The Story Develops for Pecha Kucha Night

Last time I had decided to present on the topic of communication - it's history etc. Pecha Kucha is too fast for a "this is the history of communication" presentation. In putting ideas onto post-it notes, I counted dozens before I have even reached cave paintings.

Tip #1 - Pick a topic small enough to fit into 6 minutes (+) yet with enough substance to satisy your audience

Playing with various ideas involved intense and active pondering - despite outward appearances!

Tip #2 - Try talking off the cuff about your chosen topic and see how much you have to say - time yourself and then work out what to cut out.

After much editing, revising and some practices that helped me learn just how little I can say in 20 seconds (without a machine-gun delivery), I came down to using the Seven Deadly Sins of Presentations.

Tip #3 - Practice the timing after you've done your slides - does the story flow?

For each sin, there is a virtue, so without effort I had 14 topics/ slides at my fingertips. I searched the net and found images of slides, and presenters and some random images to suit the presentation. With a few more hours refining and altering the build-up and finale, it was done (phew!).

Tip #4 - Practice the story - do you stumble over any of your ideas or phrases?

As I did a dry run, the actual names of the sins and virtues was causing me too much anxiety, so after creating the slideshow, I ditched the Sins and changed the title to "Presenter Heroes and Zeroes". Perhaps another night to think would have improved that one!

Tip #5 - Remember, it is only Pecha Kucha night!

Today is the day that I present at Huddersfield Pecha Kucha night #2. Wish me luck!

The Art of "Chit Chat" - Pecha Kucha

Pecha Kucha is a time limited format for presentations, with a similar twin in Ignite - each allows just 20 slides, with either 20 (for PK) or 15 (for Ignite) seconds per slide. The talks are therefore either 6min 40 seconds, or 5 minutes dead.

It is fast paced, and fun (I hope!)

And instead of going along to one to see what it's about and gradually building up, I launched myself into the deep end by volunteering to present at the second Huddersfield Pecha Kucha night next week.

This is the one time that I can present on anything. It is not a sales pitch, but an evening of discussion, enlightenment, enjoyment......So I am blessed (or cursed) with total freedom.

Reading up on some advice I came across these nuggets: "it should be about passion" and that if I don't have "too much to say" I had chosen the wrong topic. In clarifying that, this Pecha Kucha presenter suggested that I talk about something I have stayed up late at night arguing or discussing with friends etc.

That got me thinking - learning (which I love)? presentations (my life's work to save the world from Death by PPT)?

Then I thought, let's get back to the real issue - this is all about communication - from cave paintings to PowerPoint, this is all about our desire to understand and be understood.

Now to create a story about that that will take my listeners on an enjoyable and potentially thought-provoking journey.....

Watch this space for how things develop....