Communication Teacher

ISSN: 1740-4622 (Print) 1740-4630 (Online) Journal homepage: https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/rcmt20

PechaKucha Presentations: Teaching Storytelling,

Visual Design, and Conciseness

Kristen Lucas & Jacob D. Rawlins

To cite this article: Kristen Lucas & Jacob D. Rawlins (2015) PechaKucha Presentations:
Teaching Storytelling, Visual Design, and Conciseness, Communication Teacher, 29:2, 102-107,
DOI: 10.1080/17404622.2014.1001419

To link to this article: https://doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2014.1001419

Published online: 02 Feb 2015.

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Communication Teacher
Vol. 29, No. 2, April 2015, pp. 102–107

PechaKucha Presentations: Teaching

Storytelling, Visual Design, and
Conciseness
Kristen Lucas & Jacob D. Rawlins

Courses: Public speaking, business, and professional communication

Objectives: To improve students’ ability to use storytelling elements in presentations; to
improve students’ ability to design visually appealing slides; to improve students’ ability
to be concise in oral presentations.

Introduction and Rationale

When speakers rely too heavily on presentation software templates, they often end up
stultifying audiences with a triple-whammy of bullet points: bulleted lists are read
to the audience by the speaker, projected on the screen for the audience to read along,
and distributed as handouts for the audience to read once again. In 2003, two
architects working in Tokyo had reached their bullet point limit. Fed up with long,
boring presentations filled with too many words and not enough images or passion,
Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham developed an alternative: PechaKucha. PechaKucha
(the Japanese word for “chit chat”—pronounced peh-CHA k-CHA) is a presentation
style driven by a carefully planned, automatically timed sequence of twenty 20-second
slides (or 20 × 20). Described as “the art of concise presentations,” PechaKuchas are
short (6:40), visually rich, story-based presentations (see http://www.pechakucha.org/
faq for more information). The official Web site showcases excellent presentations
from around the world.
PechaKucha is not only about timed slides, beautiful graphics, and stories. It is also
an effective tool for communicating ideas. Since its introduction, PechaKucha has

Kristen Lucas is an associate professor in the Management Department at University of Louisville.

Correspondence to: Kristen Lucas, Management Department, College of Business, Room 375, University of
Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA. Email: kristen.lucas@louisville.edu; Jacob D. Rawlins is an assistant
professor in the Management Department at University of Louisville. Correspondence to: Jacob D. Rawlins,
Management Department, College of Business, Room 372, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY 40292, USA.
Email: jacob.rawlins@louisville.edu.

ISSN 1740-4622 (print)/ISSN 1740-4630 (online) © 2015 National Communication Association

http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/17404622.2014.1001419
 Communication Teacher 103
become a worldwide phenomenon, with PechaKucha Nights being held in more than
700 cities. During these events, speakers share their ideas and inspiration in 20 × 20
format. Managers (Lehtonen, 2011), educators (Klentzin, Paladino, Johnston, &
Devine, 2010), and researchers (Fisher, 2010) have also used PechaKucha successfully.
The PechaKucha trend is catching on at universities, sparked in part by the need to
prepare students for communication demands they will encounter in the workplace.
From the need for storytelling to reach diverse audiences and sell ideas (Barker &
Gower, 2010; Nishi, 2013), to the use of visual images to increase listeners’ attention
and recall of information (Kernbach, Eppler, & Bresciani, 2014), to the need to be
concise in an age of shrinking attention spans (Evans, 2014), PechaKucha presenta-
tions can prepare students for those demands. Not only does research indicate that
students’ demonstrated communication competence is as strong or stronger in
PechaKucha presentations as it is with traditional speaking styles (Beyer, 2011;
Oliver & Kowalczyk, 2013), but students also view these presentations as “fun.” Yet,
PechaKucha presentations are not nearly as widespread as one might imagine—
perhaps because there is little pedagogical guidance available. Therefore, we present a
comprehensive unit activity for teaching PechaKucha presentations in the commun-
ication classroom.

The Activity
The PechaKucha unit activity contains three segments, requiring between four and
seven one-hour class periods. The first segment (one period) introduces PechaKucha
and its basic principles; the second segment (one or two periods) teaches strategies
for effective PechaKucha design and workshops students’ presentations; and the
third segment (two to four periods, depending upon class size) showcases students’
presentations.
In the first segment, introduce students to the PechaKucha presentation style and its
guiding principles. After sharing the background information described above,
emphasize three factors. First, because of its 20 × 20 style, PechaKucha places much
higher demands on speakers to be concise. Second, in contrast to typical presentations
accompanied by text, charts, and clip art, PechaKucha slides are more visually
stimulating—featuring high-quality photos or clusters of photos that fill entire slides.
Third, the organizational structure is different from traditional presentations. Instead
of following a three-point outline, PechaKucha presentations typically integrate
storytelling arcs. While the timing issue and the need for conciseness are easy to
understand, the visual and storytelling elements are more complex. Therefore, show
examples of good PechaKucha presentations (see Appendix).
To maximize students’ understanding of how PechaKucha presentations are
structured, give them a homework assignment. For the assignment, direct students
to the PechaKucha Web site and have them identify a favorite presentation (or pre-
assign each student a presentation). Instruct them to “reverse outline” the presentation
slide by slide. For each slide, they should answer two basic questions. First, what
visual information is on the slide? For example, is it a single photo, a patchwork of
104 K. Lucas and J. D. Rawlins
multiple photos, a map? If students have the technical know-how, they can do a
screen capture of each slide and paste it into the storyboard. Otherwise, they can
summarize what they see or sketch it. Second, what point does the speaker make
during that slide? Instead of transcribing the slide, have students explain the point in
a few words (e.g., a personal story about what sparked interest in topic, statistics
about how widespread a problem is, a “the moral of the story” statement).
During the second segment, ask students to share their observations from reverse
outlining. Begin with inviting questions everyone can answer: What was the topic of
the presentation you watched? Who watched a funny presentation or an inspiring
one? The point of these questions is to engage students in conversation and
demonstrate the range of topics that can be covered. Next, delve into visual design
aspects: What slides were most attractive? What made them appealing? What images
were on the slides? How many slides had words—and how many words? How many
had only pictures? In this part of the discussion, guide students toward identifying
key principles of PechaKucha design, such as limiting text, avoiding bullet points,
using high quality images, and demonstrating consistency across slides (Edwards,
2010). Then, ask them about the story line: How did the speaker start the
presentation and/or introduce the topic? Did the speaker have an official “preview”
statement? What kind of organizational patterns were used? Did the speaker use
multiple slides when covering a single, larger point? How many slides per point? By
sharing and comparing observations, students can generate general guidelines (or at
least have good examples to follow) for creating their own PechaKucha presentations.
The next step in this segment is having students develop their own PechaKuchas.
Provide guidance on suitable topics, such as proposing ideas for improving food
choices on campus, sharing challenges they have overcome, or describing the
importance of communication in the workplace. While it is not necessary that all
students speak on similar topics, having a common theme will more closely mimic
PechaKucha Nights. Once students have selected their topics, have them “storyboard”
their ideas. Give students hardcopy or electronic handouts with 20 large squares and
space for notes (we recommend four squares per page). In the 20 blank squares,
students should map a preliminary sketch of their PechaKucha, identifying the kinds
of images they will use and what point they will make on each slide.
While workshopping storyboards, provide students with much guidance. The
PechaKucha style is not only unfamiliar but dramatically different from what they are
used to. Some students will revert to familiar conventions by adapting the three-point
outline into a 20-point outline, or inserting a piece of clipart or a single photo into a
PowerPoint template. Providing personalized attention and feedback as they create
even one or two slides can help them break the PowerPoint mold. Ask for a student
volunteer who is willing to have his or her storyboard critiqued in front of the class.
First, from a visual standpoint, examine the images. Do the images fill the entire
slide? Are images sufficiently high quality (e.g., neither pixelated nor distorted)? Are
words kept to a minimum? Then, from a storytelling standpoint, delve into the story.
What is the main point you wish to communicate? How will you begin the story?
 Communication Teacher 105
What points will you make with each slide? Do you have enough slides to tell the
story without rushing? Conversely, are you making a big enough point to fill a slide?
(Remember that some parts of the story may take only one slide, but others may take
several. If each slide is a separate idea, the story could lose much of its continuity.)
How will you conclude? Once students have witnessed a complete critique, break
them into pairs or small groups to workshop their ideas with the same set of probes.
Circulate throughout the room to supplement peer feedback.
To work on the skill of being concise, dedicate class time to giving students a “feel”
for how long 20 seconds really lasts and how much can be said in that amount of
time. To do this, ask students to write out what they plan to say for one of their slides.
Then, have them read it to the class while being timed. Inevitably, some students will
prepare five seconds of talk (we have them stand for the full 20 seconds even if they
run out of things to say) and others will have 30 or 40 seconds worth. Once they
know approximately how many words 20 seconds is, they will have a better idea of
how much content to prepare and will be able to trim their points accordingly. Once
the presentation is storyboarded and their script is prepared, encourage students to
practice relentlessly, especially with pre-timed slides (which are set in PowerPoint
under the Transitions tab).
In the third segment, students deliver their PechaKucha presentations. These class
periods should be run as closely as possible to PechaKucha Nights. This means that
scheduled speakers should load their slide decks onto the computer prior to the start
of class. Files should be queued in order so presentations flow relatively seamlessly
from one presenter to the next (with, of course, a pause for applause from the
audience). Have students double-check their timing settings. Once they start the slide
show, slides should advance automatically and students will need to keep pace.
In terms of grading, PechaKucha presentations should be graded by standard
public speaking or business communication rubrics (e.g., Lucas & Rawlins, in press;
Schreiber, Paul, & Shibley, 2012), as dictated by objectives of the particular course. To
address specific details, standard rubrics may be supplemented with a PechaKucha-
specific checklist of basic conventions (e.g., 20 slides, automatic timing, image
quality). The applicability of standard grading rubrics to PechaKucha presentations
underscores that they fulfill the same basic goals as traditional speaking assignments
and that particular conventions of a presentation style do not usurp core principles of
effective oral communication. Moreover, by grading with standard rubrics, new
assessment procedures should not be required.

Debriefing
Save time at the end of each PechaKucha session for debriefing. Guide students’
feedback by asking questions. How enjoyable do they find PechaKucha presentations
as compared to traditional speeches? Do they think they might use this presentation
style again? Why or why not? What did they find difficult (or easy) about this
assignment? What surprised them about this activity? Also ask students how this
assignment could help them develop their communication competency. What did
106 K. Lucas and J. D. Rawlins
they learn about storytelling, visual design, and being concise? Even if they do not
plan to do another PechaKucha, what larger lessons about communication might they
take away from this activity? For example, how might they apply these lessons to their
writing? At the end of the discussion, synthesize students’ takeaways and explain that
the PechaKucha activity was designed to build their overall communication
competence, with an emphasis on presentational speaking.

Appraisal
Overall, students enjoy PechaKucha presentations. Although the highly structured
nature is constraining, it also can be enabling. Of course, students must be precise
with the timing of each slide. However, they report it easier to plan a 20-second slide
(even twenty 20-second slides) than to plan a five- to seven-minute speech with
greater flexibility. A few students have even shared that the PechaKucha format has
helped them overcome speech anxiety by centering their attention on how short a
time they have for each slide instead of thinking about how long they have to talk.
There are several variations for this assignment. If time is scarce, have students
deliver “mini PechaKuchas,” with ten 20-second slides (10 × 20). This particular
variation cuts the presentation time in half and allows time for more students to deliver
presentations in class. If cutting time, the number of slides should be cut instead of the
amount of time per slide to ensure students still have 20 seconds to make each point.
Alternatively, the reverse outlining PechaKucha assignment could be replaced with an
in-class or online lecture on standard conventions. Although this variation reduces
student involvement and discovery, it does reduce demands on class time.
Conversely, if time is abundant, a different variation could be used to demonstrate
more vividly differences between traditional and PechaKucha formats. For this
variation, have students develop a traditional informative or persuasive speech,
rework the same topic and evidence into a PechaKucha style presentation, and then
compare the results. If planned early in the semester, this variation would require
only an incremental amount of additional work (i.e., recording and posting student
speeches from the previous assignment, recording and posting the PechaKucha
presentations, and assigning a reflection paper). Of course, PechaKucha presentations
can also be assigned in content-based courses as an alternative to traditional
presentations, or taught in a corporate training format or executive coaching sessions
for professionals wanting to improve their presentational and storytelling skills.
Overall, students have enjoyed learning about a relatively new trend in public
presentations. Whether PechaKucha is a trend that will last is uncertain. However,
students’ improved ability to tell a story, to use compelling visual images, and to
present a message concisely will serve them well for years to come.

ORCID
Kristen Lucas http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1645-6603
Jacob Rawlins http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1241-8271
 Communication Teacher 107
References and Suggested Readings
Barker, R., & Gower, K. (2010). Strategic application of storytelling in organizations: Toward
effective communication in a diverse world. Journal of Business Communication, 47, 295–312.
doi:10.1177/0021943610369782
Beyer, A. (2011). Improving student presentations: Pecha Kucha and just plain PowerPoint.
Teaching of Psychology, 38, 122–126. doi:10.1177/0098628311401588
Edwards, R. (2010, November 3). Pecha Kucha in the classroom: Tips and strategies for better
presentations. Remixing the humanities. [Weblog message]. Retrieved from http://remix
humanities.wordpress.com/2010/11/03/pecha-kucha-in-the-classroom-tips-and-strategies-for-
better-presentations/
Evans, L. (2014, May 19). Less is more: Why you’re saying too much and getting ignored. Fast
Company. Retrieved from http://www.fastcompany.com/3030659/less-is-more-why-youre-
saying-too-much-and-getting-ignored
Fisher, D. (2010, September/October). Pecha Ku-what? Japanese performance art adds new life to
presentations. AALL Spectrum, pp. 40–41.
Kernbach, S., Eppler, M., & Bresciani, S. (2014). The use of visualization in the communication of
business strategies: An experimental evaluation. International Journal of Business Commun-
ication. Advance online publication. doi:10.1177/2329488414525444
Klentzin, J., Paladino, E., Johnston, B., & Devine, C. (2010). Pecha Kucha: Using “lightning talk” in
university instruction. Reference Services Review, 38, 158–167. doi:10.1108/00907321011020798
Lehtonen, M. (2011). Communicating competence through PechaKucha presentations. Journal of
Business Communication, 48, 464–481. doi:10.1177/0021943611414542
Lucas, K., & Rawlins, J. D. (2015). The competency pivot: Introducing a new approach to the
business communication curriculum. Business and Professional Communication Quarterly.
Nishi, D. (2013, November 9). To persuade people, tell them a story. Wall Street Journal. Retrieved
from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303482504579177651982683162
Oliver, J., & Kowalczyk, C. (2013). Improving student group marketing presentations: A modified
Pecha Kucha approach. Marketing Education Review, 23, 55–58. doi:10.2753/mer1052-
8008230109
Schreiber, L., Paul, G., & Shibley, L. (2012). The development and test of the public speaking
competence rubric. Communication Education, 61, 205–233. doi:10.1080/03634523.2012.670709

Appendix. Sample PechaKucha Presentations

Inform: “Systemic Painting” available at http://www.pechakucha.org/presentations/systemic-painting

Persuade: “Planning for a Denser Urban Neighborhood” available at http://www.pechakucha.org/presentations/

planning-for-a-denser-urban-neighborhood-in-the-heart-of-louisville-2

Entertain and inspire: “The Fear of Sharks” available at http://www.pechakucha.org/presentations/the-fear-of-

sharks