Guy Dickinson introduced a new format at reboot8: Pecha Kucha.
It’s insane.
And it rocks.
Here’s the deal: A number of people do a presentation on any topic, consisiting of 20 slides each of which is shown for only 20 seconds. Somebody else times it and advances slides while you present your topic in only a little over 6 minutes.
This wasn’t on the official program, Guy added it himself during the conference, and this is precisely why reboot rocks – smart, passionate people contributing great stuff not originally part of the plan.
Anyway, I read about this Pecha Kucha thing and went “hmmmm, that sounds like a new challenge” (regardless of my normal resistance to PowerPoint slides). Mind you: I decided to do it 1 hour before the session started, so I had to furry and cut down a previous “Happy At Work” presentation and figure out what to say.
When my turn came I was really nervous, which I normally never am before presenting. But remember: Adrenaline makes fun things even more fun! And it went great!
The 5 presentations shown were wildly different (from “The power of small” to “10 things to do with the palm of your hand”) but each was interesting and managed to give you an actual feel for the topic in a very short time.
It was also fun to see people put themselves on the line and try something new. There was an element of risk and “will they pull it off” that gave a certain nerve and immediacy to the whole session.
Thank you to Guy for introducing the format to reboot, I have a feeling it will be back for reboot9.
UPDATE: You can download my slides here.
ARRGGHH I hate missing speeches that are UN-missable..
still your speech was one of the better – I love your ideas about politics and I would love to take a part in the new party… just tell me when to show up ! –
anyway thanks for wonderful happy insight at Reboot ( and samtalerne)…
Thanks for the kind words on my first presentation, Henriette – it was great to have you there. Im sure there will be video up from all the other speeches soon.
I’ll let you know as soon as something happens on the politics-thing.
This sounds like a fun idea. Love the challenge. And the adrenaline!
Interesting to see how scarcity or limits (20 slides/20 seconds) gives birth to fun, learning and unlimited expression.
Hope to hear you “hold forth” again some day Alex.
Keep creating,
Mike
Limits are interesting – sometimes you get more intereting results from strict constraints than you do from a large degree of freedom.
The Dogme95 filmmaking rules are my favorite example of this. Some danish film directors defined these rules according to which films must be made with:
No artificial light
No costumes
No special effects
No music added
No props except what’s already present at the location
etc…
This resulted in some great movies, including The Celebration by Thomas Vinterberg.
Seems to me that you have mentioned Dogme95 before. I will have learn more about the model.
I once heard Ken Blanchard say, “we live in an era not of resources but of resourcefulness.”
Scarcity and limites need not produce dispair. Rather the outcome can be, if we choose, creative solutions produced by people “happy at work”.
Good to be part of this conversation…thanks for starting it!