pecha kucha presentation design document
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INTE 6710 ~ Creative Designs for Instructional MaterialsProject 1: Pecha Kucha Presentation Design DocumentJohn Paul Sharp
February 19, 2012
1. Significant PurposeOne of the most annoying problems I encountered during my four-year education as a vocal
performer was forgetting exercises and much of what my teachers told me about singing from
week to week. This problem could be solved in a number of ways. Often students bring a pencil
to make marks on their music and take notes from the instructor, but it can still be difficult to
remember what all the notes mean. Students also bring in digital audio and video recorders so
they can experience their lesson as many times as they want. This isn't the most practical
solution for many vocal students who are extremely busy and not always focused well enoughto integrate new information from week to week in their daily singing habits.
The majority of students who enroll in undergraduate vocal performance training are stretched
thin with commitments to learning, commitments to performing in ensemble groups as well as
their private instruction. Even your regular, every-day, non-student person who decides to take
private voice lessons will more than likely have a busy schedule that distracts them from
remembering what they've learned about good vocal habits.
Another issue affecting all types of singers is self-confidence. In academic settings, vocal
students are routinely subjected to feedback in regard to all sorts of personal ways (e.g.,
showing personality, using one's body a certain way, quality of using one's voice). Over time,this can infect a singer's attitude about themselves as well as towards singing in general. The
situation is compounded by mainstream television shows (i.e., American Idol, X-Factor, etc.) that
promote further requirements for singers that are, at best, superfluous and pertinent only to the
realms of professionals attempting to attain a high-level commercial status. I've found in my
work with stage performers that many who sing have developed irrational attitudes about what it
means to be a great singer, which can negatively affect their self-confidence and actually
encourage them to harm their voices in the attempt to sound like mainstream music artists.
The purpose of this presentation is to deliver the most important and practical information for
living life as a great vocalist. Through breathing, relaxing, feeling and knowing, I will explore
easy behaviors and ideas that, when applied over the course of several months, should improvethe quality and tone of a singer's voice, as well as their attitudes with, and self-confidence in,
identifying as a singer.
The audience for this presentation would most likely be students enrolled in a post-secondary
vocal performance program, but other potential stakeholders would be anyone who sings and is
interested in developing their voice to a higher, more professional level. These other
stakeholders could be anyone from a stage performer to someone who mostly sings while
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showering. Individuals who will see this presentation will find it through an Internet search and
watch it from their desktops, laptops, or mobile phones on video content sites like, but not
limited to, YouTube.
Using the power of storytelling and humor, I hope to take these simple behaviors and ideas and
make them memorable and relatable to the singing community. After experiencing this
presentation, learners will have the knowledge to expand their lung capacity and develop
behaviors to allow them to control their ability to relax, which are both essential and immediately
applicable skills to have when singing on stage. Learners will be encouraged to explore their
emotions and find strength in connecting to feelings while performing. If a learner adopts the
information within the presentation, he or she should see a general improvement in their
endeavors as singers within weeks to months.
2. A Picture of the FutureIdeally, a participant who takes this Pecha Kucha presentation to heart will become a more well-
rounded and confident singer. This singer is not afraid to get on stage spontaneously or try newexperiences, like singing with a rotating jazz quartet. This singer has a thick-skin and is able to
take overtly negative criticisms with a grain of salt. This singer is not afraid to explore vocal
styles and so she or he has a solid sense of who they are as a vocalist and can communicate
that well to others. This singer understands that he or she is a performer. Perhaps most
importantly, this singer realizes that she or he can translate lessons learned as a singer into his
or her regular, daily life and vice-versa! In other words, and perhaps most importantly,
participants who take full advantage of this presentation will finally be able to call themselves a
singer and truly mean it.
This presentation address the following learning objectives:
1. Given a two-part breathing exercise to try on their own, participants will expand their
lung capacity and become more aware of what good breathing feels like. They will have
more strength to sing difficult songs with increased range of pitches.
2. Given a relaxation exercise to try on their own, participants will become attuned to their
muscles, body posture and mental state. They will use this ability to relax to help them
against stage fright.
3. Given a feeling exercise to try on their own, participants will explore how to change the
sound of their voices based on the five basic feelings: joy, sadness, anger, fear and love.
This activity will help them to become better, more dynamic performers with greater
stage presence.
4. Given a call-and-response activity, participants will have a phrase they can repeat to
themselves daily to increase and maintain their self-efficacy as singers striving to
improve their craft over a lifetime.
To determine if participants have achieved these objectives, I will present my contact
information and ask them to contact me after a few months and tell me their stories. Do they feel
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I present my own life conflict to show the listener that whatever problems they face in
learning how to sing are common and natural to everyone. Reynolds states that a story
is about a problem that must be worked out. (Reynolds, 2009, p. 181). My own story
tells the same problem many singers deal with. After all, my story is not necessarily a
unique one and I think other singers can easily identify and relate to me. Heath and
Heath claim that stories are concrete, contain emotional and unexpected elements and
reflect your core message. (Heath & Heath, 2008, p. 237). At its very core, the message
in my presentation is: If I can do it, you can too. The only way I know to deliver that
simple message is through sharing my own personal story.
3) When I do use text, I will make it as succinct and large as possible, with high
contrast. I purposely will only use one word of text on slides 5, 9, 13 and 16. These
four words summarize the most important information within the presentation: breathe,
relax, emote and know. Heath and Heath state that the more we reduce the amount of
information in an idea, the stickier it will be. (Heath & Heath, 2008, p. 46) I could have
used text like, Learn how to take in and release the maximum amount of breath. I couldhave used text like, Blow your lips to relax your facial muscles. I think it is much more
sticky to summarize these messages with their core verbs: breathe and relax.
Reynolds suggests in his text that if you can't make your text big, you probably need to
re-evaluate the text so you can make it as big as possible (Reynolds, 2009, p. 35). The
text I will use in my presentation is so big that if it were to be played in a large
auditorium, even the listeners at the very back row should have no problems identifying
the core verbs. Additionally, for presentations of this nature (i.e., Pecha Kucha),
Reynolds suggests that using dark backgrounds is the best method for making sure not
to blind listeners who might be viewing the presentation in a dark room (Reynolds, 2009,
p. 82). In all my slides, if I am using text at all, the background is black with large whiteor colored text to give the greatest visual impact without hurting the listener's eyes.
4) These core verbs will act as hooks and I will repeat these verbs within the
presentation near the end. Heath and Heath present the velcro theory of memory
stating that our brains have lots of different loops and the more we introduce hooks to an
idea, the more these hooks and loops will come together and create an overall memory
that sticks (Heath & Heath, 2008, p. 110, 111). I propose that these four verbs act as the
main hooks of my idea that anyone can be a great singer and on slide 19, I review the
four core verbs that summarize the main messages of my presentation.
Many memories of information learned can easily disappear over time, but when theseideas stick, they tend to stay for good (Medina, 2008, p. 147). By reinforcing the core
verbs at the end of the presentation, I am trying to make sure the main ideas are going
to stick.
5) Some graphics employ Ken Burns motion to make a specific point within my
narration. Medina emphasizes the fact that listeners will pay special attention to
graphics in motion due to inherited traits from our ancestors, who sought out motion in
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the environment in order to survive animal attacks (Medina, 2008, p. 237). Though much
of the motion for the graphics in my presentation will be used in order to employ full-
bleed for graphics that aren't equally proportionate, in most cases, this motion is used to
depict an actual point I will make (e.g., slide 3 motions to show 'the bird' which makes a
point about just how 'at-risk' I was as a teen, slide 6 motions to show me holding my
stomach in, slide 15 motions upward to reveal me jumping high in the air to point outsomething physical someone can do to emote).
According to Reynolds, one of several reasons to add motion to a graphic in a slide
presentation is to create a change to propel your point forward. (Reynolds, 2009, p.
192). I believe the three instances in which I'm making a point with the motion of the
graphics will act as excellent transition to new points, constantly moving each idea on to
the next in a coherent way.
4. Formative Evaluation Response
In my peer reviews, I am mostly concerned with finding out what the stickiest parts of my
presentation are. In an attempt to get quality information in this regard, I posted the followinginstructions prior to asking my five review questions:
Please only watch the presentation once and do not go back to the presentation to
answer your questions unless you have to. If you do have to go back to the presentation
to answer a question, please let me know which question prompted you to do so.
Mostly likely, someone would find my presentation by stumbling onto it from an Internet search
engine out of curiosity. I believe the most practical and widely common viewing of my
presentation will happen only once, so I need to know what parts of the presentation make the
best impact and if there are any parts which are not making enough of an impression.
1) After watching the presentation, what about it do you remember the most? Thisquestions addresses my main concern about the overall stickiness of the presentation.
What's the listener's take-away after watching my presentation just once?
Reviewer Answer
Jennifer Let my fat fly! Well, maybe not fly, but don't always suck it in. I actually did the
exercise you suggested to see if my sides expand when I breathe. The point I took
away was to do this properly and dont worry about all the rest of it. And sometimes I
breathe properly and sometimes I dont. It was fun to learn a quick, easy check to
figure it out. One suggestion with the exercise would be to add a callout that points
to the exact area (obliques?) that youre focused on expanding.
Darren Immediately after viewing the presentation what jumped out for me was a sense of
humor or perhaps your personality. The presentation is inviting and moves quickly.
The different techniques used to sing (breathe, relax, emote, and know) were easy
to remember due to the text connected with the visuals and the humorous pictures. I
had some background knowledge about the process of singing, but learned new
information. Suggestion: Lower the volume on the embedded sound-it can be
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distracting at times. The clapping and laughing tracks were memorable.
Jennifer's suggestion to name specific areas, other than one's sides, is a good one, but I
am choosing to not to address this in my presentation as I feel the simple act of holding
one's sides to feel breath coming in is the only purpose for the exercise (i.e., creating
awareness) and naming the specific biological and physiological aspects are best
reserved for a more detailed instructional experience outside of this Pecha Kucha.
Darren's suggestion for mixing the sound effects better with the voice-overs is one that I
am going to go back and look at. I definitely don't want to defeat the purpose of the
sound effects by making them distracting to the core messages.
2) Do you think you could be a singer, based on the presentation? Why or why
not? One of my core messages is that anyone can be a singer and the only requirement
to be a singer is to sing. This question addresses whether the presentation may have
affected the listener's self-efficacy in regard to singing.
Reviewer Answer
Jennifer Yes. Well, in my own mind. Because it's ok and a good thing to emote. I go around
trying not to show feelings - singing brings them out, so I avoid it. But with
permission and encouragement to emote, look out world! Another reason is that you
make it ok to sound goofy with the exercises. This made me think that perfection
isnt the goal, the goal is to sound as good as I can sound. And those exercises
work! I like the one where you sing with your tongue on your bottom teeth its so
much fun to feel different muscles being manipulated and the difference it makes,
even in my speaking voice. One suggestion do you have time to sing a simplesong normally (like Twinkle Twinkle) then do it with your tongue on your bottom teeth
so we can hear the difference?
Darren Funny, I use singing as a form of torture when I want to get the attention of my fourth
graders or my own children. The presentation gave me new insight on what it takes
to be a singer. In fact, I plan on sharing your presentation with my youngest
daughter. She loves to sign and was devastated when she didnt get a recent part in
the high school musical. Suggestion: Be clear with your message, are you trying to
teach people technique for singing or the importance of singing in your life? I think
both messages can be woven together.
Again, I liked Jennifer's suggestion, but through her answer, I can tell that she was able
to absorb and comprehend the act of increasing self awareness through the singing
exercise. I could make a more detailed example of the exercise to show singers the
difference, but if they are able to follow the instructions, they will hear the difference
anyway, and this presentation has such a short limit on time, that I think this is a great
idea for further expansion of an instructional experience.
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Darren's suggestion made me think about whether my core messages conflicted or
could possibly confuse the listener. I had the understanding that I was weaving the dual
messages of tricks to sing better as well as singer empowerment. I'm not sure what I
could do in response to his suggestion, but I will look over all my slides to double check
that my core messages are getting through how I intended them to.
3) What do you think is the most important issue when it comes to singing and
why?Although all four of my core verbs are equally important, I am curious to discover
how each listener related to the four sections of the presentation. Which core verb
resonated with them the most?
Reviewer Answer
Jennifer Emoting. Maybe breating. But emoting hit home for me because with Whitney's
death and hearing her voice so much this weekend, I realize she emotes, capital E,
bold. Even the Star Spangled Banner with its old-fashioned words that weve heard
hundreds of times. When she sang it, it sounded like a new song with a new and
very important message. Adele won a lot of awards at the Grammys, but I don't feel
her words. Great tone and pitch but no emotion. To me. So emoting is a point I
hadn't defined before, but it's why I like certain voices. Even if they're off-key,
weaker, unusual sounding. If the singer is telling me a personal story I listen. Are
there examples of singers you could mention that the audience would recognize and
relate to?
Darren Confidence- any performer needs confidence and a thick skin. Performers and
artists receive critical feedback often and need to be able to brush off or accept the
feedback. Being able to get back up and perform again and again connects back to
the confidence. You definitely dont appear to be lacking confidence. Suggestion:
More photographs of you singing might be helpful when creating a visual picture forthe viewer. Some of the photographs were out of focus and may need to be fixed.
Jennifer's suggestion is to mention other great singers. For the sake of helping students
to remember the core messages, I don't think it is necessary for me to tell the listener
who is a great singer and who is not. Part of the purpose of this presentation is for
students to discover themselves as great singers and to mention specific artists would
go against that message. What I love the most about Jennifer's response is that I can tell
she is processing the instruction towards a further, perhaps personal level of thinking.
This is what I was hoping my presentation would do for the listener.
Darren's suggestion related to out-of-focus pictures might or might not be related to the
connection he had with YouTube or there might have been an issue in the conversion
process either from my end into the .mov file or on YouTube's end. I'm not sure what
resolution he watched the video in. Also, some of the graphics I used aren't all of the
highest resolution possible, but from viewing the presentation myself, I didn't see any
that stood out as unacceptable. My first childhood picture has a graphic filter on it that I
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can't remove, but the original photo was blurry. In my personal opinion, I don't think
personal photos always need to be commercial quality as part of the charm of personal
photos naturally lends to less-than-perfect resolution. Still, I am going to go through all
my photo slides and make sure they are the best they can be. I appreciate the
connection Darren made between knowing that one is a singer and having confidence to
face rejection.
4) What did you like the most about this presentation and why? By knowing what
the listener enjoyed the most, I can figure out how to incorporate that into more of my
slides, if possible, or at least confirm what part of the presentation provided the most
entertainment. I believe when the listener is entertained, they are most receptive to
learning information.
Reviewer Answer
Jennifer Your enthusiasm and passion about singing comes through with every word. That
excitement is catchy and encouraging! You talking directly to me (do this, now let'sdo it together, email me with questions or comments).
The one point I didnt feel like I was in the room with you was when your cat was
with you! I love cats, so a suggestion there would be to mention your kitty and
introduce him/her to the audience? Especially when youre snuggling in for a good
sleep. So cute!
Darren The humor and pictures that connected back to your message. The snapshots of
you weaved in with the text attached a face with the message. The sound effects
were cued at the appropriate times which often made me chuckle. Suggestion:
Explain emote further-is this an actual term in the singing world?
Jennifer's suggestion to name my cats is extremely tempting, but I don't feel there's
enough time in the presentation to give them the introductions they deserve. I also feel
like it might distract from the core messages to do so. Her comments make me consider
whether having them pictured in the presentation is a distraction in the first place and I
have considered removing them. After some thought, I believe they add to the
entertainment value of the presentation and will leave them in.
I like Darren's thoughts about how using my face in most of the photos helped him to
relate to the core messages. His suggestion to explain emoting tells me that the
presentation has sparked his curiosity. During my presentation, I do explain and by that
(emote) I mean feel! As I've explained previously, I don't feel the purpose of this Pecha
Kucha is to give extreme informational details, but to give the listener enough instruction
to discover answers to their own questions. I believe Darren's suggestion is a perfect
example of how I have accomplished that goal. Even though emote is in no way a
singer's term, the listener here was curious enough to wonder if it was.
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5) What did you like the least (or not like at all) about this presentation and why?
While seemingly obvious, I do want to know if there's anything within the presentation
that turned off the listener. These would be problem areas to give serious consideration
as the moment the listener turns off, the listener stops listening.
Reviewer Answer
Jennifer At first, it was the sound of the audience because I was afraid they were going to
drown out your voice and I'd miss something. But by the end, I was used to it and
trusted them to quiet down. Then one grammar thing that's such an easy one to
miss: in the credits most of the photos were taken by "my partner or me" rather than
"my partner or I."
Darren What I liked least about the presentation is the fact your rough draft seemed
polished and ready to submit. Obviously, you are comfortable with the medium and
are able to manipulate the message easily. You set the bar higher and that makes
me envious. Now, I feel like I need to rework several things in my own presentation
after seeing your example. Thanks for helping me learn. Suggestion: The text font
you chose seemed to be an odd choice for the presentation; I would suggest a
cleaner font that jumps off the page.
Jennifer's suggestion is an additional reminder to go back and make sure all thesound effects are as noninvasive as possible. Also, I plan to go back andcompletely rework the last page in regard to citing photographs used. The firstslide I should have credited the professional photographer and for the rest ofthem, I can credit those I can remember who took all the pictures.
Darren's suggestion for changing the font is one that I will seriously consider. Iused the Synchro font for the first slide and thought because Garr Reynoldssuggests that fonts be consistent throughout a presentation, I hesitated tochange it. The only slides that particularly bothers me is slide 18 with all the coreverbs presented together. Not only is the text unavoidably off-center, I think it'snot very attractive to look at in general.
To summarize all the suggestions, I will 1) go through my presentation and rework all
the sound effects to make sure the voice-overs are not invasive, 2) make some
decisions about the general font choice, 3) review all graphics and make them as clear
as possible and 4) credit photographs on the last slide.
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BibliographyHeath, C., & Heath, D. (2008). Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Die and Others Survive. NewYork: Random House.
Medina, J. (2008). Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, andSchool. Seattle, WA: Pear Press.
Reynolds, G. (2009). Presentation Zen Design: Simple Design Principles and Techniques toEnhance Your Presentations. Berkeley, CA: New Riders.