Thanks to Shareef Mahdavi of SM2 Strategic, I’ve just learned about Pecha Kucha (pronounced “pe-chach-ka”), a wonderful new presentation technique born in Japan.
Derived from the Japanese phrase for “chit chat,” Pecha Kucha limits a presentation to 20 slides x 20 seconds of talk per slide. That’s 6 minutes and 40 seconds maximum, folks. And by the way, the slides advance automatically, leaving the verbose scrambling to keep up.
Limiting the amount of time presenters can ramble on forces them to focus on the essentials of their message. Parenthetically, how many copywriters out there have created or edited those 50-slide monsters that are guaranteed soporifics? (“It needs to be that long so we can really tell our story.” Yeah, right.) Technology companies in my part of the world seem sadly enamored of them.
Shareef, by the way, walks the talk. You may not be particularly interested in hearing about cataract surgery and laser, but he demonstrates the power of Pecha Kucha by actually making the topic compelling for lay people. If I were a cataract surgeon, I’d be signing up for a laser unit right now.
Take a little creativity break and learn more about Pecha Kucha. I can promise you’ll be glad you did.
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