The Three Minute Thesis - queensu.ca€¦ · Flip usual sequence of building to conclusion/climax\ ... Sima Zakani and evaluate each using the rubric forms tha\൴ judges will have
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1 The Three Minute Thesis Caleigh Minshall, Outreach Coordinator Learning Strategies, Student Academic Success Services http://sass.queensu.ca/learningstrategies
The Ultimate Elevator Pitch A conversation with your “captive” intelligent and curious-minded uncle…who knows nothing about your line of research This is your big chance to tell him WHY you are so interested in this area- what got you hooked engage him with a STORY of what this means to the lab or the world leaving him wanting to learn more – ask questions himself about the area
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Why is 3MT important?
Boost confidence Learn to self-promote Share your research with broader community Improve your public speaking Succinct Memorable
Why does my research matter?
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Mike Best’s experiences
Queen’s 3MT winner in 2014! (You’ll get to see his presentation later in this
workshop)
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5 min. – what he learned from the experience, why he thinks it’s valuable, what was it like?
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Think “brief but bright”
WHY?
Simple Surprise
Concrete Emotional
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Simplicity
Why did I start this research?
Exercise #1 Write 50 words Share with partner Respond
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“The purpose of my research is…” Think of what your initial appeal was for this area.. .What motivated you to pursue this line? Exercise #1 Write 50 words – 4 minutes Share with partner – 2 min. Respond – 3 min.
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Engage emotion
Why should your audience care? Exercise #2 Write two sentences Share with partner Respond
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“Can you link your research to a current issue or self-interest of the audience?” And / or “Is there an aspect that is counter-intuitive, surprising or challenges common sense?” Exercise #2 Write 2 sentences – 3 minutes Share - 2 min. Respond – 3 min.
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Surprise!
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Engage the imagination of the audience: Does the research break a pattern? Is It counter-intuitive? Go against common sense? Include this information at the beginning rather than building to this, at the end. For example- I’m currently learning to play the harp, so I’m reading a lot about how to maximize my practice time. It turns out that more is not better! After about two hours per day of practice, the return on investment starts to decrease – more than four hours per day is generally just a waste of time! This is usually opposite to what most people think, and it could be a good opening for a presentation on the research about music practice.
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Concrete
How can I convey
“WHY is this IMPORTANT?”
on one slide?
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Both the content of the talk and the single slide should be accessible to the audience. Focus on general ideas and procedures rather than abstract interpretations. If the audience needs to know something in order to understand the rest of what you are talking about—tell them. They won’t have time for thinking on their own to deduce information. Is there a visual metaphor to capture the essence, on 1 slide?
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For example …
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Example- Studying vigilance and attention processes? What impact does this slide have on your understanding of the significance of studying the problem?
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Versus …
From: Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2004 March 16; 101(11): 3747–3752. Published online 2004 March 8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0400087101 Fig. 7.
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Compare to the impact of this slide on your understanding of the importance of the issue.
Asleep at the switch: Effects of impaired vigilance on psychomotor reaction times
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Title- hook related more to emotional, social or values-based aspects of the research or content that is descsriptive of the research Opening- clear description of the purpose of your research
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How will your slide support your key message?
Exercise #3 Is there a visual metaphor or image to capture
the significance of your presentation? Design the slide!
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Presentation Notes
Both the content of the talk and the single slide should be accessible to the audience. Focus on general ideas and procedures rather than abstract interpretations. If the audience needs to know something in order to understand the rest of what you are talking about—tell them. They won’t have time for thinking on their own to deduce information. Is there a visual metaphor to capture the essence, on 1 slide?
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Structure the body
Big ideas: history + your research Always circle back to WHY Closing: challenge the audience to think Include explicit link to introduction
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Flip usual sequence of building to conclusion/climax Re WHY- reinforce central theme, implications of research or why it is of value and importance Closing- pose a question, suggest your future direction of research, push audience for bigger question to ask (tap altruistic interest, quest for knowledge) Is 3MT just ‘dumbing down” serious research? That is not the goal! When we re-watch the 2011 Australian winner in, notice how he makes reference to a technical methodology, then translates that into lay language.
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Story-telling
Why might the audience want to learn more?
Exercise #4 Write theme of a story Share with partner Respond
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Can you use a story to build curiosity about your research? Story= a thread running through- an anecdote, a personal narrative, a plot line Presentation structure: Title on slide- hook or content Write theme of a story – 4 minutes Share – 2 min. Respond – 3 min.
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What made this 3MT a winner?
Simple Emotional
Unexpected Concrete
Story
http://www.queensu.ca/3mt/results
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http://www.queensu.ca/3mt/results Watch Mike Best, Mary Chaktsiris, Sima Zakani and evaluate each using the rubric forms that judges will have at the real 3MT. Discuss as group. 20 min.
1. Understand the target groups Audience Judges clear thinking & communication respect for complex research implications of research
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Audience- curiosity, understanding of WHY Judges- not a “dumbing down” of the research BUT a clear communication of the depth that will not be fully explored at this moment
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Winning 3MT presentations
2. Understand the task
3MT Lecture, talk, paper Core idea
Significance “Why?”
Also …
Lay language No data
Schema in mind
Breadth, depth Method Results
Also …
Scientific jargon Analysis, data
Organize in ppt
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This is NOT a lecture. Think “three-minute elevator ride!”
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Winning 3MT presentations
3. Practice, practice, practice Logical flow Get feedback
Video tape, friend, mirror… Rehearsal 3MT on Wednesday Mar. 4 from 9am-
12pm in Mac-Corry B176
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Does content hang together- are you trying to do too much? Is it within 3 minutes? Re Feedback; use mirror, friend, video recording
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Winning 3MT presentations
4. Presentation style Voice tone pace projection
Body eye contact gesture and move intentionally
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Troubleshooting
Going blank Over-practice Prepare a clear, visual schema or map No expectation of word-for-word memorization
BREATHE in the moment, take a pause Return to last point, repeat for emphasis (and to buy
time) Remind yourself: This is just for fun!
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* Bring example of visual map to pass around
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Troubleshooting
Accent or English as a second language Accent tends to increase when you’re anxious Anticipate this and practice pronunciation Slow down Look for friendly face and speak to them Consider slide content: more key ideas than
emotion?
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Troubleshooting
Speaking too fast Honour the periods at the end of each sentence Breathe between ‘paragraphs’ or sections Include pauses and breath marks into your script and
practice them
You may have to cut information!
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Your action plan
What is the first step for you when it comes to participating in 3MT?
