Pecha Kucha? Huh?
When to use it and when not to!
Lisa B. Marshall
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Pecha Kucha? Huh?
I work alone. So, many of the new things I learn come from reading. Every once in while I’ll see a new term and I’ll have no idea how to pronounce it. A few years ago I saw P-e-c-h-a K-u-c-h-a and I thought, what the heck is that?
What is Pecha Kucha?
“Peh-cha ku-cha,” Peh-chach-ka,” or “Pet-shah coot-shah.” I’ve since heard it pronounced all three ways. The name comes from a Japanese term for the sound of conversation. Like “chit-chat” in English.
Imagine someone standing in front of you, just talking, like on stage at a small comedy club. Then every 20 seconds a new projected image appears just behind them that supports what they’re saying. About every six or seven minutes a new person repeats the process. At one event, you’d hear about a dozen speakers.
That’s Pecha Kucha. In today’s episode I’ll talk about why there seems to be such a buzz about this presentation format, and you’ll also learn why I don’t think this will ever replace traditional presentations.
So let’s talk about some of the details. The format calls for exactly 20 slides, each shown for exactly 20 seconds. By the way, there’s a similar format, called Ignite, that also calls for exactly 20 slides but only for 15 seconds. The strict timing rules force presenters to be brief and concise with the hope that it makes the presentations more interesting. If you’d like to see examples of presentations delivered this way, I’ve included some links in the show notes. You’ll notice a slight difference in the dynamics between the 20 and 15 second versions.
On the Plus Side
So what do I like about these?
I think the best part is this: because the slide changes are timed and automatic, presenters tend to not look at the slides at all. Instead, they engage in a conversation. They talk directly to the audience. Not at the audience. And more importantly, they don’t talk to the slides. Both of these are very common mistakes in typical presentations.
The strict timing also motivates people to practice more (which is a good thing) and it forces them to finish in exactly 6 minutes and 40 seconds. In my experience, most people don’t practice brevity enough. It really is harder to create and deliver a short, concise presentation.
Another plus is that the format encourages using simple images rather than heavy text. If you try it, you’ll see that you just can’t talk through that much text in 20 seconds. In a typical presentation, most people put way too much text on their slides.
Again, because the presentations are automated, the time between speakers flows quickly. The rules for location and set-up of these events make it similar to a performance. The presenters are usually physically close to the audience (not behind a lectern) and the audience is usually seated very close to each other and to the presenter. This enhances the audience experience and improves the persuasive power of the presentations. I wish all lecture halls were set-up this way.
On the Down Side
So what’s the down side?
I’ve noticed that some people have a difficult time keeping their words and the images coordinated. I’ve seen people just give up after they got off track. More importantly, because of the automated timing, it is impossible to directly interact with the audience and let the audience guide the direction and timing of the presentation.
To me, this is the major flaw.
Interactivity and control of the timing for each specific audience is critical for effective presentations. Along the same lines, the format doesn’t easily allow for deep discussion of complex ideas.
Although, in a business environment this format might work well for quarterly status meetings. Five or six minutes for presentations, followed by 20 minutes of active discussion; that could work. Or say, two or three related presentations (maybe different people working on different aspects of the same project) followed by a discussion period.
I can also see this working for senior executives making “vision” or motivational presentations. Again, with follow-up and maybe a series of “round table” discussions.
Is Pecha Kucha Effective?
So what’s the bottom line? Do I think this format will replace the traditional format?
No. It’s just another option to consider.
I think people are enjoying this form of presentation mostly because they’re tired of boring, rambling, dispassionate presentations! This format imposes artificial rules that force people to practice and improve their presentation skills. And the set-up makes speaking more like a performance. It’s fun.
I strongly encourage you to give this a try. Participating in an event like this will not only help you to improve your public speaking skills, but also you’re likely to meet interesting people who you can add to your professional network. Certainly, we all could use a little more fun, especially at work!
If you’ve already given this technique a try or maybe attended an event, please, share your thoughts in comments so we can all learn from your experience. Finally, if you decide to give it a try, please remember to come back and let us know how it went.
This is Lisa B. Marshall, passionate about communication your success is my business.
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If you have a question, email publicspeaker@quickanddirtytips.comcreate new email. For information about keynote speeches or workshops visit lisabmarshall.com.
Links
Examples of Pecha Kucha presentations
Examples of Ignite presentations
Presentation image courtesy of Shutterstock
About the Author
Lisa B. Marshall Lisa holds masters with duel degrees in interpersonal/intercultural communication and organizational communication. She’s the author of Smart Talk: The Public Speaker’s Guide to Success in Every Situation, as well as Ace Your Interview, Powerful Presenter, and Expert Presenter. Her work has been featured in CBS Money Watch, Ragan.com, Woman’s Day, Glamour, Cosmopolitan, and many others. Her institutional clients include Johns Hopkins Medicine, Harvard University, NY Academy of Science, University of Pennsylvania, Genentech, and Roche.