The power of containment

It is not uncommon for rules and limitations to spark creativity. Being bound by boundaries that you cannot cross, one tries to use as much creativity as possible within those boundaries. And sometimes it’s really exciting to witness what comes out of it. Just look at the Webby Awards speeches that are limited to 5 words – some people get very creative, for example the fashion site style.com chose the words “I guess we’re still in style”. (unbelievable, I think) or Stephen Colbert with “I, I, I, I, I!!!” (I wouldn’t have expected anything more!). How about the new Twitter culture of microblogging (or should I call it Twulture?) that limits messages to 140 characters at a time? Who would have thought that Twitter is now a source of news for many people? I must admit that I often go to Twitturly (it’s a Twitter tool to find out which links have been posted the most on Twitter) to find out the most tweeted links and news.

So what is Pecha Kucha?

That’s the fascinating thing about Pecha Kucha (Japanese for “chat”) performances. The rules are simple: 20 slides and 20 seconds for each slide. This totals 6 minutes and 40 seconds for each presentation. That is all. The subject is open, so people will try to be really creative within the limits set by Pecha Kucha.

Pecha Kucha Nights

This trend has created the so-called Pecha Kucha Nights, in which several people can each have a time slot of 6 minutes and 40 seconds to show their presentation. Just think about it, in an hour you can, in theory, listen to up to 9 different presentations (as long as there are no pauses or interruptions), that’s 9 different themes, 9 different points of view, how exciting! In a business meeting, after 60 minutes, you will often be lucky if the first presentation is made.

I guess this moderation is what makes it so exciting and this trend is spreading all over the world – according to his tweets Pecha Kucha Nights is already taking place in 180 cities (March 2009). Coincidentally, within a two week time frame, Pecha Kucha Nights will take place in BOTH my hometowns (Cologne, Germany and Jakarta, Indonesia).

In a few days I will visit a Pecha Kucha Night in Cologne and I will tell you about my experiences. If you’re interested in joining Pecha Kucha Night, check out the Pecha Kucha website to find out if they have one in your area and/or follow their tweets (@pechakuchanight) to keep up with developments. I think it’s a great place to practice your presentation skills.

Visit my website to view this video article and also to read about my experience at Pecha Kucha Night.