Get youth talking by using PechaKucha presentations

Jodi Schulz<schulzj@msu.edu>, Michigan State University Extension -

Encourage youth to share their experiences using PechaKucha-style presentations.

There are so many cool opportunities for youth to share their experiences in 4-H youth development programs. As volunteer managers, we may ask youth to share about their experience attending an event, their leadership with a program or community service project or even the impact a volunteer has had on their decisions with the future.

As we ask youth to share about the impact the 4-H program has had on them, remember how overwhelming it can be for them. Giving presentations or sharing about their experiences can leave youth asking questions like: Where do I start? How long should it be? How do I incorporate pictures? What should I say?

To alleviate a lot of those questions and stressors for youth, you may want to consider teaching them about PechaKucha presentations. “Another presentation? Consider a PechaKucha!,” written by Yvonne Wichtner-Zoia with Michigan State University Extension, explains that this type of presentation contains the following components:

  • 20 PowerPoint slides.
  • Slides are timed to run for 20 seconds per slide and progresses automatically.
  • Slides contain pictures and very little text.
  • Presenter talks through each slide with the pictures being the cues to identify what they are sharing with the audience.

Giving presentations becomes easier over time, but it’s important to start somewhere. PechaKucha is a great start. Encouraging youth to start giving presentations by using this format will help them to not be so overwhelmed, especially since this style of presentation lasts less than seven minutes. Don’t forget to have youth end their presentation by asking the audience for questions.

By encouraging youth to use the PechaKucha presentation format for presentations, you are able to gain a variety of skills such as:

  • Sharing
  • Managing feelings and stress management
  • Critical thinking
  • Planning and organizing
  • Communication

For more information, visit the PechaKucha 20X20 website.

This article was published by Michigan State University Extension. For more information, visit https://extension.msu.edu. To have a digest of information delivered straight to your email inbox, visit https://extension.msu.edu/newsletters. To contact an expert in your area, visit https://extension.msu.edu/experts, or call 888-MSUE4MI (888-678-3464).

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