Pecha Kucha is a presentation method that focuses on telling a story with images rather than reading text from slides. This 20x20 presentation style uses 20 slides with only 20 seconds of commentary per slide, keeping the total presentation to just 6 minutes and 40 seconds.
Or, as the official site puts it, it “is what ‘Show and Tell’ always dreamed of becoming.” For teachers, it has also become a powerful and practical learning tool.
At Fresno Pacific University, the Teach With Pecha Kucha Presentations course gives educators the chance to practice this engaging approach while earning professional development credits.
“This presentation style was designed to help people tell a story instead of lecturing to others,” said Jim Ave, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Kinesiology at Fresno Pacific University. “This keeps students engaged. It’s another tool to use in class to foster learning.”
How Pecha Kucha Works
Traditional PowerPoints often result in “death by slides,” where presenters simply read from text-heavy decks. The 20x20 format changes that. Each slide contains one image and stays on the screen for only 20 seconds. The presenter speaks during that time, focusing on storytelling rather than text.
The name Pecha Kucha means “chit chat” in Japanese. Created by architects Mark Dytham and Astrid Klein, the format quickly spread worldwide. Today, over 1,000 cities host Pecha Kucha Nights where participants share concise, visual stories.
Benefits of Pecha Kucha in Education
Using this fast-paced presentation style in classrooms helps teachers move beyond traditional lecture-based slides and keep students actively involved. Key benefits include:
- Higher engagement – students stay focused during fast-paced, visual presentations.
- Better knowledge retention – images paired with concise narration make information easier to remember.
- Improved critical thinking – learners identify and prioritize the most important details of a topic.
- Stronger communication skills – presenting in this format builds clarity and confidence.
- Versatility across subjects – effective for book reports, history lessons, science projects, environmental topics, and personal storytelling.
Students also gain value by creating their own Pecha Kucha presentations. This process teaches them how to organize ideas, highlight key points, and present them clearly.
Course Modules and Learning Outcomes
The Fresno Pacific course gives teachers hands-on practice with this storytelling method. Participants may choose either a 1-unit or 2-unit version.
1-Unit Course Modules
- Module 1: Overview of Pecha Kucha presentations and their use in your class.
- Module 2: Learn how to develop a Pecha Kucha presentation. Teachers record one and do another one live.
- Module 3: Learn how to use Pecha Kucha presentations in K-12 and university classes, and then develop two lesson plans using Pecha Kucha presentations.
2-Unit Course
- Includes all modules above plus Module 4, where teachers build advanced presentations, including one designed to train fellow educators.
By the end of the course, participants will know how to design their own presentations, guide students in building projects, and integrate the method across multiple subjects.
Classroom Impact
“When students are developing and giving Pecha Kucha presentations, they have to convey the most important aspects of the subject,” said Jim Ave, Ph.D., chair of the Department of Kinesiology at Fresno Pacific University. “This teaches them how to analyze what is important and communicate it quickly and clearly.”