Pecha Kucha timer
20 slides × 20 seconds. Press start and speak to the countdown; a tone marks every new slide.
Ready
20
seconds on this slide
Total left 6:40
Quick answers
What is Pecha Kucha?
Pecha Kucha is a talk of 20 slides that change automatically every 20 seconds, so it lasts exactly 6 minutes 40 seconds. You can't go back or stop the slides, which keeps every talk short and moving. Tap a format to load it into the timer.
The rules
The Pecha Kucha format
- 20 slides, 20 seconds each. 6 minutes 40 seconds in total, never more.
- The slides move on by themselves. No clicker and no going back: you keep up with the slides, not the other way round.
- Pictures, not paragraphs. Most slides are a single image. With about 43 words a slide, there is no time to read text aloud.
- One idea a slide. Say it, let the slide change, and start the next thought on the new picture.
The format began in 2003 at PechaKucha Night in Tokyo, run by the architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, as a way to stop designers talking too long. Schools and conferences now use it for class presentations, introductions and lightning talks.
Examples
Pecha Kucha examples: three 20-slide outlines
Plan the talk as five short acts, then give each slide one sentence or two.
A class project
- 1
- A photo that sets up the question
- 2–5
- Why it matters, one idea a slide
- 6–14
- What you found, one result a slide
- 15–18
- What it means and what surprised you
- 19–20
- The one thing to remember, then thanks
Introduce yourself
- 1
- Your name over a picture of where you are from
- 2–7
- Six places, people or things that shaped you
- 8–14
- What you do now and why you like it
- 15–19
- Something nobody here knows about you
- 20
- What you hope to do next
A work or design showcase
- 1
- The finished piece, full screen
- 2–4
- The brief and the problem
- 5–15
- The process, one step or sketch a slide
- 16–19
- What changed for the people who use it
- 20
- The finished piece again, with one line
How to use it
Three steps to a smooth run-through
Pick the format
Pecha Kucha is 20 × 20 and Ignite is 20 × 15. Choose Custom for a shorter class version or your own rules.
Start with slide 1
Press Space or Start as your first slide appears. The big number counts down the seconds left on that slide.
Move on at the tone
A tone plays at every slide change, and the display turns yellow in the last 3 seconds. Three tones mean you are done.
| Key | What it does |
|---|---|
| Space | Start, pause or resume |
| R | Reset to slide 1 |
| F | Full screen on or off |
| M | Slide tone on or off |
| Esc | Leave full screen |
Keeps time in the background
Switch to your slides and back. The timer works from the clock, so it is on the right slide the moment you look.
Nothing leaves your device
No sign-up and no saving. It runs in this tab and works offline once loaded.
Hear the change, don't watch for it
One short tone a slide keeps you in step without looking. Press M to turn it off.
Presenting a group Pecha Kucha from Google Slides?
Copresent lets everyone in the group move the slides from their own phone, with your speaker notes and a timer right there. Nobody has to stand at the laptop.
See how it worksKeep going
Related tools and guides
FAQ
What is Pecha Kucha?
Pecha Kucha is a presentation format of 20 slides shown for 20 seconds each. The slides move on by themselves, so the whole talk lasts exactly 6 minutes 40 seconds. It was started in Tokyo in 2003 by the architects Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, and the name is Japanese for the sound of chit-chat.
How long is a Pecha Kucha presentation?
6 minutes 40 seconds: 20 slides × 20 seconds = 400 seconds. A shorter class version with 10 slides takes 3 minutes 20 seconds.
How many words should I say per slide?
About 43 words at a normal speaking pace of 130 words per minute. That is one or two sentences, so plan one idea per slide and let the picture carry the rest.
What is the difference between Pecha Kucha and Ignite?
Ignite talks also use 20 slides, but each one stays up for 15 seconds, so the talk lasts 5 minutes instead of 6 minutes 40 seconds. Pick Ignite in the timer to practise one.
Can my slides advance every 20 seconds on their own?
In PowerPoint, yes: on the Transitions tab, tick "After", set it to 00:20 and apply it to all slides. Google Slides' auto-play only offers fixed steps such as 15 or 30 seconds, so for a 20-second Pecha Kucha in Google Slides, run this timer beside your slides and move on at each tone.
Does the timer keep time if I switch tabs or my laptop sleeps?
Yes. It works the time out from the clock on every update rather than counting ticks, so when you come back it shows the right slide straight away.
Is anything saved or sent anywhere?
No. The timer runs entirely in your browser and works offline once the page has loaded. Your settings are not saved or put in the page address.