The presentation is a hard form to master. In the PowerPoint age, we seem to have accepted that slides will be jammed with information and read aloud. In a way, the technology has lead us astray. Given we can cram an infinite number of slides with bullet points and pictures, there is hardly ever a reason to take the time to create a clear, concise, engaging presentation. “How long do I have?” we ask. And then we fill every minute.
The lack of constraints may be a part of the problem. When we’re forced to work within limits, we tend to be more creative. In response to the trend of terrible presentations, Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham of Klein Dytham architecture developed a unique form of presentation called PechaKucha.
The idea is simple. According to the website:
“PechaKucha 20×20 is a simple presentation format where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images advance automatically and you talk along to the images.”
It’s an ingenious format in that it forces you to be concise, and it doesn’t allow you to linger over slides. From start to finish, you wrap up a PechaKucha in under seven minutes. It also forces you to rehearse what you’re going to say versus relying on bullet points. Done well, you become more animated and more engaging.
What if you redesigned your listing presentation in this 20 x 20 format?
If you’re curious about PechaKucha, you can watch presentations and learn more about the movement here:
