Pecha Kucha

Have you ever been in a presentation that dragged on and on?  Or perhaps are you looking for an alternative approach to presenting information in a concise and memorable way?  Then you need to give Pecha Kucha a try!

Pecha Kucha is a presentation format (usually creative) in which information can be easily and informally shown. This presentation style started back in 2003 in Tokyo, Japan, by Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham. Originally, this presentation form was created for young designers to meet, network, and show off their work.

The idea behind Pecha Kucha is to present information in a concise way. Each presenter is allowed to show 20 images, with 20 seconds per slide. The goal of the presentation is to keep interest high and information flowing. Pecha Kucha has sprung interest all around the world and currently occurs in over 157 cities.

Since there are no restrictions to the type of information presented in a Pecha Kucha style presentation this formula can be used in all types of learning formats. As several of my students have pointed out, there are numerous applications for how this type of abbreviated, engaging presentation format in any number of contexts.

Here’s a sample pecha kucha presentation to get a taste of what the impact is like…death to bullet points!


Quick Tips for Effective Instruction

My department at NIU has been working on a new endeavor we are calling “Quick Tips for Effective Instruction” in which we are putting together short multimedia presentations (5-8 minutes) to introduce faculty to different resources and methods for teaching and learning.  The presentations are made available in a variety for formats, for viewing either online, as a podcast, or even via YouTube.  

Here’s an example of the low-res version of one of the presentations available on YouTube:

For links to other formats of the presentation, such as hi-res online and the text transcript, click here.

The Northern Today, NIU’s weekly online newsletter, recently did a feature article on the project. To read the full story, click here.