99 Seconds is a self-contained presentation that lasts for less than 99 seconds.
A Sample 99-Seonds Session
Let's vicariously participate in a 99-seconds session to get a feel for what happens.
You are attending a session how to motivate your employees. You notice that the seats in the first row have a reserved sign, each with a name of a presenter.
Alien Anthropologist. At the beginning of the session a large timer is projected on a screen and it begins to count down the seconds from 99. Steve, the moderator for the session, introduces his co-presenter as an alien from a far-away planet who has transformed herself to look human. She is actually a well-known anthropologist in her planet. She is visiting the Earth on a special mission to observe and record human behavior patterns in the workplace. She understands English, but prefers to speak in her native language that Steve translates.
Here is Steve’s translation of the alien’s first statement:
One of the interesting things about humans is that they always punish their best performers. For example, if someone finishes a ahead of the scheduled time, managers immediately punish the person by giving her more things to do. In addition, co-workers yell at the person for not being a team player.
The alien continues. Steve continues with his translation:
These punishing consequences from managers and co-workers result in apparent alienation of the high performer. Eventually, this performer slows down her productivity until it is reduced to the lowest common denominator. This makes the manager happy because he does not have to worry about his job security. This makes the co-workers happy and they praise the high-performer's ability to appreciate important things in life.
The interaction between Steve and the alien continues in this vein, with an interesting look at principles of performance management from an objective alien perspective.
The countdown timer on the screen is now down to 10 seconds. Something that the alien says leaves Steve looking puzzled. He asks a question in the alien language, apparently asking for clarification.
The alien snaps back in English:
I said we are talking too much. They already got the point. Let's shut up and leave them alone.
Benefits and Limitations
Here are some advantages of the 99-Seconds presentations:
Efficiency. The tight time limit forces presenters to focus on the key learning points and to avoid dwelling on trivial “nice-to-know” points.
Interest. The unusual format and rapid change of presenters maintains high levels of audience interest, especially with the new generation of learners brought on MTV programs.
Variety. Presenters talk about different points using different formats. This variety enables audience members to receive a well-rounded picture of what is happening.
Participation. Audience members have to actively organize different presentations into a coherent whole that makes sense to them. After the session, they may have to do some research to close any gaps. These responsibilities give additional ownership to the listeners.
The 99-seconds format also has some disadvantages:
Confusion. Because the individual presentations are not synchronized with each other, audience members may find the ideas to be disconnected.
Contradictions. Another consequence of the individualized approach could be that later presenters contradict the ideas and opinions presented by earlier presenters.
Incompleteness. Because of the time limit, it is possible that presenters may ignore some critical elements of the overall topic.
Passivity. Also because of the time limit, presenters may not provide practice opportunities or feedback.
Types of 99-Second Presentations
There are many different types of 99-seconds sessions. For our convenience, we have grouped 35 different formats into four categories in the discussion below.
Active Participation
This type of 99-seconds sessions involve interactive strategies. A major problem with active participation is the time consumed by getting audience members organized and interacting. Here are two possible solutions:
You can ask independent participation by individuals.
You can bring a small group of people to the stage to demonstrate the interaction.
If you choose the second approach, be sure to rehearse the session with your demonstration group to get the timing right.
Creative visualization. The facilitator asks participants to close their eyes and takes them through a guided visualization exercise to encourage creative problem solving or empathetic understanding. Example: Everyday life in a refugee camp.
Introspection. The facilitator asks a series of questions that provoke participants to arrive at truthful insights. Example: How would your career be affected if your sexual orientation were different?
Physical activity. The facilitator demonstrates a physical activity, inviting audience members to follow along. Example: How to relax by using yogic breathing technique.
Data collection. The facilitator asks all audience members to write down one or two words in response to an open-ended question. She then shares the results from a previous group. (The new data are analyzed later and the results are posted on a web site.) Example: What's the most important benefit of e-learning?
Debriefing. The facilitator asks audience members to focus on a common experience and conducts a debrief by asking a series of targeted questions and sharing a typical response for each question. Example: Encounters with irate customers.
Each Teach. The facilitator asks one half of the audience to close their eyes and cover their ears and explains how to apply the first step of a two-step procedure. She then asks the other half to close their eyes and cover their ears while explaining the second step. Audience members are encouraged to partner with one another and practice the entire skill after the session. Example: How to say 'hello' and 'good-bye' in Malayalam.
Jolt. The facilitator conducts a brief experiential activity that provides a powerful epiphany. Example: An exercise in which two participants arm wrestle, ignoring the rules that actually support a cooperative approach (“Your score depends on how many times your hand touches the table”)
Poll. The facilitator conducts a quick poll -- and reveals the data by asking audience members to raise their hands or stand up. Examples: How many of you had meetings with SMEs that were (a) positive, (b) neutral, or (c) negative?
Questions and answers. Prior to the session, the facilitator distributes questions to confederates in the audience. During the presentation she "invites" questions from the audience and responds to them. Example: Legal aspects of sexual harassment.
Silence. The facilitator observes a minute of silence to encourage a review earlier ideas.
Sing-Along. The facilitator invites audience members to sing along with her, using a well-known tune and words from a handout.
Brief Presentations
This type involves effective presentation techniques that are usually incorporated as parts of lengthier presentations.
Analogy. The facilitator suggests an analogy (by holding up a prop or displaying a graphic) and describes how it is similar to a real-world object or process. Example: Bullying as an analogy to sexual harassment.
Cartoon. The facilitator displays a cartoon (or a comic strip) on the screen and explains a powerful principle illustrated by it. Example: Dilbert illustrating the uselessness of consultants.
Formula. The facilitator displays a formula and quickly explains the variables and functions. Example: How to compute your daily rate for consulting services.
Joke. The facilitator tells a joke with a punch line that reveals an important truth. Example: A small child exclaiming that the emperor has no clothes.
Magic Trick. The facilitator does a conjuring act and uses it as an analogy for an important principle. Example: Linking Rings magic trick to illustrate the power of belief.
Pithy saying. The facilitator displays an aphorism or a proverb and explains its application to the topic. Example: Discussion of the impact of the German proverb on teambuilding strategies: Durch zussammenleben, lernt man zussammenleben. (By living together, people learn to live together.)
Poetry reading. The facilitator recites a poem that highlights critical principles. Example: A ballad about office romances to illustrate performance problems.
Rap song. The facilitator performs a rap song that highlights important principles. Example: New-hire orientation.
Story telling. The facilitator tells a personal anecdote or a short-short story that highlights an important principle. Example: Frederic Brown's Sentinel in which the admirable soldier-hero turns out to be an alien invading Earth!
Mediated Presentations
We can incorporate different types of media productions in a 99-seconds presentations. An important precaution is to test out the equipment ahead of time and to have a back up.
Audio recording. The facilitator plays an audio recording in the form of a news item to highlight key principles. Example: "Scientists report a simple technique to prevent repetitive stress injuries in the workplace ..."
Conversation with alter ego. The facilitator plays dual roles by having a conversation with her "evil twin sister" presented through an audio or video tape recording. (This recording is produced ahead of time with suitable pauses to permit a simulated conversation.) Example: A debate about the advantages and disadvantages of teamwork.
Movie excerpt. The facilitator uses an excerpt from some popular movie to highlight an important principle. Example: A 1-minute excerpt from the movie Gettysburg to show visionary leadership in action.
Music. The facilitator performs or plays the recording of a piece of music and quickly highlights the critical message. Example: John Lennon's Imagine followed by an exhortation for performance technologists to work on world peace.
Puppets. The facilitator conducts a conversation with a puppet to highlight important principles. Example: Importance of environmental protection.
Puzzle. The facilitator displays a puzzle on screen and asks participants to solve it to identify a critical principle. The puzzle is gradually solved to speed up the process. Example: A “Wheel of Fortune” puzzle with a statement about rewards and reinforcement.
Silent slide set. The facilitator displays a set of slides (in an animated form) that explain a process. Example: Five steps in rapid instructional design.
Video recording. The facilitator plays a videotape recording to highlight some important points. Example: Video recording of a typical office room to identify different safety hazards.
Co-Presentations
More than one person can present a 99-seconds session. The key element in this approach is for the co-presenters to rehearse the presentation and to time it tightly.
Conversation. Two presenters discuss a common paradoxical topic, highlighting the pros and cons of the extremes. Audience members realize that the paradox has to be managed effectively to reduce the disadvantages and to utilize the advantages. Example: "Individuals cannot produce significant results" vs "Teamwork results in wasted effort".
Drama. A small group of people (in suitable costume, if possible) act out a skit that highlights key elements of an effective procedure, usually by presenting a before-and-after segments. Example: How to conduct a rapid performance analysis.
Gibberish. In this improv-theater technique an alien or a guru is interviewed by an expert. The alien talks in gibberish and the expert translates what she says. Example: What a Klingon has observed about human behavior during staff meetings.
Interview. Presenter interviews one or two experts to highlight important strategies for achieving a goal. Example: How to handle cross-cultural clashes.
One word at a time. In this improv technique, three or more participants respond to questions from audience members or present an important message, taking turns to speak one word at a time. Example: The importance of equal participation.
Panel. Three or more presenters quickly present a series of strategies for achieving an objective. Example: How to motivate the online learner.
Roleplay. Two presenters (or the presenter and a "volunteer" from the audience) conduct a role-play that illustrates some important interpersonal skill. Example: How to present bad news to the client.
Your turn now. Prepare and present a 99-seconds session. You will find this activity improves your overall presentation skills.