Pecha Kucha: 20 Slides, 20 Seconds Each

Pecha Kucha (Japanese for "chit chat" or "chatter") is a presentation format created in 2003 by two Tokyo-based architects, and it couldn't be simpler: Presenters use 20 slides, each of which is automatically timed to advance after 20 seconds, making every presentation 6 minutes, 40 seconds. No more, no less.

Pecha Kucha Nights are now held regularly in over 260 cities worldwide, and I attended my first one this past weekend at New York's Cooper-Hewitt. Although a Pecha Kucha need not be themed, this one was a fundraiser for Haiti, part of a series of Pecha Kuchas that in total hope to raise $1 million for the relief effort. Saturday's event raised over $10,000. The event's speakers were mostly architects, some discussing Haiti specifically, some discussing their own work and some talking about art and architecture in general. My favorite was probably Sam Jacobs of FAT Architecture who spoke about architectural disasters and the amazing things that happen when you "combine ingenuity and failure."

Pecha Kucha was initially begun partly to showcase the work of architects and designers. It is often difficult for these folks to disseminate their projects and ideas, and apparentlty architects tend to ramble, so the time cap is perfect. It subsequently took on a life of its own. In some cities like Tokyo, Pecha Kucha Nights are held in cool club-like spaces making the whole affair a rather hip event.

I'm coming to absolutely love strict time constraints and rules for presentations. (The TED conference is notorious for their time rules.) While I'm generally agnostic about the number of slides one uses in a presentation, I would love to see a CEO demand a Pecha Kucha-like structure for all internal presentations. Imagine how much clearer and direct people would need to be in presenting their ideas. And maybe the greatest thing about a slide existing for only 20 seconds is that text must be kept to an absolute minimum if used at all. It forces visual thinking.

If you're interested in finding a Pecha Kucha night near you, take a look at their website.

Some more pics from Saturday's Haiti event...