October 17, 2010

By: Cooper-Hewitt N. from New York, NY
Comments: 18

Posted By: Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum
On: 6/26/2009 10:43:35 AM

Have you suffered death by powerpoint recently? You might like to look at the Japanese inspired alternative, "Pecha Kucha". It's a Japanese nonsense word that evokes the hubbub of people talking. Pecha Kucha events bring people together to share ideas. Everyone gets 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide to state their case. If you're doing design presentations in class, it's an excellent way of getting students to focus on the key ideas. Find out how it works on this Youtube instructional: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zaXjiKcD4os&feature;=related.

Posted By: Patricia Kendall
On: 6/28/2009 1:29:59 PM

I was intrigued by the introductory paragraph's 20 / 20 challenge, so I checked out the YouTube reference. A better example would be the demonstration by Daniel Pink of WIRED Magazine. He provides an explanation of the concept, its origins and then launches into an actual slideshow on one of his favorite topics, signs and how they can better serve society. A great example, with a lesson on empathy in signage to boot! I think the approach has great potential, both for instructors and for students as a guideline for their presentations in class ... can't wait to try it out!

Posted By: Angela Carmon
On: 6/28/2009 11:00:23 PM

"Pecha Kucha events bring people together to share ideas. Everyone gets 20 slides and 20 seconds per slide to state their case. " I love the concept of setting the parameters of time per slide and number of slides! The quality of each slide, along with the quantity of slides forces the learner to create presentations that "speak for themselves." Visuals to convey the main idea with limited explanation is a must! The ingenuity and simplicity of Pecha Kucha fit in seamlessly with the Design Process.

Posted By: Maggie Nelms
On: 7/7/2009 2:27:17 PM

wow, Pecha Kucha is totally new to me, but what a great idea! I have submitted two lessons both with PowerPoint and I think it would be even more engaging to use Pecha Kucha with students of any age. I'm excited to try it! Thank you for providing the link!!

Posted By: Bertina Banks
On: 7/8/2009 10:28:25 PM

Pecha Kucha looks like a good way to help students be concise while presenting. A challenge of powerpoint is helping them to restate the information in short concise summary statements. With 20 seconds per slide students would have to trim the fat.

Posted By: Barbara Hall
On: 7/22/2009 10:18:04 AM

I think Pecha Kucha is a great tool. I will incorporate the concept into what I already use. I use "the 7 words, 7 lines" concept with my student when I require them to do a powerpoint presentation. The rule that they must follow is that they cannot use more than 7 lines per slide and no more that 7 word in any 1 line of the powerpower. They struggle at first but it makes them become familiar enough with the material to talk about it and they stick to the main points.