Pecha Kucha Presentations
Why do it? Pecha Kucha presentations put specific time and image constraints on presentations to help students make concise, oral-visual presentations that are designed to engage the audience (and avoid “death by PowerPoint”).
Time: Preparation: 30-90 min Presentation: 0:25-6:40 sec (per presentation)
Group or Individual: Individual or Group
Overview
Overview
Pecha Kucha is a timed presentation format that focuses on limiting the amount of time spent on each slide and using images, as opposed to text, to support the presentation script. The classic version is 20 x 20 (20 slides, auto advanced for 20 seconds each), but other combinations such as 5 x 5 or 10 x 10 might also work, depending on your purpose. Any topic can work, but Pecha Kucha works best with topics that lend themselves to a story-like flow.
Directions
Directions
- Decide on your presentation format: 20 x 20, 10 x 10, 5 x 5, etc., and give students a presentation prompt.
- Have students choose a presentation topic and describe it in 1-2 sentences to help focus their presentation.
- Have students outline their script and find corresponding images. Depending on your instructional goals, some text can be used on slides, but this text should be limited. The goal of the slide image is to engage a viewer visually and support visual understanding. As students prepare for their presentation:
- Highlight best practices for engaging presentations, including knowing the audience, creating a hook, breaking down the topic into a structure with a narrative flow, and using compelling images.
- Encourage students to keep track of crediting information for any images used, and to include citations as a separate component or final slide of the presentation.
- Consider talking to your students about non-visual learners and how including alt text, notes, and transcripts can support accessibility.
- Have students add the images and any necessary notes to their presentation software; i.e., PowerPoint, Canva, Google Slides, etc.
Note: Most presentation software has transition settings which will auto-advance slides after a specific duration of time. In PowerPoint, go to “Transitions”; select “Advance Slide,” and indicate advance time “After: 00:00”.
- Allow for rehearsal time so that students can align their script with the timing of the slides.
- Have students give presentations, allowing questions and feedback as makes sense in your context.
Variations
Variations
- Small Group Presentations: This strategy can be used with groups, allowing students to share the creative work and elect one speaker to present or split the speaking into equal parts.
Note: In a virtual space? No worries. Have students record their presentations and add them to a discussion forum for sharing and feedback.