PechaKucha
Pecha Kucha (ペチャクチャ), usually pronounced in three syllables like "pe-chak-cha") is a presentation format in which content can be easily, efficiently and informally shown, usually at a public event designed for that purpose. Under the format, a presenter shows 20 images for 20 seconds apiece, for a total time of 6 minutes, 40 seconds.
It was devised in 2003 by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Tokyo's Klein-Dytham Architecture (KDa), who sought to give young designers a venue to meet, network, and show their work and to attract people to their experimental event space in Roppongi.[1] They devised a format that kept presentations very concise in order to encourage audience attention and increase the number of presenters within the course of one night. They took the name Pecha Kucha from a Japanese term for the sound of conversation ("chit-chat").
Klein and Dytham's event, called Pecha Kucha Night, has spread virally around the world. More than 170 cities now host such events.[2][3]
Format
A typical Pecha Kucha Night hosts eight to 14 presenters. Presenters (and much of the audience) are usually from the design, architecture, photography, art and creative fields, but it has also stretched over to academia and the business world.[4] Businesses use the Pecha Kucha format, especially for internal presentations, primarily as a device to limit the length of presentations, force presenters to focus their messages, reduce interruptions, and ultimately avoid "death by Powerpoint".[5][6]
Presenters must grant Pecha Kucha Night certain non-exclusive rights and license to reproduce their appearance. [7] Well-known presenters at Pecha Kucha Nights have included the architects Jun Aoki, Toyo Ito, Rem Koolhaas, designers such as Tom Dixon, Ron Arad, Thomas Heatherwick but also comedians such as Johnny Vegas, actress Joanna Lumley or ITN newscaster Jon Snow.
Some organizers have added their own variations to the format. Variants include Pecha Kucha mash-ups with other Japanese pop-culture contributions: Pecha Kucha karaoke (creating a narrative of someone else's slide show) and Pecha Kucha Iron Chef (duelling presenters competing for audience appreciation). In Groningen, in the Netherlands, two slots are given to a live band, and the final 20 seconds of each presentation consists of an immediate critique of the presentation by the host’s sidekicks. Video art has also been presented at some events.
Locations
In Oulu, Finland, the most northerly Pecha Kucha city in the world, there are a number of philosophers who use the format. In Minneapolis, Minnesota, several university scientists presented rapid-fire slideshow talks on evolution during a 2009 Darwin Day event. [8] In Los Angeles, a number of geographers have begun to use the format to explain and visually demonstrate their research. At UCL, London, researchers have used the format to give insight into their public engagement work.
See also
- Lightning Talk - A similar presentation format.
- Ignite - A similar presentation format.
- Speed geeking - 5-min presentations are simultaneous, rather than sequential. Participants rotate through presentations in one room/chat space.
References
- ^ "20/20 Vision: The Tokyo-born Pecha Kucha phenomenon has the global creative community hooked". Metropolis (Japanese magazine). June 9, 2006. Retrieved 2007-02-26.
- ^ [1]
- ^ "Pecha Kucha: Get to the PowerPoint in 20 Slides Then Sit the Hell Down". Wired (magazine). 2007-08-21. Retrieved 2007-09-03.
- ^ http://waynehodgins.typepad.com/ontarget/2007/03/fast_fresh_and_.html
- ^ "Pecha Kucha: Still PowerPoint – just not resulting in death". Melcrum Publishing. Retrieved 2008-04-25.
- ^ "Pecha Kucha helps make PowerPoint presentable," The Gazette (Montreal), December 28, 2007
- ^ http://www.pecha-kucha.org/term-of-use Pecha Kucha Night Terms Of Use
- ^ [ http://www.twincities.com/ci_11684324?IADID=Search-www.twincities.com-www.twincities.com "Happy birthday, Darwin. (Oh, you too, Lincoln.)", St. Paul Pioneer Press, February 12, 2009]