Text. We see it every day. From signs to crossword puzzles, text messages and novels, our lives are filled with the twenty-six letters of the alphabet on an ad-nasuem basis. Before you learn to read, words and letters are mysterious runes that have yet to be deciphered. But once reading becomes second nature, these once sacred symbols lose their impact. Thankfully Masayoshi Takahashi has developed a method to bring the oomph back to text. The Takahashi Method hacks away at the normal presentation style until only single words or short phrases are left. He then blows them up to giant proportions and creates stunning presentations that are genius in their minimalism but infinite in their possibilities.
Hold the Pictures
When Mr. Takahashi had to give a short presentation and had no access to Powerpoint or image editing software, he developed a new method out of necessity. By using only giant text, he exploited the natural picturesque quality of the Japanese language and left lasting impressions on his viewers. Try this one out during your next presentation and you may be surprised by how well it resonates with your audience. To successfully give a presentation using the Takahashi Method, you need to first let go of all the usual mumbo jumbo you would fill your slides with. Say goodbye to pictures, sayonara to charts and then cut down all of your long, drab sentences until they are nothing but a handful of words. When using the Takahashi Method, remember that less is more. Aim for one word that sums up your entire point for each slide. If one word isn’t enough, a short phrase is fine– as long as it’s short. Try to keep your slides under ten letters.
But it still has to be interesting!
Don’t be fooled into thinking that just because this method is simple that it is some sort of cake walk. It’s not. Besides the daunting task of summing up your key points into mere words, you also have to keep things interesting for the folks watching. Takahashi used Japanese characters which are much more visual, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be adapted for an English speaking audience. Consider your font choices, for starters. Takahashi uses big bold letters, but you might find more success if you change the font from slide to slide. You want something that is easy to read and understand, but playing with your font face could produce dynamic results. Color is another factor, after all not all text is black and white. A splash of color can give urgency to a point and alter the mood behind certain words.
The Low-Tech Option
Takahashi created this style when he found himself in a situation where he had to give a presentation and that he didn’t have any of his usual materials at hand. Likewise, the Takahashi Method is great to use for a low-tech option to the usual presentation. Maybe you have to give a talk at an outdoor summit, or your laptop breaks right as you’re finished creating your slideshow. Using just posterboard and some markers you can create a powerful presentation with zen-like simplicity. Don’t be afraid to try out this wonderful style of presentation. The Takahashi method is great for low-tech or last-minute speeches. With just a few tools at your disposal you can leave audiences recalling your ideas for days afterwards. Just remember to provide handouts of any important information your audience may need for future reference.
