Time To Be Heard
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How do you share your lifelong passion in six minutes and 40 seconds? This has been the challenge facing a group of presenters as they have been preparing for their inaugural Pecha Kucha presentation on March 25th in the Art Gallery at Te Manawa.
Pecha Kucha is a concept that was developed by Klein Dytham Architecture in Tokyo and now operates in cities around the world. The intention was to provide a forum for designers to share their ideas which might not otherwise be shared. The concept has expanded to cover any imaginable topic but the format remains the same. You must prepare 20 PowerPoint slides and each slide will be displayed for 20 seconds. You can’t go back through the slides and once you reach 6 minutes 40 seconds the next presenter will be standing up to speak. Te Manawa is the official venue for Pecha Kucha in Palmerston North. For examples of other Pecha Kucha presentations go to http://www.pechakucha.co.nz/.
In an age of technology is there still a place for face to face communication? I believe there is and many thousands of people around the world agree as can be shown by the large numbers attending Pecha Kucha events worldwide. The appeal for the presenter is having the freedom to share with an audience any topic along with the challenge of condensing ideas into a short space of time. For the audience you know you will hear a variety of topics and those you are not interested in won’t last for long. If you have enjoyed a presentation you can chat with the presenter during the break that is an integral part of all Pecha Kucha events.
Outside of work I have been completing research into the effectiveness of meetings as a method of engagement between industry and the tertiary sector. The theme that has emerged is while mediated communication such as webinars (web seminars), Skype, email etc have their place there is still a desire to meet face to face. The need for interaction with others remains strong and in a world that is increasingly busy it can become easy to find yourself isolated from others. Public institutions such as Te Manawa can help to build the communities they are part of and bring people together to learn and share experiences. I think this goes beyond placing exhibitions on the floors of our galleries. It is about reaching out to people and offering venues where people can discuss what they see and hear.
Pecha Kucha is Te Manawa’s response to this challenge. We want people to come along and share their thoughts, ideas, passions, photos, designs and memories. We want debate, thoughtful contemplation; maybe even the odd disagreement as how else can you bring about change without being open to new things.
Anyone can be involved with Pecha Kucha as either a presenter or audience member. Why not use this as an opportunity to step up and be seen and heard in your community. We may not all agree with you but for six minutes and 40 seconds you will have our attention.
If you want to learn more about when the next Pecha Kucha session will take place or if you wish to present contact enquiries@temanawa.co.nz or look under Events on the Te Manawa website http://www.temanawa.co.nz/events-calendar.html.
Danette WhitehouseCommunications and Visitor Experience ManagerThere are no comments.
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