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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAdi Prasetyo | Twenty20<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Too\n many slides, the wrong kinds of slides, rambling and a lack of \ndirection. These are just a few of the most common PowerPoint sins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But a Japanese-inspired presentation technique has become increasingly popular in the past few years. The PechaKucha<\/a> (which means \u201cchit-chat\u201d in Japanese) technique was created in 2003 by Tokyo-based architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Since then, it has been used by millions of people<\/a> all across the world, according to the creators<\/a>.\n The message of PechaKucha is simple: The less you say, the more \nvaluable your presentation becomes. And it\u2019s not just for business \npurposes \u2014 speakers, elementary schools and universities also use \nPechaKucha as an educational tool.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The format forces you to speak \nmore concisely and clearly by allowing just 20 slides and just 20 \nseconds to present each slide. That won\u2019t be easy, but the technique \nforces a new way of thinking that eliminates the excess and leads to \nshorter, more creative and highly polished presentations.What\u2019s your presentation style?<\/p>\n\n\n\n The best presentations have a clear style. Before you start, determine what your presentation style is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Are you a Data Scientist (you use facts and \nanalytics)? Are you a Storyteller (you create emotional connections)? \nAre you a Closer (you cut to the chase and deliver the bottom line)? Or,\n are you a Director (you only stick to the script)?<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s also \nimportant to consider your audience and the nature of what you\u2019re \npresenting. For a deeper understanding of the presentation style that \nbest fits you, take the quiz here<\/a>.The 5 rules of PechaKucha<\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. You only get 20 slides. That\u2019s it.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n For\n each slide, ask yourself, \u201cWhat will the audience learn from this \nslide? What questions might they ask? Is this topic relevant to the main\n objective of the presentation?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can\u2019t fill in the blanks for a given topic or slide, don\u2019t include it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 2. You only get 20 seconds of commentary for each slide.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n You\n don\u2019t have to speak for all 20 seconds. For some slides, you can simply\n leave it on display and allow the audience time to digest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you\n have trouble cutting down the script, try describing the slide in 30 \nseconds. Then, turn it into a single sentence, and then down to three \nwords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Finding your objective can be the hardest part of preparing\n a presentation. By not putting time and effort into this, you\u2019re almost\n guaranteed to wander off course and lose your audience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 3. Your words should be visual.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n As\n you develop the language you\u2019ll use in your presentation, choose words \nwith high imagery value. Forget about corporate gobbledygook, and don\u2019t \nfall for the misguided notion that the more abstractly you speak, the \nsmarter you\u2019ll sound.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When your audience actually understands what\n you\u2019re talking about, both you and your presentation will appear \nabsolutely brilliant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n 4. No complex diagrams and text-heavy bullet points.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Overdoing\n it with the text and complex diagrams will cause your presentation to \nwander off course, and your audience will lose interest. Keep text to a \nminimum and give every image or graphic a discernible \u201choly mackerel\u201d \npoint that\u2019s easy to digest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good rule of thumb is to use words and visuals that complement, not mirror each other. You want your audience to think, I get exactly what this person is talking about.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n 5. Practice until you get it right.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Finally,\n it\u2019s important to practice getting to your point in 20 seconds while \nspeaking with ease and flow. Practice in front of a makeshift audience \nand ask them what they learned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n