among the audience.

Overall, Pecha Kucha’s time efficiency, engagement, clarity, and strong visual impact make it an effective tool for business presentations across various industries.

What key factors to keep in mind when preparing a Pecha Kucha presentation?

Pecha Kutcha’s uniqueness is in the definite number of slides and time in which you present. Therefore, you need to ask yourself three important questions:

What details do you want to tell in 6 minutes and 40 seconds?

Identify the critical and essential details or key points you plan to communicate within the allotted duration of a Pecha Kucha presentation. This response would include outlining the core messages or primary information intended for delivery within the concise time frame.

How can the information be sequenced to weave a cohesive storyline?

You can sequence the information in a Pecha Kucha presentation to craft a cohesive storyline, enabling a logical and engaging flow. This involves arranging the details, key points, or visuals in a structured sequence that naturally progresses, ensuring a coherent and engaging narrative throughout the concise duration of the presentation.

Which parts are unnecessary and can be removed to streamline the presentation?

Scrutinize the presentation content to identify sections or details that may be deemed redundant, excessive, or less crucial. These parts can be modified, condensed, or eliminated to streamline the overall presentation, ensuring a more focused and impactful delivery within the limited timeframe of a Pecha Kucha session.

After you know the answers to these questions you will be clear on the content you want to present. Keep the following things in mind before delivering your Pecha Kucha presentation:

• Precision: Maintain concise and straightforward content to optimize time usage. Ensure that despite time constraints, the core message remains intact.
• Practice makes perfect: Rehearse your presentation multiple times to identify any shortcomings or areas for improvement in your delivery.
• Storytelling mastery: Hone your storytelling abilities. Crafting a well-structured narrative is an art, and a compelling story is memorable. Focus on shaping your presentation to construct a captivating storyline within the allotted time.

How to deliver a Pecha Kucha presentation perfectly?

Your efforts can go to waste if your presentation isn't delivered effectively. So here are a few tips to help you enhance your presentation skills.

• Visual cues: As you prepare your slides, jot down the key points you intend to convey. You should employ visual cues whenever possible, as it becomes easy to retain information if you associate content with images or graphics. You should review your slides to ensure they align with your intended narrative flow. Adjust the presentation's trajectory as needed, enabling these visual cues to guide your focus.
• Avoid scripts: Refrain from relying on scripts or cue cards during your presentation. Depending on such aids might create a disconnect between you and the audience. Instead, familiarize yourself with the overarching story you wish to convey. It's acceptable if your words don't precisely match your planned script. If you miss specific details on a slide, resist the urge to force that information into another slide. Embrace the flow and embrace the storytelling process as it unfolds naturally.
• Repetition is key: Keep in mind the saying, "Practice makes perfect." Rehearse your slides multiple times to achieve mastery. Practice with a friend or family member who can offer constructive feedback similar to that of an audience. Pay close attention during these practice sessions to your timing and the narrative flow of your storyline. This dedicated practice will significantly enhance your presentation readiness.

Creating an effective Pecha Kucha presentation using Prezent

Now, you might be wondering how Prezent, fits into this Pecha Kucha equation. Well, Prezent offers a set of tools and features that can greatly enhance your Pecha Kucha experience.

Using Prezent for your Pecha Kucha presentation offers several significant advantages. First and foremost, Prezent provides a vast library of brand-approved designs that can elevate the visual appeal of your presentation. You can choose from a wide range of professionally designed templates, ensuring that your slides look polished and engaging. Additionally, Prezent facilitates real-time sharing and collaboration, making it easy to work with team members and co-presenters during your Pecha Kucha night. This feature ensures a seamless and synchronized presentation flow, enhancing the overall quality of your delivery.

Managing your Pecha Kucha slides is a breeze with Prezent's document management capabilities. You can easily organize and access all your presentation assets in one place, streamlining your preparation process. For those moments when time is of the essence, Prezent offers an overnight presentation service. You can submit your content, and by the next business day, you'll receive a professionally designed presentation, ready to impress your audience.

Personalization is key in Pecha Kucha, and Prezent allows you to tailor your presentation to your audience's preferences and your brand's identity. With customization options at your fingertips, you can make each slide uniquely yours. Lastly, Prezent ensures 100% compliance with your brand's guidelines, guaranteeing that your Pecha Kucha presentation is on-brand and visually consistent. This feature ensures that your presentation not only captivates but also aligns perfectly with your brand's image.

Ready to create your Pecha Kucha presentation? Try our free trial or book a demo today with Prezent!

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What is the Pecha Kucha 20×20 Presentation Technique?

February 13, 2012 / Blog audience, presentation, presentation technique, Rick Enrico, Salt Lake City, San Jose, SlideGenius

Founded by Tokyo-based architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham in 2003 and stylized as PechaKucha 20×20 , this simple presentation technique lets you show 20 images for 20 seconds each, for a running time of about 7 minutes in total.

Pecha Kucha lasts longer than an elevator pitch, which is supposed to be delivered for as long as an elevator ride, and runs shorter than the time Guy Kawasaki suggests in his 10/20/30 rule.

This presentation technique is recommended for more informal gatherings.

The official Pecha Kucha events held around the globe are meant to serve as a social gathering of creative minds and talents. In these gatherings, anyone can pitch their ideas at the event about any topic.

But we’re not suggesting that you talk about random topics during your pitch. Rather, you can utilize the presentation’s unique format to benefit your deck.

Graphic Intensive Pitch

The key difference between Pecha Kucha, an elevator pitch, and the 10/20/30 rule are its limitations.

It’s a time-bound format where you let your presentation play automatically, with each slide running for 20 seconds each.

This means that you can’t go back or skip to the next slide. Compared to an elevator pitch and the 10/20/30 rule, it’s restricted to a self-presenting deck or a time limit per slide.

While the 10/20/30 rule also advocates a limit of 10 slides in 30 minutes, Pecha Kucha runs 20 slide images in 7 minutes.

This means that the latter goes through more slides in a fraction of the time, making Pecha Kucha an image-intensive presentation.

Pecha Kucha 20×20 has been described as a business meeting meets poetic poetry slam, which aren’t far from each other in a way. Both utilize imagery, structure, and analogies to convey their message.

Find the Middle Ground

Pecha Kucha or PechaKucha is perfect if you find elevator pitches too short, and Guy Kawasaki’s 20-minute recommended running time too long.

It’s a completely different challenge to deliver a 20-slide deck for 20 seconds each. You need to rehearse your speech per slide to last exactly for 20 seconds.

Any more and you’ll rush your delivery, any less and you’ll have dead air in your already barebones 7-minute presentation.

Some previous experience in giving presentations and a lot of rehearsals may be required to pull off this style without a hitch.

In addition, using a conversational tone is necessary in order to foster the relaxed atmosphere that this movement started.

A conversational tone lets your audience follow a jargon-free pitch much faster and easier.

Passion is Key to Success

The word pecha – kucha comes from the Japanese word for “chatter”.

The early stages of the gatherings were coined after the conversational atmosphere this type of presentation attracted. The laid back and social aspect of Pecha Kucha events has been the key to its success.

You can translate this to your pitch by showing your enthusiasm through your presentation. Tell your audience that you’re about to do something different today and introduce the Pecha Kucha technique.

Choose powerful images that support the message of your pitch while still remembering to stay within your time limit. Master your topic and engage your audience using a relaxed, conversational tone.

This presentation style develops your ability to be concise with your speech so that you can get straight to the point and improves your rapport with the audience because of its informality.

A Pitch That’s Just Right

Change up your presentation habits and incorporate PechaKucha 20×20 into your pitch. Informal gatherings can benefit from this fun presentation style.

Challenge yourself and entertain your audience by showing them what you can do with 20 slides for 20 seconds each.

Since this is an image-intensive pitch, make sure to pick visuals that stand out. Support your message with your image by providing the right amount of words to say.

Rehearse your words carefully so that you don’t exceed the time limit.

But most of all, have fun while you’re at it. People’s attention gravitate towards speakers who are clearly passionate in what they have to say.

“Frequently Asked Questions.” PechaKucha 20×20 . Accessed December 22, 2015. www.pechakucha.org/faq “Guy Kawasaki – The 10/20/30 Rule of PowerPoint.” Guy Kawasaki . December 30, 2005. Accessed December 22, 2015. http://guykawasaki.com/the_102030_rule Pink, Daniel H. “Pecha Kucha: Get to the PowerPoint in 20 Slides Then Sit the Hell Down.” Wired.com . August 21, 2007. Accessed December 22, 2015. www.wired.com/2007/08/st-pechakucha

Featured Image: by Ryan McGuire on gratisography.com

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Guide to Making a Pecha Kucha Presentation: Overview

History of pecha kucha.

Pecha Kucha , the Japanese term for the sound of conversation (“chit chat”) began in Tokyo, back in 2003. Conceived by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham , their original goal was to create a space where designers could share their ideas/passions with others.

However, knowing how dangerous it is to give a designer a microphone… they decided to put some checks in place. In order to prevent speakers from droning on and on, the Pecha Kucha format has restrictions: namely, 20 slides, on display for 20 seconds each. Because of this constraint every single Pecha Kucha presentation, regardless of speaker or topic, is exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds in length.

Since its inception, the Pecha Kucha format has spread to multiple cities around the world. As of June, 2009, more than 200 cities hold their own Pecha Kucha events, where people across multiple disciplines and fields of study share the things that interest and invigorate them. Visit pecha-kucha.org for more info, and to find an event near where you are.

About This Guide

My name is Felix Jung, and I gave my first talk at Pecha Kucha Chicago, Volume 9 . I thoroughly enjoyed the event and had a fantastic time preparing for my talk. On looking back, I wanted to write up a summary of my process, and to share any tips or hints to others who are planning (or considering) participating in their first Pecha Kucha event.

A few caveats: I’m no professional speaker, nor do I profess to have any kind of secret insider knowledge. I’m a guy who gave a talk, and maybe my notes will be of help. The suggestions I make here are just that – suggestions. Take them or leave them, as what worked for me might not necessarily work for you.

Like design or poetry or cooking, there’s no one way to do this right (and anyone who tells you otherwise is trying to sell you something).

When I was first doing my prep, I spent time looking around on YouTube for examples of Pecha Kucha talks . I wanted to see what others had done, and wanted some basis for comparison.

To that end, I’m posting up my slides and videos of my talk in the hopes that they might be of some help to you. There are two videos of my talk: one that shows the event live, and another that has audio from the evening superimposed over my slides.

Additionally, if you want a closer look at the slides themselves… check out the downloads section for .zip files of both the individual slides, as well as the main .PSD.

Again, I want to stress that I’m not suggesting you copy what I did. Completely the opposite, in fact. I encourage you to come up with your own style, your own approach.

When I was working on my own presentation, I wanted specific examples of how others set up their talks. In that spirit, I hope these pages provide a good starting point. Good luck in your prep, and if this was a useful resource… I’d love to hear about it (and I’d love to see your presentation too, if it’s online). Break a leg!

Next: Getting Started

This Post Has 5 Comments

It’s so great you’ve prepared such a guide because it encourages people to take part in Pecha Kucha and makes it easier for them to, one day, prepare a presentation themselves. I am a big fan of Pecha Nights and love to share my passion as well. I’ve recently wrote an article: 20 Reasons Why Pecha Kucha is Great for You , drop in and let me know what you think. All best from Oslo.

I have a question about the total presentation time. Does it have to strictly follow 6.6 minutes? Because my professor deducted 5 points off my grade for “not following Pecha Kucha guidelines” because my total time was 5:43. I would appreciate any advise and I can use some references that shows Pecha Kucha CANNOT fall below 6.6 minutes. I need help because we will be doing more of this sort of assignment.

Hi Dedes – There aren’t a lot of specific rules to Pecha Kucha, but the one thing that seems a constant is the overall time for each presentation. If you look at the official PechaKucha website , they oftentimes refer to the format as “PechaKucha 20×20.” Meaning: 20 slides, 20 seconds each.

At public performances, no one is really holding a stopwatch to each presenter. But the general expectation is that all presentations , regardless of content, will fall around 6 minutes, 40 seconds in length. Hope this helps, and good luck with your future presentations!

Hello, I followed your tips for my recent Pecha Kucha in Barcelona (Design Museum of Barcelona auditorium with 320 people). I just wanted to say thank you for all your tips and ideas. I really enjoyed your Pecha Kucha too!!! This is mine. I speak in catalan but I have added english subtitles. I would like to hear a comment from you. Thanks

https://youtu.be/zQdtxdlKs3Y

I think Pecha Kucha is the bomb! I recently had to give a presentation and chose the pecha kuccha format because it allowed me to be myself and convey the contents of my heart without the pressures of slide to slide combat.

Leave A Reply

Dr. Ian O'Byrne

I first learned how to pronounce PK from Kelly Chandler Olcott as she used the following video to illustrate the correct pronunciation. In future work, my own pronunciation will follow the video below, but while trying to flatten the tone each time. Regardless of how “correctly” you pronounce PK, you’ll most definitely have people look at you quizzically when you suggest it.

I’ve given countless PK style talks ( example & example ), facilitated sessions including PK talks, and include PK/Ignite talks as an assessment device in my classes. I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly in PK presentations. In this post I’ll share my tips, tricks, and lessons learned from these experiences. Keep in mind that for every rule for a PK talk, I see someone break the rules and do something magical.

Preparing your slide deck

As you develop your slides for a PK presentation, keep in mind that the format should utilize images more than words. As a result, I strive for primarily images with very little (or no) text on each slide. Large, dramatic images that will capture the attention of the audience are a great strategy as you create a narrative with your words. I recommend reviewing this post to learn more about the images that you choose and use in your PK slides, and general PPTs. You might also check out Unsplash , Flickr CC Search , Compfight , and  CC Search  as you search for Creative Commons licensed content to use .

If you do include text on the slide, keep in mind that the audience is also “on the edge of their seats” in your presentation. Allow them to focus on the words on the screen as opposed to the words coming out of your mouth. Alternatively, you can explain to them exactly  what you want them to focus on in the text. Please also consider how to use presentations and PPT docs to get the most out of the audience …and hit your objectives.

Keep it simple. Don’t include transitions. Don’t include slide animations, or callouts. The more things you add in to make it fancy become the things that delay and derail your presentation.

The best way to prepare your slides is to use Microsoft Powerpoint. As a lover of Google Slides  this pains me…but Slides will only let you automatically transition after 15 seconds. You can set up your Powerpoint slides to automatically advance by clicking on the “transitions” settings, and clicking the button to have your slides advance every 20 seconds. Make sure you don’t click that option to advance on the “mouse click.” There’s nothing more aggravating than getting rolling in your PK talk and realizing that the first slide isn’t advancing automatically…and then having to restart. I know from experience. 🙂

Preparing what to say…and how to say it

As I prepare for my sessions, I generally identify a story, or narrative across the slides and my time. For each slide, I identify a point, or key idea I want to make for that slide. In the development of the slide deck, I make sure there is a visual cue that will help me remember the point that I wanted to make on that slide. Between the intersection of the larger narrative of the presentation and the points per slide, I generally can map out the trajectory and guidepoints to keep me focused. If it’s not clear to me, I adjust the slides to make sure I’ll have those guidepoints in my head as I present.

I do not recommend writing a script for this presentation style. I definitely do not recommend bringing a script in to the session with you to present. In my own experience, I know the general story that I want to tell, and the specific words don’t matter. I’ve had colleagues bring in their script and stare down at the cue cards in the talk and it creates a disconnect with the audience. A script is also problematic if/when you have glitches with timing in your presentation. If you miss a transition…then you’re feverishly trying to read the cue cards to get caught up. Also…if you have a script and cue cards, it’s probably a sign that you’re trying to squeeze too much in to the format. 🙂

Last, but not least…practice. This is one of the common themes on this PK guide from USC. In my own preparation I run through the slides numerous times in my head as I’m developing…and then reviewing them. It’s also a good habit to let the slides run and advance in Powerpoint to see what the timing will look like.

Actually presenting it

When the day of reckoning comes…relax. Have fun. You’ve put in the work up to this point. You know your content. Now you just need to get up there and make it happen. There may/will be technology or glitches out of your control. Nothing will ever be perfect…and that is part of the art form. Remind yourself that is performance, and presentation.

In my experience the audience is as nervous as the presenters. The audience usually doesn’t know what to do (cognitively) with the presentations. There is so much information, so much to see/hear and consider that they don’t know where to focus. There is also usually a buzz in the air as this is something new that is unexpected. In larger sessions with multiple PK speakers, we usually direct the audience to “just take it all in.” We provide breaks in between sets or themes of speakers to give them a chance to debrief.

Practice for practice sake

If you want to play with the medium, and challenge yourself or your students, you can play with PK. Known as Powerpoint-Karaoke, or BattleDecks , these are PK sessions in which you do not know the slides that are coming up. The slide decks are chosen/compiled at random. The speaker may know the theme, or nothing at all before they begin. It’s the ultimate in thinking on your feet.

One tool that I love to use with colleagues and students is PechaFlickr by Alan Levine . This wonderful tool has you start by adding in a search term, and then scraping Flickr for images. These images are pulled into a presentation file that is set up to automatically advance for each slide. This tool is tons of fun, and it has you focus on the content and your cognitive flexibility. 🙂

Next slide please…

Now that you hopefully have a better idea of what PK is…get out there and do it. The best way to learn how to do it is to just get started. You can review the links in this post for more ideas of what you’re in store for. I also recommend this post by Catherine Cronin as you’re searching for more guidance.

Get out there and have fun. 🙂

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Cover photo by triplefivechina https://flickr.com/photos/triplefivechina/4877744304 shared under a Creative Commons (BY) license

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10 Comments → How to plan, present, & survive a Pecha Kucha style presentation

It’s a fun challenge, for sure!

I am about to do a Pecha Kucha poetry challenge right now.

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Meet Pecha Kucha, the Japanese presentations changing everything about PowerPoint

“students, please remember to monotonously read every slide word-for-word when you present to the class.” said no teacher ever ..

My performance arts background as an actress, director, and theatre teacher gives me a great understanding of what it takes to be a dynamic performer, and an even greater appreciation of a great performance. Knowing this, it comes as no surprise that after several years of teaching high school theatre and English, I became utterly dejected by the quality of presentations my students gave.

It wasn’t their fault; my students simply had never been taught how to present information in a way that was engaging and interesting . In fact, many adults struggle with this same task. We have all seen so many bad presentations in our lives, we have come to think that’s what presentations are supposed to be like. My students honestly thought the act of giving a presentation meant looking something up on Google, copy/pasting some information into PowerPoint slides, and then getting in front of the class and timidly reading those slides verbatim to a disinterested and disengaged audience (myself included) .

I had to stop the madness!

(Next page: 20 images; 20 seconds: the magic of Pecha Kucha)

Around this same time, a teacher colleague of mine introduced me to Pecha Kucha . I was very intrigued by this presentation style, as it relies on visual images instead of slides crammed with a thousand bullet points and so much information it will only fit on the screen in 6-point font. I also liked the fact that Pecha Kucha forces the presenter to actually know what they are talking about and puts a conversational (“chit-chat-y” if you will) tone in their presentation ( you can watch sample presentations online ).

I had to try it immediately with my sophomores. They of course hated me for this. “We can’t read from the slides?!” they exclaimed. I apologized for trying to ruin their lives and being the worst teacher ever.

This did, however, make me reconsider my initial plan. A presentation in the true style of Pecha Kucha is 20×20: 20 images displayed for 20 seconds each . The presentation is timed so that it advances on its own, and the speaker talks along with it, making the presentation six minutes and 40 seconds exactly. My students’ protests helped me realize that I needed to ease them into this, and help them break the bad presentation habits that they had developed over time gradually, instead of cold turkey.

I decided that for their first Pecha Kucha presentation, they would be allowed to have no more than three pieces of information on each slide, but they had to include a picture that encapsulated the gist of that slide’s information. I decided to keep the 20×20 format for a 6:40 presentation, but allowed my students to work with a partner this first time to share the responsibility of presenting.

I was pleasantly surprised at how well my students did with this first go-round of Pecha Kucha, and they were too! For the next presentation I assigned students, they were required to have only images on their slides, but they could use speaking notes during the presentation. Eventually, all of my students were presenting in true Pecha Kucha style . Some ran with it and excelled, others plugged along, and some begrudgingly suffered through it. In time, though, their presentations improved, and their learning also increased. I didn’t see anymore slides with information copied directly from a website; my students were finally researching their topic, synthesizing the information, and presenting it in a way that showed me they actually understood the subject matter .

Here are four tips to other educators wanting to try Pecha Kucha in their classrooms:

(Next page: 4 tips to get students hooked on Pecha Kucha)

1. Model the style for students and get their feedback . It will be easier for them to buy-in to this big change if they have a good example set before them and if they have discussed what makes a good presentation “good” (engaging, interesting, not monotone, not word for word from slides, etc.).

2. Don’t be too rigid at first. Explain what Pecha Kucha is to students, but feel free to alter the style for beginners. For example, you might want to allow minimal words on slides with images at first like I did, or you might consider allowing students to use notes. You could even tweak the format of 20×20 by beginning with 10 slides at 20 seconds each. Eventually, challenge students to use the true Pecha Kucha style . My experience has taught me that students will work to reach whatever expectations you have set , so don’t keep the bar low if you want them to achieve at a higher level.

3. Bad habits are hard to break. Students will need lots of opportunity to practice this skill in order to perfect it. With time, this will become the status quo in your classroom, and may even spill over into other teachers’ classes as well.

4. Don’t be discouraged. I joked earlier about being the “worst teacher ever” because I wanted to challenge my students to improve, and you probably will have students that will give you a hard time for pushing them. Stick with it. Celebrate the small successes you see and trust that, with time and practice, your students will only get better.

It wasn’t always easy when I was first implementing this into my classes; however, I am very happy that I did. When you first try Pecha Kucha with your students, you’ll get complaints, you’ll hear whining, and you may be tempted to take the easy way out because you are tired of being chastised for setting high expectations; however, that’s just a sign that you’re #winning at this whole teaching thing.

Ivy Nelson is the Technology Integration Specialist for the Harrisonville R-9 School District in Harrisonville, MO. She previously taught at Monett High School in Monett, MO.

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Daniel H. Pink

Pecha Kucha: Get to the PowerPoint in 20 Slides Then Sit the Hell Down

The duo — Dytham is British, Klein Italian — invented pecha-kucha four years ago to help revive a struggling performance space they owned. The first presentations were such a hit that they began hosting monthly pecha-kucha events, boozy affairs at which Tokyo architects and designers showcased their streamlined offerings to crowds of hundreds. Now there are pecha-nights in 80 cities, from Amsterdam and Atlanta to San Francisco and Shanghai. Why? Dytham believes that the rules have a liberating effect. "Suddenly," he says, "there's no preciousness in people's presentations." Just poetry.

At long last, my pecha-kucha presentation:

StartPrevious: We Have Ignition! NASA Tests a New Rocket Engine in the Mojave Desert. Next: Jargon Watch: Microbesoft, Geosniff, Witricity

By Kim Zetter

By Will Knight

By Aarian Marshall

By Nena Farrell

Vittoria Elliott

Kate Knibbs

Lauren Goode

Steven Levy

Reece Rogers

Will Knight

• PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff

10 Tips for Pecha Kucha

A few days ago, our PowerPoint and Presenting Stuff LinkedIn group had a great discussion on Pecha Kucha . It started with one of our members asking for some guidance on how to go about preparing for a Pecha Kucha presentation. To those of you who do not know what Pecha Kucha is, it is a presentation format that originated in Japan in the year 2003. In Japanese, Pecha Kucha translates to chit-chat or chatter. On this page, we will explore the ten best Pecha Kucha tips.

Each Pecha Kucha speaker presents with a deck of 20 slides (or images). Each of these slides progresses automatically to the next one, after being visible onscreen for 20 seconds. This is the reason why Pecha Kucha is often known as 20×20.

That’s a total time of fewer than 7 minutes and explains why most Pecha Kucha slides are more visual than text-laden. Text-heavy slides would take much more time to explain than the allocated 20 seconds, and will also get the audience reading the text rather than giving their undivided attention to the Pecha Kucha presenter.

Getting back to the question about how you can prepare a better Pecha Kucha presentation, the forum responses did bring in some awesome answers. With the permission of those who responded, I’ve compiled this list of 10 tips that will help you prepare for a better Pecha Kucha presentation.

1. Choose a Simple Topic

Many times, presenters get tempted to choose complicated topics that need so many facts to be explained even before you get to the topic. Let’s face it – not everything in this world is simple enough to be explained in less than 7 minutes. But you can simplify your topic, or you can choose another topic that is simple enough to be explained within that time frame.

Once you have chosen a topic, leave out the un-required and focus on your message – you should be able to condense the gist of your entire message in one, simple line. Then elaborate as required.

You May Also Like: Ten Easy Topics for Pecha Kucha

2. Start With an Outline

As with generic presentations that are not limited to Pecha Kucha’s 20×20 rule, you should start with an outline. You can call your outline a structure, a story, etc. Charles Greene III prefers to call the outline an “analog”. He uses 3 x 5-inch note cards for his main ideas. He restricts to one idea per card, thus each card represents a potential slide. Under each main idea, he jots 3 quick sentences about that idea.

Using cards is a great idea – but if you want, you can even use some paper sheets, PostIt notes, an iPad or tablet, or even Microsoft Word, Evernote, or OneNote. Work with whichever medium makes you feel comfortable, as long as you end up with a rough outline.

3. Tweak Your Outline

It’s now time to reorder the content in your outline. Then remove what is not required – you may also want to combine some parts of the outline into one slide or divide others as required. Whatever you do, think about your audience – you must include what they would like to hear rather than what you want to say.

Charles Greene III adds about how he works with his note cards: “The cards were sorted, shifted and removed until I had my final 20 slides that told my story. Strong visual images were selected to go with each topic. I developed my story flow from the note cards”.

4. Make Your Slides

You are now ready to import your outline into PowerPoint or any other slide program. PowerPoint can import outlines to create slides, but even if you do not want to import your outline, you can still create slides from your text content.

Most often, your text content will be restricted to your slide titles. You should end up with 20 slides. Play and watch them. Do the slides build up well with your message, one after the other? If the answer is no, then go back and redo them until you are happy. There’s no sense in moving beyond this step unless you are happy with the content and sequencing of your slides.

5. Add Pictures

Add pictures to your slides that are relevant to what you will speak about. Ric Bretschneider, formerly Senior Program Manager for PowerPoint at Microsoft advises: “Pictures! Graphics! Even black slides! Text used sparingly. The most successful Pecha Kuchas don’t use much if any text.”

6. Practice

Then practice as much as you can. And practice again.

Charles adds: “I found that even with the little information that I had chosen to say, it was too much. In actual performance, the flow is very quick. To not have the sense that I was racing toward the 6minute 40-second mark, I had to take out some words. I also had three slides towards the end that covered one topic. This gave me a place where I could “hover” to adjust my timing and flow. I highly suggest a “hover” space.”

Ric adds: “Do practice so you know one or two points that each slide brings to your story naturally. You can perform free-form easy if you know what you absolutely need to include to support your upcoming points.”

7. To Animate or Not?

You’ll have to make a decision about this one; whether you should animate objects on your slide, or not. Also, do you want to use slide transitions? Any animation is a movement, and movement pulls the eye of the audience away from you to the slides. 20 seconds is too short a time for them to refocus on you during that particular slide, and that explains why you must decide whether animation will add value to your slide, or otherwise.

Ric adds: “Do not animate. Aside from potentially messing your timings up, animations are an unanticipated pause in your presentation while another point is disclosed. Your slides are bite-sized enough, use them exclusively for disclosure. OK, that said you can break that rule if you aren’t using the animation to break out talking points, more ambient animation. But even so, challenge the assumption that you need to do that because you do lose the audience a little each time they have to analyze a change to your visual.”

8. Practice Again

Yes, it is time to practice again. With less than 7 minutes to present, you can afford to practice more often. Even if you end up using 2 or 3 minutes more in a Pecha Kucha presentation, that won’t be acceptable or even possible using the format. So you must have time on your side, right down to the minutest level. That sort of sync with your slides can only be achieved with repeated practice.

Charles adds: “Afterthoughts — Practice, practice, practice! That’s the only way to get the presentation to flow like a conversation. Give some “performance” to the presentation. Be a bit dramatic. Add your own personal flair. Hopefully, you are presenting a topic that you care about as your personal love for the subject will make a difference. Oh, did I mention practice?”

9. Love Your Audience

Ric raised a very significant issue, about being human with your audience.

He added: “With all this focus on the mechanical and your presence it’s easy to forget to really talk to the audience. Make contact, converse, be warm, and be human. It’s one of the more intimate presentation styles if you let it be.”

10. Everything Else, and More Pecha Kucha Tips

You already heard about the benefits of practicing but remember to let your free flow work as well — depend 80% on practice and a script, but let the other 20% of being free within a framework also work for you! So in effect, you will know your slides like the back of your hand, but you should be able to move your hands as you like.

Ric adds one last thing: “Find out if your start and end slides are considered part of the pres. Just something to know.” Also, there are lots of videos from Ric’s Pecha Kucha events on the San Jose site . Ric mentioned that Indezine readers in Silicon Valley are welcome to contact him if they want to try out Pecha Kucha in an upcoming event.

Charles provided a link to his Pecha Kucha presentation on YouTube .

See Also: Preparing for Ignite or Pecha Kucha: Conversation with Yancey Unequivocally | Resonate on iPad: A Book That’s Now Become an Experience

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Filed Under: Thoughts Tagged as: Charles Greene III , Delivery , Pecha Kucha , Pecha Kucha Tips , PowerPoint , Presentation Skills , Ric Bretschneider

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Pecha Kucha Presentations: Spice Up PowerPoint Slideshows with Stock Photos

A memorable pecha kucha presentation requires nothing more than photos. here’s the what, why, and how of the pecha kucha method..

How many times have you sat through a business presentation only to have the speaker read bullet point after bullet point, slide after slide? Probably way too many times to count. Text-heavy PowerPoint presentations can all start to blend together. What’s a presenter to do when they want to ensure their slides stand out?

Next time you’re presenting, try Pecha Kucha instead.

By prioritizing brevity and visual storytelling, Pecha Kucha is a 180-degree departure from traditional presentations—instantly making any topic more memorable, effective, and engaging.

Here’s what you need to know to become a Pecha Kucha presentation pro.

What Is a Pecha Kucha?

Originating from the Japanese phrase for “chit chat,” the Pecha Kucha method revolves around a single principle: Speak less and show more. 

To do that, Pecha Kucha presentations follow a strict format: 

• No text—only photos!
• 20 seconds per slide

No matter how complex your topic might be, you’ve got exactly six minutes and 40 seconds to get your point across. By working within these specific limitations, presenters are challenged to be  extremely  intentional about every aspect of the presentation—proving that less really is more.

3 Quick Tips for Effective Pecha Kucha Imagery

If you had to answer the question, “What is Pecha Kucha about?”, the answer is simple: imagery, imagery, imagery. Follow these three best practices to make sure your imagery makes an impression.

1. Choose High-Quality Stock Photos

When the sole focus of your slides is imagery , those images had better look great! It’s not only important to look for quality in the  authenticity of your stock photography , but also quality in resolution.

Make sure your images are high resolution and won’t look blurry or pixelated even when displayed on a large screen. This is especially important if you’re giving your presentation onstage.

2. Don’t Be Too Literal

One of the biggest mistakes Pecha Kucha presenters make is being too literal with their imagery. Extremely on-the-nose photos (think: a marketer looking frustrated at a computer when talking about marketing challenges) often come across as cheesy or low effort.

Instead of choosing exact representations, go with images that are more evocative, emotional, conceptual, or metaphorical. 

An image about marketing challenges, for instance, might be better served with a person walking forward with determination on a long road. Select images based more on  color , mood, undertone, or vibe, as much as literal content.

3. Keep It Simple

With only 20 seconds on the clock for each slide, simple imagery works best. You want people to “get it” right away instead of struggling to analyze what’s on the screen while also trying to hear what you’re saying. 

Keep images clear and recognizable, so they’ll serve as a natural, non-distracting backdrop for your speech.

Pecha Kucha Example: Slides & Speaker Notes

Pecha Kucha presentations are most common in creative fields like design, architecture, and photography—but their innovative visual approach is also perfect for business!

To see what we mean, check out the fully built-out Pecha Kucha example below, speaker notes and all.

In this  beautiful PowerPoint presentation , we’re announcing a hypothetical product launch of Organic Home Cleaner, using stock imagery  to tell the story, communicate objectives, and gain buy-in.

Slide 1 Speaker Notes 

License these images via ImageFlow and Sarunyu_foto .

Thanks for joining us! Today, I am thrilled to announce the launch of Organic Home Cleaner, an eco-friendly cleaning product that actually works.

Slide 2 Speaker Notes

A few months ago, I was walking in the cleaning aisle with my seven-year-old. She picked up a blue bottle of spray cleaner (you know the one) and tried reading the ingredients.

Let’s just say it didn’t go well. . . . If I’m being honest, I didn’t fare all too much better.

Slide 3 Speaker Notes

And we’re not alone. As recent sales reports have shown, our customers’ preferences have significantly changed in recent years. Folks who were once happy to use anything and everything are now much more judicious in what they buy.

They’re looking at labels, and asking questions.

Slide 4 Speaker Notes

Our customers not only want cleaning products that kill the germs and smell nice—they want to know every single ingredient in that product (and trust that they can pronounce them).

They want products that are 100% safe for their kids and pets . . . without compromising on effectiveness.

Slide 5 Speaker Notes

As we know, this has been a huge challenge for our industry. I myself have often wondered, “What on earth is perchloroethyl. Huh?”

Effective cleaning ingredients can seem caustic and overly chemicalized, while more natural ingredients (let’s face it) often fail to do the job beyond adding the nice, natural scent of lemons or lavender.

Slide 6 Speaker Notes 

Organic Home Cleaner fills a critical market gap and speaks to the growing number of consumers who care about safety and environmental impact, just as much as a clean and tidy home.

What good is a fresh scent and clean appearance if it’s just making harmful germs and bacteria? 

Slide 7 Speaker Notes

Unlike the competition, Organic Home Cleaner comes with independent lab testing for every ingredient, along with peer-reviewed scientific studies. This product line is based on radical transparency and evidence-based R&D.

It may cost more and take a bit more effort to execute, but this is something I wouldn’t compromise on—for my family or yours. 

Slide 8 Speaker Notes

At the same time, though, it smells great (hint hint: lemongrass) and feels familiar. If you walked through the lab like I did, you’d never be able to tell which product was “different.”

They all felt like something I already have under my kitchen sink. Minus the harsh chemicals. 

Slide 9 Speaker Notes

The brand feel is both natural and scientific—leaning on beautiful plant/nature imagery while also feeling lightly technological. It’s natural for folks who wouldn’t call themselves “granola.”

Slide 10 Speaker Notes

Organic Home Cleaner is really an extension of our customers’ deepest values. It was born out of a question we’ve all asked at some time or another in our lives: Aren’t some things—like family—worth investing in?

Slide 11 Speaker Notes 

Our customers are savvy to typical “marketing speak” and won’t let the wool be pulled over their eyes. They’re tired of greenwashing and (without knowing it) are looking for something exactly like Organic Home Cleaner’s brand-new cleaning product.

Slide 12 Speaker Notes 

License these images via nazarovsergey , Cast Of Thousands , and 5PH .

So, how will we get it out there? Our marketing roadmap includes three key components: a national paid media campaign, a social media influencer program, and partnerships/direct sales with key local grocers.

Slide 13 Speaker Notes

Paid media budget will be allocated to podcast ads, YouTube ads, and PPC. We’ll create cohesiveness by using one (or similar) stock photos , and editing them directly from there.

This will help create recognizability for Organic Home Cleaner’s product, reaching our customers during the best moments of their days—catching up on favorite shows or driving to meet friends after work.

Slide 14 Speaker Notes

I would also see Organic Home Cleaner as I’m scrolling through my daily feeds, from Instagram to TikTok (#CleanTok). I’d see my favorite influencers breaking it down, ingredient by ingredient—earning my trust as a consumer, who always spends time researching before buying.

Slide 15 Speaker Notes

While social media will be a critical component of our go-to-market strategy, retail partnerships are likely to drive the most sales.

That’s why we’ve carefully selected independently owned local grocers—the kind of shops that sustain my community. The ones that love seeing my kids grow up year after year.

The ones where family comes first.

Slide 16 Speaker Notes

In line with our target market and USP, pricing for Organic Home Cleaner is notably higher than our competitors, which reflects the rigor of our safety testing.

As an Organic Home Cleaner parent, I firmly believe that quality should cost more—and my kids are worth it.

Slide 17 Speaker Notes

Post-launch, we will host a series of focus groups to measure market response and customer satisfaction. We expect to use these results as social proof for future marketing campaigns. (And, as my browsing history attests, there’s nothing like a great review to make me hit that “buy” button.)

Slide 18 Speaker Notes

Of course, no launch is completely hitch-free, so we’ve drafted mitigation plans for the top-two threats: disruptions in manufacturing (due to supply chain issues) and delays in online order fulfillment.

Slide 19 Speaker Notes

With these strategies in place, Organic Home Cleaner is poised to capture significant market share among increasingly conscientious, eco-focused consumers. 

Slide 20 Speaker Notes

License these images via LukeProject , naulicrea , and AKaiser .

It’s been tested, patented, and validated by hundreds of focus group participants. Join me in getting it out into the world—starting with our own homes.

As you exit the room, you’ll see a freshly stocked table with Organic Home Cleaner, please take one home and share it with your family. 

Breathe Life into Your Presentations with Pecha Kucha

Your turn! From product launches to creative pitches and process reviews, Pecha Kucha is the fresh approach your marketing and business presentations need. 

Looking for a quick and easy place to begin? Get started with Shutterstock’s library of 600 million images. With more than 200,000 new stock photos added daily, you’ll never be at a loss for great imagery!

License these cover images via Westend61 on Offset , fotaro100 , Westend61 on Offset , images72 , and Eloisa Ramos / Westend61 on Offset .

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Pecha Kucha presentations explained

Get your team on prezi – watch this on demand video.

Anete Ezera January 24, 2024

We’ve all experienced those lengthy presentations that are overflowing with details, yet they’re so cluttered that we hardly absorb any of the information. When it’s your turn to present, you’ll want a method that captures your audience’s attention and communicates your message clearly. This is where the Pecha Kucha technique comes into play. When you combine this with Prezi for your presentation design , you’re setting yourself up for a successful delivery.

What is a Pecha Kucha presentation? 

Many elements make a Pecha Kucha presentation different from conventional styles. Let’s look at what makes up a PechaKucha: 

• Basic concept: PechaKucha is a presentation style designed to be concise and fast-paced.
• Slide count: It uses exactly 20 slides.
• Timing: Each slide is displayed for 20 seconds.
• Total duration: This means your entire presentation will last 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
• Content approach: The idea is to make your points quickly and clearly. It’s more about the key ideas rather than lots of details.
• Purpose: The Pecha Kucha format helps to avoid long and complicated presentations. It keeps things simple and engaging.
• Common use: It’s popular in creative and professional settings. People often use it to share new ideas or projects.
• Audience engagement: With its quick pace, it tends to hold the audience’s attention better than traditional presentation styles.

In summary, a Pecha Kucha presentation is all about brevity and clarity. You get just enough time to make your point, but not so much that your audience loses interest. It’s a great way to present if you want to leave a lasting impression without overwhelming your listeners with too much information.

Where did this presentation style come from? 

The Pecha Kucha presentation style originated in Tokyo back in 2003, created by architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. They noticed a common problem at meetups where speakers, often overenthusiastic or poorly prepared, would go on for too long, causing the audience to lose interest. So, they came up with PechaKucha as a solution. 

This style was created to keep presentations short and clear. It lets speakers share their ideas or work in a time-efficient and engaging way. The PechaKucha became popular quickly, as it became known for helping make presentations easier to understand.

The name ‘PechaKucha’ translates to ‘chit-chat’. A great reflection of the formats designed for simple, fast-paced presentations, where each speaker shares their ideas in a brief, conversational manner. 

Growth in popularity

Since its start in 2003, Pecha Kucha presentations have really taken off. By 2019, it had spread to more than 1,142 cities, and over 3 million people had attended PechaKucha events . This shows just how well-received and adaptable this presentation style is across the globe, resonating with a wide range of audiences.

Who might use a Pecha Kucha presentation? 

Pecha Kucha presentations are quite versatile, so they’re used by a wide range of people and industries. Let’s look at a few examples:

• Educators and students: In schools and universities, teachers and students use Pecha Kucha for classroom presentations. It’s great for keeping lectures engaging and helping students learn to express their ideas concisely.
• Designers and architects: This is where Pecha Kucha presentations started. Design professionals use it to showcase their projects or concepts in a format that’s quick and visually driven, perfect for highlighting design elements.
• Business professionals: In the corporate world, from startups to large companies, Pecha Kucha helps in pitching ideas or presenting updates without dragging on. It’s effective for keeping meetings efficient and focused.
• Marketing teams: Marketing professionals use it to brainstorm and present campaign ideas. The format forces them to boil down their concepts to the essentials, which is key in marketing.
• Tech industry: In tech, where things change rapidly, Pecha Kucha allows professionals to share updates or innovations in a fast-paced, digestible manner, which is crucial for keeping up with the industry’s pace.
• Creative artists: Artists, photographers, and writers use it to present their work or concepts in a narrative yet concise way, often to peers or potential clients.

Pecha Kucha presentations are popular in many fields because they emphasize being brief and clear. It pushes presenters to get straight to the point, which is vital in our fast-paced world. Also, its structured format brings in a creative aspect, making presentations more than just informative, but artistic too.

Pecha Kucha in the digital age

Today, where virtual settings are dominating in business and education, Pecha Kucha presentations stand out. This format’s concise nature is perfect for online meetings and webinars, where keeping the audience engaged is crucial. And with the Prezi Video functionality, you don’t need to settle for screen sharing – you can effectively showcase your slides right next to you on-screen, improving engagement.

It’s also a great tool in online education, helping to deliver compact lessons that are easy for students to digest. This blend of brevity and visual storytelling makes Pecha Kucha presentations an ideal choice for digital communication.

Tips for making the most of your virtual Pecha Kucha presentation

• Test your tech: Ensure your microphone, camera, and internet connection are stable, and your Prezi Video is connected.
• Engage your audience: Although uncommon in traditional Pecha Kucha presentations, in adapting Pecha Kucha for virtual settings, you can consider interactive elements like polls or Q&A to enhance engagement, especially in an environment where audience attention can be more fragmented.
• Practice timing: Rehearse to keep each slide to 20 seconds. Online environments demand precise timing to hold attention.
• Eye contact: Although virtual, try to look at the camera to create a sense of connection with your audience.

Challenges and tips for overcoming them in Pecha Kucha presentations

While Pecha Kucha presentations offer a unique and engaging way to convey information, they also come with their own set of challenges. Here are some common challenges that presenters may face and tips on how to overcome them:

Content selection

When it comes to picking what goes on each slide, it can be a bit tricky. The key here is to keep things focused. Stick to your main ideas and visuals that really back up what you’re saying. Avoid adding in extra stuff that doesn’t directly support your message.

Nervousness

Presenting in a fast-paced style like Pecha Kucha can make anyone feel a bit jittery. To tackle this , practice your presentation in front of friends or colleagues. Getting comfortable with your material and the timing can help ease those nerves.

Technical issues

Whether you’re presenting digitally or in person, tech problems can pop up unexpectedly. It’s a good idea to be ready for these hiccups by testing your equipment beforehand. Having a backup plan in case of any technical glitches will ensure your presentation stays smooth and professional.

Lack of detail

Pecha Kucha is all about brevity, but sometimes, you might worry about leaving out important details. To deal with this, consider offering extra resources or references for those who want to dive deeper into your topic after your presentation.

Slide design

Creating visually appealing slides that match your message can be a bit of a challenge. Don’t hesitate to use Prezi’s design tools to your advantage. And if you’re not sure about your presentation’s look, asking for feedback on its aesthetics can be really helpful.

By recognizing and getting ready for these challenges, you’ll be well-prepared to make sure your Pecha Kucha presentation delivers your message effectively.

Learn more about creating and delivering a Pecha Kucha presentation in the following video:

Prezi: the best platform to create your Pecha Kucha presentation 

Prezi is well-suited for Pecha Kucha presentations for many reasons. First, its non-linear presentation style allows for creative storytelling , which aligns with the concise and impactful nature of Pecha Kucha. The zooming feature of Prezi helps to maintain audience engagement , a key aspect of Pecha Kucha. Also, Prezi’s visual-centric approach is perfect for Pecha Kucha’s emphasis on visuals over text. And finally, Prezi’s ease of use and flexibility in arranging content helps presenters focus on timing, crucial for the 20 seconds per slide format of Pecha Kucha.

How to create a Pecha Kucha using Prezi

Creating a Pecha Kucha presentation using Prezi involves a few key steps:

• Start a new Prezi: Choose a blank presentation or a template or one that suits your topic.
• Plan your content: Since Pecha Kucha requires 20 slides, each for 20 seconds, outline your main points to fit this format.
• Choose a theme: Think about a theme such as colors and fonts that align with the message of your Pecha Kucha. You want to be consistent on every slide so be sure to use the same theme throughout the whole presentation.
• Add slides: Create 20 slides in Prezi. Focus on using images and minimal text for each slide. This will help you attain your goal of sharp, concise content, which is crucial for a Pecha Kucha presentation.
• Design your slides: Use Prezi’s tools to add visuals, keeping in mind the zoom and pan features that can make transitions more engaging.
• Time for your presentation: Practice your speech to ensure each slide is presented for 20 seconds.
• Rehearse: Run through your presentation multiple times to get the timing right.

Remember, Prezi’s strength is in creating visually appealing and non-linear presentations, which can add a dynamic element to your Pecha Kucha.

Presenting your Pecha Kucha

So, you’ve designed and created your Pecha Kucha, but what about presenting it successfully? Here’s some tips for presenting your Pecha Kucha in the most effective way: 

• Start strong: Open by saying something engaging to grab attention immediately. Your first slide sets the tone.
• Confidence: Always use strong body language to make yourself appear confident, even if you’re not. Good posture, clear gestures, and a loud voice can make you seem self-assured despite nerves. 
• Storytelling: Weave your information into a fast-paced story. Stories are easier for audiences to follow and remember.
• Visuals are key: Use strong, relevant images. Pecha Kucha is visually driven; let your pictures do the talking.
• Minimize text: Avoid clutter. Use key phrases or words only, as visuals should lead the narrative.
• Practice, practice, practice: Know your material well. This ensures smooth transitions and timing.
• Keep to the point: Focus on your main message. Each slide should contribute clearly to your overall point. During the speech, choose your words wisely to stick to the punchy, attention-grabbing method of Pecha Kucha. 
• Engage with your audience: Make eye contact. Engaging with your audience creates a connection.
• Use humor wisely: If appropriate, humor can make your presentation memorable. But keep it relevant.
• Time management: Again, it’s important to stick to the 20-second rule per slide to maintain pace and structure.
• End with impact: Conclude with a strong, memorable point or call to action. Leave your audience with something to think about.

It’s essential to understand that how you deliver your Pecha Kucha is as crucial as its design. A confident and clear presentation keeps the audience engaged and interested in your message. Preparation is key. Stick to your plan and avoid deviating or getting sidetracked, as this can disrupt the structure and purpose of your Pecha Kucha.

Final thoughts on Pecha Kucha presentations

Wrapping up, Pecha Kucha presentations are a great way to share ideas effectively, especially in the digital era. They are quick, focused, and keep audiences engaged. For creating these presentations, Prezi stands out as an ideal tool. Its features complement the Pecha Kucha style, helping your presentation make a stronger impact. If you’re planning your next presentation, give Prezi a try to bring your Pecha Kucha to life.

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Pecha Kucha: Create Presentations that Pop

Posted January 9, 2019

By Michele Knight

Can you recall the last time that you sat in the audience of a PowerPoint Presentation? What was that experience like? If the presentation was a typical, it probably included:

• The presenter reading directly from the screen
• Lots of bullet points
• Distracting animations and transitions

I have been conducting a Pecha Kucha Workshop for college faculty titled Pecha Kucha Create Presentations with Pop and style for three years . I always open our session by asking faculty to think about the last time they had the pleasure (or pain) of sitting through a PowerPoint presentation. I want them to think about what worked and what could have been improved. Invariably, the conversation brings up many-- if not all-- of the points mentioned above. The misuse of presentation technologies can distract from the content and lead to boredom and disengagement.

Why Pecha Kucha?

The Pecha Kucha format can help to remedy many of these common PowerPoint woes. Pecha Kucha was developed by the managers of a Japanese Architectural firm (Klein Dytham Architecture), that was suffering from many of the same presentation issues highlighted above. The Pecha Kucha method consists of 20 slides, and the speaker speaks for 20 seconds about each slide. If you are doing the math, the total length of your presentation time is 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Creating a presentation less than seven minutes long, with only twenty seconds per slide cuts down on the rambling that is often characteristic of PowerPoint delivery. A successful Pecha Kucha is tightly edited and arranged in bite-sized pieces. It requires careful consideration to arrange the slides in a sensible way. It also incentivizes presenters to rehearse so as not to waste time. The result, typically, is a polished presentation.

As an instructor, you can do a lot with this presentation format to make presentations livelier and more engaging to your students.

Let’s look at some ways you can use Pecha Kucha with your students.

1. Mini-Lectures:

Structure your lessons around two or three Pecha Kuchas that are about seven minutes in length. Each of these mini lectures can cover a major theme for your lesson. Between each mini-lecture, provide students with an activity that reinforces the main concept of your lecture.

2. Introduce a topic to your students

Since the Pecha Kucha is so short, it is an ideal format to introduce a new topic to your students. An introduction to a topic via Pecha Kucha can be used either face to face or online. After using a Pecha Kucha to introduce a concept, you can allow time for questions and answers, or an online discussion board inquiry.

3. Image Rich Review of a Topic:

At the conclusion of your lecture, or online material, use the Pecha Kucha method to provide students with an image-rich review of the concepts that you presented.

4. Final Exam Review

When reviewing for your final exam, create a few Pecha Kuchas with a topical overview of your content. After you present each Pecha Kucha, let your students interview you with any additional questions they might have about preparing for the final exam.

5. Tell a Story

Do you have a relevant story that fits in with the material that you are presenting in your traditional or online classroom? Tell that story in Pecha Kucha Format, using compelling images, in 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

6. Visual Case Scenarios:

Are you already using case studies with your students? If you are not already using case studies, are you interested in using them with your students? Either way the Pecha Kucha format gives you a great way to present a case study with your students and get them practicing skills! After you present your case scenario to your students, consider letting them work through the case in groups.

7. Project Overview:

If you are assigning a project to your students, “pitch” the project to them by using the Pecha Kucha format to outline the project’s requirements. After you present the project to the students using the Pecha Kucha format, students can interview you for clarification. If you are using the Pecha Kucha format to pitch the project online, a bonus is that the students will have a succinct presentation that they can review as needed to gather project requirements.

8. Online Presentations:

When creating presentations for students in an online format, brevity is key, otherwise students will not watch the presentation. The Pecha Kucha method allows you to employ chunking when you post a video, and to deliver the material in bite-sized pieces.

9. Big Picture Concepts:

Most instructors have big picture concepts that are important to their field. You can use Pecha Kucha to deliver these big picture topics to students. Highlight the topic, why it is important to your field, and how it contributes to the history of your field. This gives students a foundation in the thinking that characterizes your discipline.

10. Introduce yourself to your students

Whether you are teaching an online, blended, or face to face course, as a first step, you introduce yourself to your students. Use the Pecha Kucha format to introduce yourself to your students, talk about why you chose your field, your teaching philosophy and other items you feel comfortable to share in a unique, picture format.

11. Vocabulary Pecha Kucha

Help students make sense of the Pecha Kucha

Since the Pecha Kucha format is a brisk paced format, I recommend faculty develop some exercises to help students “unpack” the Pecha Kucha that was just presented.

One Minute Paper

One tactic you can use is the One Minute Paper. After you deliver the Pecha Kucha, you assign a one-minute paper, where you ask the students about the main point of your lecture. In a face-to-face class you can then call on a few students to read their papers. That will check comprehension and spark discussion.

Muddiest Point paper

If you know that your Pecha Kucha covered a dense topic consider having students complete a muddiest point paper, where you ask them what they found most unclear about the Pecha Kucha.

How students can use Pecha Kucha

The Pecha Kucha format is not just for faculty. Pecha Kucha provides students with a good template for presentation development which moves the focus from reading bullet points to effective presentation, followed by discussion.

Pecha Kucha gives students a structure to complete group projects. Since the format is only seven minutes long, this gives you lots of opportunities to assign students a specific portion of a topic. This saves you from needing to listen to several versions of the same presentation. Your students will also be more engaged when they listen to their peers as they will be presenting on a different topic.

Student ePortfolios are popular in Higher Education right now because they encourage student self-reflection and introspection on the relationship of their current learning to the world around them and their careers. Pecha Kucha gives students a great structure to reflect on your course content and how it has affected their lives.

At the beginning of a semester, you have students introduce themselves to each other because it builds community. Get your students to introduce themselves using Pecha Kucha and give them a structure to organize their thoughts and tell a compelling story.

The best way to learn something is to cultivate the ability to teach it to someone else. Give your students a chance to instruct their peers using the Pecha Kucha format. Select a lesson and assign different groups to teach each theme, Pecha Kucha style. After the lesson each group can entertain questions.

General Tips for Pecha Kucha Development

• Since the Pecha Kucha is about storytelling, when designing a Pecha Kucha, you should start with thinking about the story you are going to tell in seven minutes or less.
• Start by developing a storyboard, rather than developing directly in PowerPoint. This will help you focus on the story you are trying to tell instead of designing a PowerPoint and trying to make your presentation “fit” the PowerPoint you develop. Low Tech storyboarding tools include:
• Index Cards
• Printing the Notes Pages of a PowerPoint Slide
• Time each slide to make sure that it is 20 seconds. Remember to add time for pauses and transitioning to the next slide
• Next, intentionally plan the images that will go on your slide. Plan thoughtful images that highlight the theme you are trying to convey. Try to think of the images that will advance your message before you even start looking for images.

Places to find image Pecha Kucha images:

• www.flickr.com/creativecommons
• Do a google search for images that are labeled for reuse, or reuse with modification
• www.photosforclass.com creative commons images with attributions included

Tips for Designing the actual Pecha Kucha in PowerPoint

• Avoid most PowerPoint templates as they are cluttered and difficult to digest when working with twenty seconds per slide.
• Text should be kept to a minimum. If you need text, use brief keywords or phrases, as you only have 20 seconds per slide. When using text, use a Sans-Serif font, such as Helvetica or Arial.
• Avoid using Sound clips or videos.
• Set the slides to automatically advance after 20 seconds.
• Don’t use slide transitions. The slides advance so rapidly that the viewer will find transitions distracting. You don't need sounds or video clips. Your voice will carry the presentation.

Rehearse your Delivery of the Pecha Kucha

Practice what you are saying. This rehearsal is critical to being able to be polished while delivering the Pecha Kucha . Listen to your delivery. Do you have too much to say? Remember to breathe as you present. If the timing is tight, edit your presentation. You don't want to sound rushed while delivering the Pecha Kucha.

Additional Resources:

Baker, T. J. (2014). Pecha Kucha & English Language Teaching: Changing The Classroom. Amazon Digital Services LLC.

Shank, Patti (Ed.). (2011). The Online Learning Idea Book, Volume 2: Proven Ways to Enhance Technology-Based and Blended Learning. San Francisco: Pfeiffer.

Official Pecha Kucha Website: http://www.pechakucha.org/faq

Michele Knight is an Instructional Designer for the Department of ELearning Innovation and Teaching Excellence, (ELITE) at Montgomery College. Her primary role is to help faculty integrate technology into their teaching. Prior to working for Montgomery College, Michele was employed as a Multimedia Specialist for Chesapeake College. Michele’s professional interests include teaching with mobile technologies, techniques to build public speaking skills, and the effective integration of technology into instruction. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Information Systems and a Master of Arts degree in Instructional Systems Design, from the University of Maryland Baltimore County. To get in touch with Michele, please visit www.linkedin.com/in/michele-knight

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Narrative Medicine: Pecha Kucha Style

May 4, 2022

Trisha Paul

Description

Pecha Kucha, or Japanese for "the sound of conversation", is a presentation style featuring 20 images with 20 seconds per slide. This pecha kucha introduces the concept of narrative medicine, an approach that draws attention to patient, family, and provider narratives to humanize the practice of medicine. Over the past two decades, an awareness of narrative in medicine has grown in clinical practice, research, and medical education. I hope to encourage listeners to consider how narrative might shape experiences with health and how for patients, families, and clinicians, narrative can have the power to heal. Viewers will be able to: -Define what narrative medicine is and understand how an awareness of narrative can enhance the practice of medicine. -Describe what practicing narrative medicine might look like using the speaker’s personal life story as a case study. -Identify three common ways we create narrative in our everyday lives and three storytelling prompts that might spark narrative creation. About the creator: Trisha Paul is a pediatric oncologist and palliative care physician and a writer who has been studying narrative medicine for more than a decade. Learn more about her work at www.trishakpaul.com. Special thanks to Kris Acklen for audio and video production. References: 1. Greenhalgh T, Hurwitz B. Narrative based medicine: why study narrative? BMJ. 1999 Jan 2;318(7175):48-50. doi: 10.1136/bmj.318.7175.48. PMID: 9872892; PMCID: PMC1114541. 2. Charon R. Narrative Medicine: A Model for Empathy, Reflection, Profession, and Trust. JAMA. 2001;286(15):1897–1902. doi:10.1001/jama.286.15.1897 3. Charon, R. (2006). Narrative medicine: Honoring the stories of illness. Oxford University Press. 4. Zaharias G. What is narrative-based medicine? Narrative-based medicine 1. Can Fam Physician. 2018 Mar;64(3):176-180. PMID: 29540381; PMCID: PMC5851389. 5. Roscoe LA. Healing the physician's story: a case study in narrative medicine and end-of-life care. Narrat Inq Bioeth. 2012 Spring;2(1):65-72. doi: 10.1353/nib.2012.0006. PMID: 24406769. 6. Haertl KL, Ero-Phillips AM. The healing properties of writing for persons with mental health conditions. Arts Health. 2019 Feb;11(1):15-25. doi: 10.1080/17533015.2017.1413400. Epub 2017 Dec 20. PMID: 31038035. 7. Pennebaker JW. Writing about Emotional Experiences as a Therapeutic Process. PsycholSci. 1998; 8(3): 162-6. 8. Olson ME, Smith ML, Muhar A, Paul TK, Trappey BE. The strength of our stories: a qualitative analysis of a multi-institutional GME storytelling event. Med Educ Online. 2021 Dec;26(1):1929798. doi: 10.1080/10872981.2021.1929798. PMID: 34096480; PMCID: PMC8189054. 9. Stephenson K, Rosen DH. Haiku and Healing: An Empirical Study of Poetry Writing as Therapeutic and Creative Intervention. Empirical Studies of the Arts. 2015;33(1):36-60. doi:10.1177/0276237415569981 10. Evans H. Tell Your Story: Using 55 Word Stories for Teaching and Reflecting. WHEA Educators Salon. 2020 Mar 19. 12. Fogarty CT. Fifty-five word stories: "small jewels" for personal reflection and teaching. Fam Med. 2010 Jun;42(6):400-2. PMID: 20526906. Photography courtesy of the following: : slide 1 Tara Winstead; slide 5 Heather Woeste; slide 6 Pavel Danilyuk, slide 9 Cedric Fauntleroy, slide 10 Lisa Fortios, slide 15 Ann Poan, slide 11 Supushpitha Atapattu. All other photography by Trisha K Paul, MD.

Hi everyone. I'm trisha paul, a pediatric oncologist and palliative care physician writer in this talk about narrative medicine. I'll do three things share my life story define narrative medicine and provide three. Take home storytelling prompts, all in 20 slides, 20 seconds per slide. My story begins with this seahorse, A patient's four year old sibling painted it one day when I was volunteering in a Children's hospital, he looked up at me suddenly and said, The seahorse was for me. This child's generosity reminds me of how altruism is at the heart of what we do in medicine and why we share stories as a volunteer. I began to wonder how did adolescents my age cope with cancer. I studied illness narratives and found that hardly any stories about childhood cancer are told by Children themselves. I gathered patient stories, studied them for my english thesis and published a collection of these works to help other Children and families as a medical student. I quickly realized that just as patient voices often go unheard the stories of those caring for them far too often go untold. In the essay compendium entitled Diatribe genesis. Medical students like me, shared stories about our experiences becoming physicians when I became a pediatric resident. I also became a storyteller with my legs trembling beneath me. I stood before hundreds of people to recite stories I had written. It was terrifying to stretch myself in this way and equally exhilarating. I've come to define narrative medicine as a practice of attending to the stories of patients families, Caregivers and clinicians. We share our lived experiences with one another through stories told in writing, conversation and art. We learn about each other and about ourselves through narrative, which studies have shown to be healing. How does storytelling work? The answer is two fold, creating narrative prompts, reflection and introspection can enable greater insight into the self thinking about how to write about something, creates mental distance that can enable us to shape and reframe our own perspectives as well as those of others. This creative process of disinhibition is accompanied by reorganizing with new language. Writing, deconstructs and reconfigures, allowing one to infuse experiences with new meaning. So why do stories matter? Three main reasons come to mind The sinister reality of modern medicine includes our high rates of health care provider burden. Narrative. Medicine practices have been found to lessen compassion, fatigue, soften burnout and reduce stress meaning. Making through writing can help restore joy to the practice of medicine beyond self expression, sharing creates a sense of community that allows us to recognize universal threads in our individual experiences, sharing stories that resonate, counters singular feelings of loneliness and isolation that arise in emotional and high stakes clinical care stories are change agents. We compel one another by sharing our private thoughts, intimate feelings and secrets of our inner selves. Think about the wide variety of stories you have heard, read and watched about medicine and how they may have shaped your intrigue about this profession. Remember your own story of what brought you into medicine or made you curious enough to watch this talk? Sometimes it just takes a moment. A deep breath. A pause in a parking lot at dusk. And intentionality, carving out time and space for reflection, organization and discovery in our fast paced lives isn't easy, but it can be surprisingly rewarding. What do you see when you look at this picture? Are your eyes drawn to the vast blue skies, the scattered white clouds? Do you look towards the barren trees and the evergreen or the speckled gravel? What about the pine cone front and center? Or the person hidden towards the left, noticing and describing details brings emotions, people and scenery to life. Challenge yourself to describe the five senses in your narrative. How does the sobering breeze feel? What does the frigid air taste like? Can you smell the salt in the wind? Do you hear the sound of waves crashing against glaciers and find yourself squinting from the brightness of arctic ice? Let's talk about three exercises that can prompt you to create a narrative of your own. We all compose differently. Writing by pen or pencil typing on a keyboard or a cell phone to play around with what medium you may be most comfortable with and be open to how different stories emerge in different platforms, snail mail or modern adaptations such as email, text or chat are often a familiar place to start. We all have writerly voices, ways in which we express ourselves through written communication, writing letters, drafting unsent emails or social media posts, jotting down notes on your phone can be more comfortable and less intimidating. Starting points, the japanese haiku poem presents a fun syllable challenge. As illustrated here, Haikus are composed of three lines of poetry. Five syllables in the first line, seven syllables in the second, five syllables again in the last line. An example might be writer's block struggles. So I puzzled with high coups for poetry month. These 55 scrabble tiles make the 55 word story format even more tangible. What stories might you be able to tell with just a handful of words. So back to the seahorse, he stands tall on my desk, glitter paint still shiny a decade later, shimmering as he catches the sunlight. He reminds me of what altruism looks like in its most authentic form, unedited. He reminds me of how rewarding the altruism of sharing stories can be both for storytellers and for listeners and with that I would like to thank you for listening to my story. Thank you for giving me this opportunity to share with you what I love about narrative medicine. Please feel free to reach out and share your stories with me. I am always eager to listen

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Pecha kucha: tips, resources & examples.

Some wonderful examples of Pecha Kucha presentations were a highlight of the recent Galway Symposium on Higher Education (#celt12) held at NUI Galway. If you’ve attended or delivered a Pecha Kucha presentation, you’ll know that it can be both a dynamic and challenging presentation format. Over the past two years I’ve had the opportunity to prepare and deliver four different Pecha Kucha presentations. Each time is a unique learning experience! This past year I did something I’d considered for quite a while: I assigned Pecha Kucha presentations to my students. In terms of presentation quality and the skills students developed, this was a great success. In this post I’ll share a few tips about Pecha Kucha presentations, some resources which my students and I found helpful, and a few examples of PK presentations.

I. Pecha Kucha presentation tips

A Pecha Kucha or 20×20 presentation contains 20 slides, with each slide shown for 20 seconds, for a presentation of exactly 6 minutes, 40 seconds. The format is similar to an Ignite talk, which is 20×15 (i.e. 20 slides, 15 seconds per slide, 5 minutes in length), so advice for preparing and delivering Ignite and Pecha Kucha presentations is similar.

The advantages of the Pecha Kucha format for a conference or a class are clear. Within a given time slot, more presentations can be scheduled and the schedule is predictable. In addition, the atmosphere in a Pecha Kucha session is usually very engaging. Once the “clock starts ticking”, the audience is on the side of the presenter, willing them to succeed. This is a wonderful atmosphere for both new and experienced presenters.

Tips for presenters:

• Images are the key to effective Pecha Kucha. Try to find images which are illustrations or metaphors of your key points and/or use words-as-image, as in the example above. This makes delivery of your presentation much easier, as you’re not trying to race through a list of points. It also makes your presentation more engaging. This is why Pecha Kucha is so successful, I think. It’s not the timing, as such, but the fact that it leads presenters to use best practice in creating presentations which are visually strong and appealing. Let’s banish the bullets! 🙂
• Practice, practice and practice again. I’m not a person who tends to memorize my presentations. For a Pecha Kucha presentation, however, memorizing your key points for each slide is usually the best approach. I suggest writing down the 2 key points you want to make for each slide and trying to stick to that. Then practice delivering your presentation until it flows easily. Practice really makes the difference.
• Hack the format! If you want to go into depth on one particular slide and 20 seconds just won’t be enough, repeat the slide and add text or graphics to develop your points. Your information will then be on-screen for 40 seconds, with small changes appearing midway through. This is a very graceful way to keep within the format but still go into depth.
• When delivering the presentation, don’t worry if you finish making your points on one slide before the next slide advances. Pausing will break your flow. Just start speaking about your next slide; it will likely appear midway through your first sentence. This makes for a more polished presentation rather than pausing for a few seconds to wait for the next slide to appear.
• In working with students, I found that it was important to spend plenty of time beforehand to help students to develop not just an understanding of good presentation skills, but also of copyright, Creative Commons, and how to find, use and assign CC-licensed images . Most students who completed Pecha Kucha presentations in my Professional Skills course assigned CC licenses to their presentations and uploaded their work to Slideshare, forming part of their e-portfolio and digital footprint (some examples below).

Tips for organisers:

• If possible, schedule Pecha Kucha presentations in a room that is not too large. I’ve attended Pecha Kucha sessions in small rooms and in large lecture halls, and I’ve found the atmosphere in rooms with a higher density of people is more connected and more fun. Participants tend to feel in touch with the presenter and the presenter can feed off the positive energy of the audience.
• If you are organising a Pecha Kucha conference session, make sure all presenters send you their presentations ahead of time so that you can be sure that the timings are set correctly to 20 seconds per slide. Another approach you might consider is creating one long presentation for each Pecha Kucha session, with a transition slide (or two) between each presentation. This makes for a seamless session.
• In one conference I attended ( #ece11 ) yet another element of excitement was added by putting the presentations in each session in random order. Presenters didn’t know where their presentation fell in the running order, so had to be prepared to pop up when their name appeared. This led to much hilarity and great audience engagement and support.
• When organising Pecha Kucha presentations for a class, I took on less of the organising work. I asked students to bring their own laptops or share laptops. Students learned a lot from loading presentations, connecting to the projector system, adjusting the room lighting, etc. And in one or two cases where students had not set the slide timings correctly, it served as a great learning moment for everyone.

II. Pecha Kucha resources

Pecha Kucha 20×20 —  This page gives the basics and a brief history of Pecha Kucha.

Why and How to Give an Ignite Talk  by Scott Berkun — This terrific presentation (in Ignite format) is relevant for both Pecha Kucha and Ignite presentations. Take Scott’s advice and “hack the format” if necessary. If it’s Pecha Kucha, just be sure your presentation is 6 minute and 40 seconds long.

Creating an Ignite presentation — This article was written by presentation expert Olivia Mitchell about creating an Ignite presentation, however the guidelines apply just as easily to Pecha Kucha. This is a terrific, visual article, very helpful for careful planning of your presentation.

Choosing good images for presentations — This blog post has excellent advice on finding relevant, potent images for your presentation.

Finding CC-licensed images — the following sites are helpful in finding Creative Commons-licensed images and learning how to reference them:

• Compfight – excellent search tool for Creative Commons-licensed Flickr images
• Creative Commons Wiki – a Creative Commons image directory
• CC Search — powerful search across a variety of platforms (e.g. Flickr, Google images, YouTube) to help you find content you can share, use, remix
• Flickr images – enter search term, click Advanced Search , then tick the box “ only search within Creative Commons-licensed content”
• Content Directories — extensive list of directories of Creative Commons-licensed materials (audio, video, image, text

40+ Tips for awesome PowerPoint presentations — This is a useful checklist for all presentations, not just PowerPoint.

Prezi workshop  — Prezi videos, examples and templates

Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte — Nancy Duarte is the author of the excellent books Resonate and Slideology – unbeatable sources of ideas and inspiration for all presenters. This 25-minute video is worth viewing if you want a deeper understanding of what makes a presentation which truly connects with an audience.

III. Pecha Kucha examples

The first two presentations below are examples of student Pecha Kucha presentations. Each of these was the first presentation ever created by the student — wonderful work, I’m sure you’ll agree! Also, please check out the CT231 Student Showcase  — a collection of student work including Ignite & Pecha Kucha presentations, blogs and audio podcasts.

The final two presentations are conference presentations. The first is by Mary Loftus , an excellent presentation from #celt12 on ‘ways of being’ in the online classroom. The second is one of my own Pecha Kucha presentations, delivered at #ece11, on learning and teaching Professional Skills.

Image source: CC BY-NC-SA 2.0 edmontonnextgen

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27 thoughts on “Pecha Kucha: tips, resources & examples”

• Pingback: Pecha Kucha: tips, resources & examples « catherinecronin | Profesorbaker's Blog: A Bit of Everything

Catherine, this format has been talked about a lot recently in both the business and elearning sectors. I’m wondering if you have any ideas as to how the pecha kucha presentation format might be adapted by instructors to create brief, compelling educational ‘bites’ to use as part of an online education program.

• Pingback: Ignite your audience with lightning or Pecha Kucha form talks | Sociobiology

Hey there, You have done a great job. I will certainly digg it and personally suggest to my friends. I am confident they’ll be benefited from this site.

excellent put up, very informative. I’m wondering why the other experts of this sector do not notice this. You must continue your writing. I am confident, you’ve a great readers’ base already!

This is an app for Pechakucha Speakers. You can see Timer, Slides & Text in your hand.

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/20-note/id633039864?l=ja&ls=1&mt=8

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Reblogged this on MumPhD and commented: V helpful guidance

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I have a question about the total presentation time. Does it have to strictly follow 6.6 minutes? Because my professor deducted 5 points off my grade for “not following Pecha Kucha guidelines” because my total time was 5:43. I would appreciate any advise and I can use some references that shows Pecha Kucha CANNOT fall below 6.6 minutes. I need help because we will be doing more of this sort of assignment.

Hi Grace – thanks for your comment. The best way to time a Pecha Kucha presentation correctly is to set the timer for each slide in the presentation. You should have 20 slides (including the title slide) and each slide time should be set for 20 seconds exactly. This way, you do not manually advance the slides at all; the timing of the presentation will be 20 slides x 20 seconds = 400 seconds, i.e. 6 minutes and 40 seconds. Best of luck!

Reblogged this on anagabriela904 and commented: Let’s check it out.

Reblogged this on and commented: I have been assigned to a task to present at a Teachmeet Melbourne session. One of the criteria’s is to present in 7 minutes! Here is a concept known as Pecha Kucka which is a Japanese word for chit chat. The concept is to present 20 slides for 20 seconds.

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