3mt presentation slides

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Tips for a successful 3MT presentation

Being successful in the 3MT involves much more than summarizing your research in three minutes. You need to be able to connect with your audience: explain your work in a way non-experts can understand and in a way that makes them interested in hearing what you have to say.

Your talk is the focal point of your presentation. Most of your preparation time should be spent on crafting your talk than on creating your slide.

Prepare your talk

Although your talk is only three minutes, it will take time to craft a concise presentation of your graduate research in a way that can be understood by and is engaging for a non-expert audience. Below are suggestions to help you create a successful 3MT presentation.

Summarize your work verbally

You'll want to prepare your talk in writing, but you might want to start by expressing your thoughts verbally and using an audio or video recordor to capture what you say.

Write for your audience

• Your presentation needs to be understandable and engaging for people who are not experts in your field of study.
• Avoid jargon and academic language.
• Explain concepts and people important to your research - you may know all about Professor Smith’s theories but your audience may not.
• Highlight the outcomes of your research, and the desired outcome.
• Focus on the big picture, not the details that you typically share in a presentation with experts and peers in your field.
• Imagine that you are explaining your research to a close family member or friend. Explain your work in a way that they could understand what you do and why it is important.
• However, also make sure you do not simplify the explanation of your work so much that it becomes trivial.
• Convey your excitement and enthusiasm for your subject.

Tell a story

• You may like to present your 3MT as a narrative, with a beginning, middle, and end.
• It’s not easy to condense your research into three minutes, so you may find it easier to break your presentation down into smaller sections.
• Try writing an opener to catch the attention of the audience, then highlight your different points, and finally, have a summary to restate the importance of your work.

Introduction

• You are not required to introduce yourself in your talk, and it is recommended that you do not introduce yourself because this will count towards your three minute time limit. Your name, degree program, and presentation title will be announced before you give your presentation.

Have a clear outcome in mind

• Know what you want your audience to take away from your presentation.
• Try to leave the audience with an understanding of what you’re doing, why it is important, and what you hope to achieve.

What not to do

• Do not write your presentation like an academic paper.
• Try to use shorter words, shorter sentences, and shorter paragraphs.
• You can use humor, but be careful not to devalue your presentation.

Create your slide

Your video should include a single, static slide. Transitions, movement, animations, and sound are not permitted.

Tips for a successful slide

• Your talk, not the slide, is the most critical part of the presentation
• Less is more: Too much t ext and complicated graphics can distract your audience – you don’t want them to read your slide instead of listening to your talk
• Do not rely on your slide to convey your message: The slide should simply complement your oration. If the slide were not displayed, the audience should should still understand and be engaged by your talk
• Work your message: Think about how your slide might be able to assist with the format and delivery of your presentation – is there a metaphor that helps explain your research?
• An engaging visual presentation can make or break any oration, so make sure your slide is legible, clear, and concise
• Title and introduction: You may include your presentation title on your slide, but it is not required . Your name, degree program, and presentation title will be announced before your video is played. Therefore, you also should not spend time introducing yourself in your presentation because it will count toward your time limit.

Practice, seek feedback, revise

• Proof your 3MT presentation by reading it aloud, or video record yourself, review the recording, and find ways to improve.
• Practice in front of different audiences--colleagues, grad students in other disciplines, family, friends--and ask for feedack
• Ask your audience if your presentation clearly highlights what your research is about and why it is important. Can they explain to another person what you do and why it's important?

Use the One Button Plus Studio

Located in the Sunderland Foundation Innovation Lab on the first floor of Hale Library, this small studio room features studio lighting, cameras, microphones, a green screen, and recording equipment that operates through minimal effort. It’s ideal for recording presentations, interviews, and podcasts.

How can the studio help me prepare for the 3MT?

• Easily capture a high quality video recording of your presentation to review or share with others to review.
• You might have different ideas for explaining your research. Use the One Button Plus Studio to capture different versions of your presentation. Then review or share with others to help you select the best version of your presentation.

Reserve the One Button Plus Studio To use the studio, users plug in a USB flash drive or portable hard drive and touch the touchscreen interface to activate the studio’s lighting, camera and confidence monitor. The user can then adjust lighting, change the background or simply start recording.

Make a reservation!

Additional resources

• View videos of K-State's previous 3MT® winners and videos of 3MT® winners from around the world for examples of successful 3MT® presentations.
• Your Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Presentation for Presenting on What You Do as a Graduate Student and How it Matters by Brad Rickelman, Meridian Technology Center for Business Development (video presentation)
• Making the Most of Your Three Minutes (pdf) by Simon Clews, University of Melbourne
• The Up-Goer Five Text Editor - Can you explain your thesis using only the 1,000 most commonly used words? Give it a try with this text editor. While we do not recommend that you use this text editor to prepare your entire 3MT® presentation, it can help you identify terms and concepts that may not be well known outside of your field and will require some explanation if used in your presentation. This tool might be especially helpful with developing a presentation title.
• Thesis Gold by Paul Geiger
• Communicating Science: An Introductory Communication Guide for Conveying Scientific Information to Academic and Public Audiences
• The David Attenborough Style of Scientific Presentation (pdf) - This document is designed for preparing a presentation longer than three minutes, but many of the principles are applicable to a three-minute presentation.
• Make an appointment with the Writing Center to receive feedback on how to strengthen your three-minute oration.

Information sessions

Sessions were held in the fall semester to get students acquainted with the 3MT and to share guidance on how to prepare a successful 3MT presentation.

Missed the sessions? Watch a recording View slides from the session (pdf)

• Updated: 1/15/24

Guide to 3MT

• Crafting your Narrative
• Bookend Strategies - Opening & Closing
• Designing your Slide
• Presentation Tips
• Recording Tips
• Past 3MT Presentations
• Additional Resources

The 3MT Slide

When designing your slide, keep these in mind:

• You are the presentation, not your slide
• A good slide enhances, not detract, from your words
• One single static PowerPoint slide
• No transitions, animations, or 'movement' of any description
• Slide to be presented from the beginning of your oration
• No additional electronic media / props (e.g., sound, video files, costumes)

💭 Suggestions

An engaging visual presentation can make or break any oration. Ensure that your slide is  legible ,  clear  and  concise .

• Less is more Use minimal text - the audience should listen to you, not read your slide. Complicated graphics may also distract the audience. 
• Personal touches Stories or anecdotes allows your audience to understand the impact of your research, especially if it relates to them.
• Creativity drives interest You should not rely on your slide to convey your message. It should complement your verbal presentation. 
• Work your message Think about how your slide might complement your presentation. Is there a metaphor that helps explain your research?

What to include

There is no prescribed template or set format for creating a 3MT slide, so you will need to design your own. When doing so, aim to only include things that are critical , essential , and relevant.  Bring your audience’s attention to the images through your words. Below are some examples of how graphics have been used used to complement a presentation.

    Where to find images

Consider using graphics that are licensed under Creative Commons (CC) or are in the public domain. For CC content, permissions have already been granted by the copyright owners and they may be used as per the licenses. Note that you will be required to provide appropriate attributions when using CC-BY images.

Sites with images that do not require attributions

You can also search for CC images, or images in the public domain at https://blogs.ntu.edu.sg/openimagecollections .

Icons with CC / site-specific licenses

• The Noun Project
• Always check the source to ensure that you are permitted to use the image.
• Images should at least be 150 dpi, though 300 dpi would be better.
• Be mindful of the size of your image. Ensure that the image is visible to the audience.
• Pixelated / low resolution images
• Images with watermark (copyright protected)
• Overcrowding

Design guidelines

    fonts.

• Use professional looking fonts -  Times New Roman ,  Garamond ,  Georgia ,  Gill Sans ,  Tahoma ,  Verdana
• Use at least 24-point font size

🎨   Colours

• Keep to a theme of 2 or 3 colours
• Use a colour palette generator
• Consider the colours in your images

⚖️   Balance

• Ensure sufficient margin space and white space between elements
• Avoid clutter as it can overwhelm and/or distract the audience

🗃️   Organisation and flow

• Provide a path for the audience to navigate from one area to the next in a logical manner
• Follow reading gravity: Left to right, top to bottom
• Use arrows to guide, if necessary
• Smarter ears for Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology - https://vimeo.com/444900975
• Ion Selective Electrodes - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nEuumSWI65I
• Investigating Alzheimer’s Disease Cell By Cell - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTjRhW5YMLs

Useful resources

• The Dos & Don’ts of 3MT Slides (UQ) This Facebook post by 3MT presents examples of what they think makes a slide "good" or "bad".
• 3MT: the three most common mistakes Professor Inger Mewburn (ANU) describes neglecting the visual component of the 3MT presentation as one of the most common mistakes participants make. In this video, she shares why thinking of the slide as an integral part of your presentation can help you fare better.
• Past 3MT Presentations Watch past 3MT presentations and study how slides can enhance a presentation.
• << Previous: Bookend Strategies - Opening & Closing
• Next: Presentation Tips >>
• Last Updated: Jun 6, 2024 2:33 PM
• URL: https://libguides.ntu.edu.sg/3MT

You are expected to comply with University policies and guidelines namely, Appropriate Use of Information Resources Policy , IT Usage Policy and Social Media Policy . Users will be personally liable for any infringement of Copyright and Licensing laws. Unless otherwise stated, all guide content is licensed by CC BY-NC 4.0 .

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• Three Minute Thesis

Preparing your 3MT presentation

• Back to previous menu
• Eligibility, Rules and Judging Criteria
• Sussex 3MT 2023
• Sussex 3MT 2022
• Sussex 3MT 2020
• Sussex 3MT 2019
• Sussex 3MT 2018
• Sussex 3MT 2016

NOTE: Familiarise yourself with the 3MT rules and judging criteria  before starting your preparation. This guidance is taken from the University of Queensland's  official 3MT competitor resources .

Even the world’s best public speakers prepare before important presentations. To assist you with your preparations, please find a few suggestions below that will help you in writing your presentation, creating your slide and practising your verbal presentation.

Drafting your 3MT

Write for your audience The judges will look for evidence that you can explain your research to a non-specialist audience. You may like to:

• avoid jargon and academic language
• explain concepts and people important to your research - you may know all about Professor Smith’s theories but your audience may not
• highlight the outcomes of your research, and the desired outcome
• imagine that you are explaining your research to a close friend or fellow student from another field
• convey your excitement and enthusiasm for your subject

Tell a story

• You may like to present your 3MT as a narrative, with a beginning, middle and end.
• It’s not easy to condense your research into three minutes, so you may find it easier to break your presentation down into smaller sections.
• Try writing an opener to catch the attention of the audience, then highlight your different points, and finally have a summary to restate the importance of your work.

Have a clear outcome in mind

• Know what you want your audience to take away from your presentation.
• Try to leave the audience with an understanding of what you’re doing, why it is important, and what you hope to achieve.
• Proof your 3MT presentation by reading it aloud, firstly to yourself and then to an audience of friends and family.
• Ask for feedback.
• Ask your audience if your presentation clearly highlights what your research is  about and why it is important.

Creating your 3MT slide

Before you start work on your slide, you should take the following rules into account:

• one single static PowerPoint slide is permitted;
• no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description are permitted;
• your slide is to be presented from the beginning of your oration; and
• no additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.

Suggestions

You may like to consider some of the following suggestions:

• Less is more : text and complicated graphics can distract your audience – you don’t want them to read your slide instead of listening to your 3MT. 
• Personal touches : personal touches can allow your audience to understand the impact of your research.
• Creativity drives interest : do not rely on your slide to convey your message – it should simply complement your oration.
• Work your message : think about how your slide might be able to assist with the format and delivery of your presentation – is there a metaphor that helps explain your research?
• An engaging visual presentation can make or break any oration, so make sure your slide is  legible, clear and concise .

Practising your 3MT presentation

Practice, practice, practice Feeling nervous before you present is natural, and sometimes a little nervousness can even be beneficial to your overall speech. Nonetheless, it is important to practice so you can present with confidence and clarity. Practicing will also help you gauge the timing of your 3MT so that you keep within the time limit.

Vocal range

• Speak clearly and use variety in your voice (fast/slow, loud/soft).
• Do not rush - find your rhythm.
• Remember to pause at key points as it gives the audience time to think about what you are saying.

Body language

• Stand straight and confidently.
• Hold your head up and make eye contact.
• Never turn your back to the audience.
• Practise how you will use your hands and move around the stage. It is okay to move around energetically if that is your personality, however it is also appropriate for a 3MT presentation to be delivered from a single spot on stage.
• Do not make the common mistakes of rolling back and forth on your heels, pacing for no reason or playing with your hair as these habits are distracting for the audience.

Record yourself

• Record and listen to your presentation to hear where you pause, speak too quickly or get it just right.
• Then work on your weaknesses and exploit your strengths.

Look to the stars!

• Watch your role models such as academics, politicians and journalists, and break down their strengths and weaknesses.
• Analyse how they engage with their audience.
• Visit  the Queensland 3MT website , the Vitae 3MT webpages or search YouTube to view presentations from previous 3MT finalists.
• While there is no dress code, if you are unsure of how to dress you may like to dress for a job interview or an important meeting. It is important that you feel comfortable so you can focus on your presentation.
• If you are presenting on a stage that has a wooden floor, be aware of the noise your footwear might make.
• Do not wear a costume of any kind as this is against the rules (as is the use of props).

Further resources

There are many resources available online for further help. Useful ones might include:

Presenting your research effectively and with confidence - By previous 3MT finalists (Taylor & Francis resource)

How a competition changed my academic life - By Jamie Khoo, 2018 UK People's Choice winner

Is it worth doing the three minute thesis?  - By Mary Woessner, Victoria University

How to win the 3 minute thesis  - By Dr Inger Mewburn (aka @thesiswhisperer)

Making the most of your 3 minutes  - Simon Clews, University of Melbourne

Talk nerdy to me  - Melissa Marshall's TED talk

Vitae's 3MT webpages

These guidance pages are part of the University of Queensland's official 3MT competitor resources

E : [email protected]

Copyright © 2024, University of Sussex

Samantha O'Sullivan (Physics / African American Studies)

Gullah Physics: Challenging English Language Hegemony in Science

Second prize expand_more

Sahar Mariam Mohammadzadeh (Government)

The Impact of Twitter on the Supreme Court

Third prize expand_more

Stephanie Alderete (Psychology)

Preschoolers' Ability to Think about Alternative Possibilities

Finalists expand_more

Alex Grayson (Molecular & Cellular Biology)

Comparing Fox and Human Brain Connectivity Patterns

Javin Pombra (Computer Science)

Unraveling the Black Box: Explainability for Artificial Intelligence in the Twenty-First Century

Zelin Liu (Classics / History)

Using the Past to Define Group Identity

Jerrica Li (Comparative Literature)

Diaspora: A Genre for This New Planetary Reality

Jahnavi Rao (Government)

The Spillover Potential of a Nudge

Daiana Lilo (Government / Data Science)

A Great Personality: How Different Characteristics Can Predict Supreme Court Decisions

• Nov 21, 2022

How to write a winning 3MT script

That’s how many words are in a typical PhD thesis. Years of gruelling research, sleepless nights, and history-making breakthroughs… culminated into one VERY thick book. To present something of this scale would take you approximately 9 hours. 🤯

But what do you do when you only have 3 minutes? ⏰

Well, that’s exactly what thousands of PhD students worldwide do each year in the 3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition. Not only do they explain their super complex research in the time it takes to make a coffee, but they do it in a way that can be understood by a non-specialist audience.

But we know what you’re thinking…

So, how do you even win a competition like that? Well first of all, you’re going to need a 3MT script. And we’re about to teach you how to write a WINNING one. 🏅

Not only that, but this blog post marks the beginning of a multi-part series that will cover all the important aspects of preparing a winning 3MT – from writing a captivating speech, to creating an effective slide, and of course, nailing your delivery.

What is the 3MT competition?

The Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) Competition is an annual public speaking competition, where PhD candidates describe the impact and scope of their research in 3 minutes to a non-specialist audience. It was launched by the University of Queensland in 2008 and has since gained traction in over 85 countries around the world! 🌍

Put simply, it’s a fancy elevator pitch. Just imagine that it’s a really slow elevator.

Like any good competition, the 3MT has some rules. Here’s a run-down of some of the big ones:

Rules of the 3MT® competition:

You must use a single static PowerPoint slide with no transitions or animations.

You are limited to 3 minutes maximum. Competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.

Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs)… Sorry to all the aspiring rapper-researchers out there.

You can find a comprehensive list of the rules on the official UQ 3MT website.

Well, now that’s out of the way, let’s get into our tips on how to write a winning 3MT script! In this article, I’ll discuss some strategies that I used to craft my own winning 3MT script, but I’ve also watched lots of other award-winning 3MT presentations and identified some common features they share, so that you don’t have to. 😉

#1 : The hook 🪝

Every great 3MT presentation starts off with an attention-grabbing opener, otherwise known as ‘the hook.’ It’s a storytelling essential, and is undoubtedly one of the most important components of the 3MT script.

One clever way to hook the audience in a 3MT presentation is to start off by asking a question , which creates a sense of open dialogue with the listener. For instance, these 3MT finalists began their presentations by asking:

Full videos: Sarah Mokrzycki | Merryn Baker

You can see how the simple act of asking a question makes us reflect on our own personal views and encourages us to engage with the presentation. 💭 Another way to achieve a similar effect is to begin your talk by prompting the audience to act. An effective example of this is presented here:

Full video: Amanda Khamis

Prompting the listener to act is a powerful way to immerse the audience into a particular scenario by making use of their senses. It can be easily achieved by asking the audience to look around the room, visualise a scene using their imagination, or simply taking a deep breath. 😮‍💨

Finally, several fantastic 3MT presentations also begin with a hook that startles the reader by making an unusual, interesting, or thought-provoking statement. This can be done numerous ways, such as through the use of:

Oxymoron: A figure of speech that combines two contradicting words (i.e., ‘deafening silence’ and ‘old news’).

Paradox: A self-contradictory statement that may actually be true (i.e., ‘less is more’).

Irony: Use of words to convey the opposite of their literal meaning (i.e., telling a rude customer to ‘have a nice day’).

Here are some good 3MT examples where the presenter has opened with a startling hook:

Full videos: Sophie Jano | Kylie Sturgess

The success of this technique arises from its element of surprise, which keeps the listener intrigued and curious. Basically, the more shocking or unexpected the hook, the better. 😲

However, with all this being said, there’s certainly no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to begin your 3MT, and that’s the beauty of creativity. But in case you’re stuck for ideas, here are a few sentence starters to give you some inspiration for creating a compelling hook for your 3MT script:

Once you’ve got the crowd hooked, it’s a prime opportunity to reel them in for your story. 📖

#2 : Tell a story

If you watch all the award-winning 3MT presentations, you’ll notice that they have one thing in common: they all tell a story. And they do it well.

But how do we turn our own complex, and often niche, research into a compelling story? Well, thankfully, we don’t have to reinvent the wheel. We can stand on the shoulders of SciComm giants... 👣

No one is more of an expert at the ins and outs of storytelling than Dr Randy Olson ; scientist-turned-filmmaker, and co-author of the book Connection: Hollywood Storytelling meets Critical Thinking ( a.k.a. our SciComm holy bible). Many of the principles discussed in this section come straight from this remarkable work, which made it to our top 5 must-read science communication books . 📚

As we know from pretty much every Hollywood blockbuster, all good stories have a beginning, middle, and end. In Connection , Randy further develops this idea by outlining what he calls the ‘ABT Template’, which stands for ‘And, But, Therefore.’ These represent the three key components that make up every good story. We’ve talked about the ABT template before , and how it can be used to elevate your storytelling. But, in case you missed it, I’ll use my own research as an example as we work through this concept.

Typically, in the beginning of a story, there’s some exposition. These are facts that help set the scene and ensure that the speaker and audience are all on the same page (pun intended). 😉 These facts can be connected using the word AND. For example:

“Cancer is deadly and traditional chemotherapy is one treatment option.”

Any statements we connect with ‘and’ are typically things that everyone would agree with, so you can quality-check your ‘and’ section by making sure you agree with all the facts you are connecting.

Okay, so we’ve set the scene. But this isn’t really a story yet, is it? The actual story doesn’t begin until there’s a source of tension or conflict , and the simplest word to make this happen is the word BUT:

“Cancer is deadly and traditional chemotherapy is one treatment option, but it comes with a lot of side effects.”

You can see that the ‘but’ is what makes things interesting. It’s what keeps the audience wanting more and makes them ask “Well, what happens next?”

It doesn’t have to be the word ‘but’ either – there are a lot of words that essentially do the same thing, such as however, although, except , and unfortunately, to name a few… (The thesaurus could be your best friend here). What these words have in common is that they create this critical sense of tension.

Following this, is the outcome , which is where the THEREFORE comes in.

“Cancer is deadly and chemotherapy is one treatment option, but it comes with a lot of side effects. Therefore , in our research, we load these drugs into tiny carriers called nanoparticles, which can help to reduce their adverse effects.”

‘Therefore’ is the word that brings everything together. It marks the beginning of a journey of discovery, which eventually leads to the resolution.

You can see how, by simply including these three key words: and, but and therefore , we have generated the foundations of a good story. Your 3MT script will obviously need to be longer than two sentences, but the ABT template provides a useful scaffold that you can build from to ensure that your story is compelling. If you’re interested in reading more on the ABT template and how it can be utilised, make sure to give Connection a read. 📖

To help you shape your story using the ABT template, here are some questions you can aim to answer in the beginning, middle, and end of your 3MT script:

Hopefully this outline can help you create a captivating and persuasive story to communicate your research effectively. Because, in the wise words of Dr Randy Olson, “Tell a good story and the whole world will listen.”

So, we’ve got our story. But what other strategies can we use to make it a little more interesting? Let’s unpack our storytelling toolkit to see how we can spice things up. 🌶

#3 : Your storytelling toolkit: analogies, humour & creation of a character

In addition to using the ABT template to write a compelling narrative structure, there are also several other tools that you can use to connect with your audience and make your story as easy to understand as possible.

One powerful way to do this is to relate your research to a more common experience by using an analogy . Analogies allow us to compare similarities between two seemingly different things. For instance, when I did the 3MT, I used an analogy to compare nanoparticles – a topic that’s not very common – to cars, something that almost everyone is familiar with:

Full video: Cintya Dharmayanti

As you can see, this works because the analogy serves to provide a simpler, more easily understood explanation using concepts and examples from everyday life. 🚗

Besides analogies, another useful tool to create a captivating story is the use of humour . Because who doesn’t like a good laugh, right? 😂 Comedic relief can help you create a bond with the listener and provide some emotional reprieve for what may otherwise be a serious presentation.

Humour is used well in this winning 3MT presentation:

Full video: Trevyn Toone

In this example, humour helps to keep us engaged with the presentation and gives us a good impression of the presenter. However, some care does need to be taken with the use of humour, so as to not devalue the presentation. Don’t worry if you’re not a comedian though (or if your research topics are too grim to joke about), there are still other effective ways to make your story shine.

Some of the most immersive 3MTs are those that introduce a character , fictional or not, and follow that character’s story. This is a particularly useful tool if your research involves a topic that strikes a strong emotional response. The following example executed this well, where the speaker refers to a photo of an adorable young infant with a feeding tube:

This is so effective because it encourages us to empathise with the character and persuades us to see the importance of the presenter’s research. Whether it’s analogies, humour, or the creation of a character, there are lots of ways to make your story relatable and more easily understood.

Now that we’ve got some ideas from our storytelling toolkit, let’s move on! 🙌

#4 : Goodbye technical jargon 👋

Imagine being in a different country, where you don’t speak the native language. You’re chatting with a local, but they can’t speak your language very fluently. The conversation is interspersed with foreign words that you can’t quite understand, so the meaning of the exchange ultimately becomes lost.

That’s what it’s like trying to understand complex research when it’s filled with terminology and jargon only an expert in that field would know. 🤓

Remember that the 3MT is for a non-specialist audience, which is very different to a conference presentation that’s mostly filled with experts in the field. As scientists, it’s our job to make sure that we are speaking the same language as our audience, and for the 3MT, that means avoiding the use of language that’s too niche or technical. We can still explain complex concepts using language that’s easy to understand!

But how do you do that, when you’ve spent years in academia doing the opposite? 😅

The best way to avoid the overuse of jargon is to simply seek the help of a non-specialist. Ask someone that’s not in your field of research to listen to your presentation and provide feedback. Perhaps this is a friend, family, or fellow student from a completely different department. Does your story make sense to them? If not, it probably won’t make sense to many people in the 3MT audience.

I remember when I was preparing my 3MT script, I went through this exact process! Reading it aloud to my mum, sister, and pretty much anyone who would listen, to make sure each sentence was easy to follow and understand. It’s actually what helped me come up with the idea of the car- analogy in the first place! So, keep iterating and tweaking your presentation until it makes sense to the mailman, the bus driver, and the neighbour down the road.

Also, make sure to keep your story focused on the big picture, rather than getting bogged down in the details and data. Not only will this make your presentation hard to understand, but it’s also more likely to make it B.O.R.I.N.G. and lead to blank stares !

When you’ve ticked all these boxes – great! You’re ready to move on.

#5 : The finisher: Coming full circle

Good job! You’re almost done. Time to add the finishing touch. We can all agree that a strong finish makes for a more memorable presentation. One trend that’s very common amongst winning 3MT presentations is the way that they finish: by bringing their story full circle. As the name suggests, this essentially means that the presenter refers back to the beginning of the story, especially if a particular character, scenario, or analogy is used.

For instance, in this winning 3MT example, the presentation begins with:

Then, as the presentation comes to a close, the final segment ends by referring back to the opening sentence:

Full video: Matthew Shaw

By bringing the story full circle, the audience gains a sense of satisfaction and closure as the cycle returns to its beginnings and the status quo is restored.

Take-away messages

The thought of distilling years of research down to just 3 minutes can be daunting, especially when it’s a competition. 😰 However, if you:

Create an attention-grabbing hook

Tell a captivating story using the ABT template

Use tools such as analogies, humour, and characters

Get rid of technical jargon, and

Bring your story full circle

You’re well on your way to writing a fantastic 3MT script! So, what are you waiting for? Let’s tell your story. Time is ticking. 😉⏰

And remember – if you want to further master your storytelling and public speaking skills, we’d love to show you how in one of our online or in-person science communication workshops .

Feel free to contact us to find out more!

Cintya Dharmayanti

Dr Juan Miguel Balbin

Dr Tullio Rossi

Illustration

Alvin Yanga

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5 tips for improving your public speaking skills as a researcher

How to write effective analogies for communicating research

• Thompson Rivers University Library
• Research Guides

3 Minute Thesis (3MT)

3mt resources, graphic design principles, public speaking & feeling confident, tru 3mt competition.

• TRU 3MT Competition Website Register and submit your presentation slide by March 15, 2024.

The 3 Minute Thesis (3MT)

• 3 Minute Thesis - University of Queensland Click "Resources" for competitor rules and guidelines
• 3 Minute Thesis Slide Template Download this PowerPoint template and follow the instructions to prepare the slide for your presentation.

Undergraduate student or faculty member, but want to participate? Check out TRU's other 180 second research competitions during Research Month . The information and rules on this page specifically refer to the graduate 3MT, but will help you no matter which competition you are in: https://www.tru.ca/research/research-month.html

3 Minutes Thesis Slide

Your slide plays an important role in how you present and deliver the content of your thesis.

Think of the 3 minute slide as a backdrop to a play.  The slide serves as your "theatrical set" to your "one man show".  The slide sets the tone and graphically conveys the information to which you are speaking to.  

• a single, static, slide is permitted
• no slide transitions, sounds, animations or 'movement' of any description are permitted

3MT winning presentations

• More winning presentations

Design matters

The more strikingly visual your presentation is, the more people will remember it. And more importantly, they will remember you. — Paul Arden

Good graphic design is not about decoration or making something look super fancy. Design is about making communication as easy and clear as possible.

Rule of Thirds

The rule of thirds is a principle of the Golden ratio with broad application as a "rule of thumb" or guideline which applies to the process of composing visual images such as designs, films, paintings, and photographs. The guideline proposes according to the principle of the Golden section search that an image should be imagined as divided into nine equal parts by two equally spaced horizontal lines and two equally spaced vertical lines, and that important compositional elements should be placed along these lines or their intersections. Proponents of the technique claim that aligning a subject with these points creates more tension, energy and interest in the composition than simply centering the subject. - Wikipedia

White Space

• You need white space to help balance the images and text on your slide. 
• Empty space is not negative or bad space.  White space creates harmony and balance.

Using colour is an important aspect of delivering your message. Colour can help convey emotion, but keep in mind that colour association is culturally specific. For example, the colour white can mean purity in some cultures, but in other cultures white is associated with mourning.

It is a good rule of thumb to use colour sparingly (2-3 colours maximum).

Things to think about:

Contrast - shoot for high contrasting colours.  Avoid black text on an all white background as that can cause glare and eye strain.

Serif vs San Serif Font

Resist the temptation to put your entire thesis on your slide.  Your slide should convey the essence of your thesis and is meant to complement your spoken presentation.

Only include things that are:

• critical, essential and relevant
• metaphors or analogies to catch your audience's attention
• excellent graphical representations of a concept

image source: http://drmarkwomack.com/images/serif-vs-sans-serif.png

Tools for Finding Images

Remember: even if an image is in the public domain, you should still cite it! For the 3MT slide, the citation text can be small and out of the way.

TRU Library image databases - permitted to use images for educational purposes

Public Domain Images

Public domain: the copyright on public domain photos (and other works) has either expired or otherwise doesn't exist. You may use public domain work without worrying about getting permission, but you should still cite them, because they are not your work!

• Getty Open Content Program You can find these images by conducting a search on the Getty Search Gateway and then filtering your results by checking the box next to "Open Content Images", which is the second option in the Highlights section of the filters in the left menu. All images found through this program should be credited as "Digital image courtesy of the Getty's Open Content Program"
• Google Images Use Advanced Search / Usage Rights / "Creative Commons licenses"
• The Metropolitan Museum of Art Images that are in the public domain will be marked as such.
• NASA Image Library NASA still images, audio files, video, and computer files used in the rendition of 3-dimensional models, such as texture maps and polygon data in any format, generally are not copyrighted.
• Pixabay See FAQ under Help for information regarding re-use of images.
• Public Domain Review a collection of images, books, films and audio files that are available in the public domain. The collection can be browsed by medium, time period, tag and source.
• Rijksmuseum Images on the Rijksmuseum website are fully searchable and downloadable. Each item that has entered the public domain includes this information in the section of the item description entitled acquisition and rights.
• U.S. Department of Agriculture Image Gallery Because the images were mostly taken for the government, virtually all are in the public domain. Any images that are not in the public domain are marked as such.
• Wikimedia Commons Freely usable media files (images, audio, video). Check the image summary for details on permitted use.
• Yale University Art Gallery You can find more information on properly attributing images on the Art Gallery's Terms of Use page.

Creative Commons Images

For more info on creative commons, click here .

• Creative Commons Search Search a variety of media.
• Compfight Refer to "Learn about Photo Licenses" for information about re-use of images.
• PhotoPin This image search engine returns both Creative Commons and non-Creative Commons images. When you download any image, you can also download the necessary HTML to appropriately attribute the image to its creator.
• Bucketlistly Devoted to CC BY-NC licensed travel photos.
• Europeana, 1914-1918 Europeana is an online collection of content from European libraries, archives, museums and other institutions. Once you run a search in their search bar, you can limit your results to items that are freely usable or available under a Creative Commons license using the facets under Copyright in the left menu.
• The Stocks This website collects sites that offer access to high-resolution images available for use under Creative Commons licenses. Most of the sites offer the images under CC0 licenses and all of the sites clearly state how their images are licensed.
• Multicolr Search Lab allows you to search for Creative Commons-licensed images by color

Vector & Raster Graphics

Vector based images (.ai, .eps, .svg, and some .pdf) are based on a mathematical equation. For example, if your image is a circle in vector format, that circle is simply a mathematical formula. If you resize that circle by 1000x, the mathematical formula would still calculate that circle in proportion. This means that no matter how you resize vector images they will scale properly and there will never be any pixelation.

Raster based graphics, (.bmp, .jpg, .png, .gif, .tif, etc.) are based on a grid of pixels or dots. The pixels represent certain colors that make up a bigger image and are resolution dependent.  When you resized a raster graphic, they eventually start to pixelate due to the pixels being “stretched” beyond their original size.

3MT In 3 Minutes

How to look confident when you aren't feeling confident

Remember: your audience wants you to succeed. No one is plotting for your failure.

Check out your classroom in advance

Familiarize yourself with the layout of the of the room. Where is the spot where you will be speaking from? Is there a podium? How are the desks or chairs arranged? Will you need audio-visual equipment (ie. laptop or a mac computer connector)? How do the lights turn on/off? Is there a chalk board or dry wipe board?

Practice your lecture beforehand

If possible, practice giving your lecture/speech in the room where you will be doing it. Practice your timing and record the amount of time for each portion of your lecture/speech on your speaker's notes to help you keep track of the pacing of your lecture/speech when you are doing it for real.  

PRO TIP: See your lecture as your audience will see it and have a friend record your presentation practice. Use that recording to look for ways to streamline your presentation or find out if you have any verbal or non-verbal habits that can be corrected or minimized.

Bring water

Not only will the water quench a sudden dry throat, but it can also act as a prop. While you won't have time in your 3 minute thesis to sip water, having it before and after helps.

Wear clothing that is professional and exudes confidence. Your clothes should be comfortable and loose enough so that you can move around. Check for potential wardrobe malfunctions.

Script vs Notes

As you work on your presentation, you may start with a detailed script. It is a good idea to distil that script into an outline.

It is best to have your 3MT presentation memorized, but if you have to rely on notes they should be detailed enough to include key definitions, examples, analogies and any other detail that you think you might need some support if you get nervous in front of the room. 

Talisman or special token

If you have a small token, good luck charm or special piece of jewelry that makes you feel good, have it on you.

If you have a song or playlist that gets you going and makes you feel good, listen to it on your way to the competition to get PUMPED UP!

Kathy's secret song....

What you are aiming for is.....

• Authoritative

To achieve that:

• Maintain regular eye contact
• Speak clearly and enunciate: Make sure that not only do you keep regular eye contact, but try to have your audience see your face and mouth as much as possible. It helps many understand what you are saying and understand meaning.
• Use your body and use the space
• Vary speed and pitch; facial expressions: Don’t yell … you are having a conversation with your audience.
• Use an analogy or story to make your research relatable, but avoid these three conversation stoppers: sex , religion and politics
• Because you aren't reading a script, you'll be able to watch your audience's reaction to your delivery. Are they confused? Do they understand what you are saying? Look for body language and adjust accordingly.
• Include delivery reminders. Leave yourself notes and reminders within your notes. For example, "Breathe".. or "Slow Down" or sample questions to spur conversation or classroom contribution.

These resources provide tips and tricks for preparing your slide, sharing your research, and preparing to present at the 3MT competition.

• 11 Tips for the 3 Minute Thesis Competition Henry Miller (UT Health San Antonio)
• How to Talk about Your Thesis in 3 Minutes Inger Mewburn (RMIT University)
• Your Time Starts Now: A Guide to...the 3MT Competition Simon Clews, University of Mebourne
• How Grad Students can Effectively Tell their Research Story Jackie Amsden (Simon Fraser University)
• Tips and Techniques for More Confident and Compelling Presentations Matt Abrahams (Stanford University)
• Think Fast, Talk Smart: The Podcast Matt Abrahams (Stanford University)
• Six Pieces of Bad Speaking Advice that Just Won't Die Anett Grant (Executive Speaking)
• Last Updated: Feb 27, 2024 12:05 PM
• URL: https://libguides.tru.ca/3mtslides

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22 The 3 Minute Thesis

Read time: 2 minutes

This chapter will provide an overview of the 3 Minute Thesis oral presentation format.

Sections in this chapter

What is it.

• 3MT examples

The three-minute thesis (3MT) is a new format of research presentation that builds on the classic “elevator pitch”. The challenge in this type of presentation is to explain your research to an intelligent non-specialist audience in under 3 minutes with limited visual aids. Often there are specific rules for the visual aid: a single 4:3 slide, no animations or video, and no props.

For a successful 3MT talk, you need to follow completely different rules from normal scientific presentations. You can skip common things like introducing yourself, thanking all your lab mates and colleagues, or funding. You typically don’t show data unless it is presented in a very simple figure.

Because of the challenge involved with presenting years of detailed research in only three minutes, Universities hold cross-faculty 3MT competitions. The first was founded by the University of Queensland, Australia, where you can find many great resources and videos .

The tips below were adapted from “10 Hints for Improving Presentations for the Three Minute Thesis” by Danielle Fischer at Charles Darwin University ( Full PDF here ):

• Don’t introduce yourself, don’t do acknowledgements, don’t show data.
• Start by introducing how your research relates to the bigger picture. Try to think of why any person might be interested in your work.
• Only include relevant things on your slide and make sure images are good quality. Carefully design your slide, don’t overcrowd it or use too much colour.
• Use simple and familiar analogies.
• Speak with an excited and engaged manner.
• Don’t wear anything distracting.
• Use body language: smiling, gestures, movement, and eye-contact.
• Finish by bringing the audience back to the big picture.
• Practice and get feedback from a wide variety of people.
• Use your time, but don’t go over it.

These are some 3MT slides made by previous CHEM 803 students.

There are many resources online about preparing a 3MT presentation. Below are some links to helpful videos, award-winning 3MT talks, and the many resources provided by Queen’s University.

Helpful Videos

These videos were prepared by are owned by Australian National University.

3MT: three tips to help you prepare a winning presentation

3MT: the three most common mistakes

Award-winning 3MT

These are videos of some award-winning 3MT talks. The first one has the best title,  it’s simple and concise!

Wind turbines and climate change – Rosemary Barnes

Hypoxia-activated pro-drugs: a novel approach for breast cancer treatment – jasdeep saggar, the development of anti-body-drug conjugate to specifically target and soften the crystalline lens in vivo – gah-jone won.

Check out the Queen’s University 2020 Competition results, where you’ll find two award-winning 3MT talks from our Chemistry Department by Morgan Lehtinen and Alastair Kierulf. [ In the video at this link, click “Playlist” to find their talks ]

Principles of Scientific Communication Copyright © 2020 by Amanda Bongers and Donal Macartney is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Penn Three Minute Thesis (3MT)

Basic page sidebar menu penn gsc.

Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) is a competition for doctoral and research students to develop and showcase their research communication skills through brief, 3-minute presentations.

Penn's annual 3MT competition is sponsored by the Office of the Vice Provost for Education, with co-sponsorship and support from Career Services, the Graduate Student Center, and GAPSA. 

Penn 3MT is a University-sponsored speaking competition designed to showcase graduate student research in three-minute talks to a general audience. This is a terrific opportunity for graduate students engaged in substantive original research to develop communication skills and share their work with faculty, students, and staff from across the University.

• 3MT Information Sessions : November 2023 & January 2024
• Research Communications Workshops : October - November 2023 &  February 2024 (optional)
• Practice and Feedback Sessions: February 2024 (optional)
• First Round Video Submissions Due: Saturday, March 2, 2024
• Finalists announced: March 7-8, 2024
• Finalist Feedback Sessions: March 8-21, 2024
• In-person Competition : Friday, March 22, 2024

In addition to bragging rights, a prize of $1000 will be awarded to the first-place winner and $500 to both the second-place and audience choice winners. Winners will also have the opportunity to participate in regional and national 3 Minute Thesis competitions!

To enter, students must register below and submit a video of their three-minute talk to Penn 3MT (details below) by Saturday, March 2. From those first-round submissions, up to 10 finalists will be chosen to compete in the campus-wide, live competition on Friday, March 22.

Register for Round 1 Video Submission

The 3MT competition will teach you how to communicate effectively to specialists and non-specialists alike, preparing you to present your research at scholarly conferences and to take part in both academic and professional job markets.

Professional Development:  Penn 3MT is a great opportunity for graduate students to practice sharing their original research to general audiences. Participants have the opportunity to attend workshops and receive group and one-on-one coaching to  develop oratorical skills, dynamic deliveries, and compelling content  when presenting their academic research.

Networking:  3MT participants will have an opportunity to meet and engage with new faculty, staff, and students from across the University.

Impact:  Participants have the opportunity to make the importance and relevance of their research visible to a non-specialist audience. Participants can elect to have their presentation shared online, promoting both your own work and the value of graduate student research to a much wider audience.

Prizes:  Everyone who submits a video will receive prizes from GAPSA and the Grad Center! Please register at the blue button at the top of the page  if you plan on submitting a video so we can collect your contact information. Judges will select a first-place ($1000) and second-place ($500) winner at the live competition. There will also be an audience choice ($500) winner.

Active PhD, Professional Doctorate Research (program composed of at least 2/3 research and eligible for Research Training Program (RTP)), and full-time Masters candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone (including candidates whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate in 3MT competitions at all levels. Graduates are not eligible.

Please Note : Students enrolled in any of the following programs are not eligible to enter the 3MT Competition:

Professional Masters

Professional Doctorate (less than 2/3 research)

Entries from all disciplines are welcome and encouraged.

In cases of presentation of a collaborative research project, the presenter’s contribution to the project must be salient and clearly specified.

If you are unsure of your eligibility or would like more information about 3MT, please contact [email protected] . You can also check the Graduate Catalog for your Penn School to see if your program is listed under the PhD and Research Master's Programs.

We are also looking for faculty judges for the live competition. If you are interested in being a judge, please contact us !

To enter, you must submit a three-minute video of your presentation by 11:59 p.m. (local time) on March 2, 2024.

Please register at the blue button at the top of the page  if you are interested in participating . Be sure to read through the Rules and Guidelines also before submitting your videos!

Competition Process

Students may submit their slide and video anytime before Saturday, March 2, 2024  for feedback. You can also request a 1:1 session during this time for immediate feedback or to go over your presentation with the Associate Director.

Research Communications Workshops offered by the Graduate Student Center will occur October - November and January - February. See our Events page for details.

Student videos submitted by the deadline of  Satur day, March 2 at 11:59 p.m., EST  are reviewed by a panel of staff for compliance with the eligibility requirements.

10 Finalists are selected for the live competition by March 7-8, 2024.

A  campus-wide competition between the finalists will be held March 22, 2024. A reception will be held after the competition.

On the basis of these presentations, winners will be selected by the panel of judges and a “people’s choice” by audience members.  

Judging and Selection

A panel of non-specialist faculty and staff judges will evaluate student presentations. Presentations will be evaluated based on clarity, comprehension, content, engagement, and communication.

Everyone who submits a video will receive a gift for participating! Please fill out the interest form above if you plan on submitting a video so we can collect your contact information. Judges will select a first ($1000) and second-place ($500) winner at the live competition. There will also be an audience choice ($500) winner.

All decisions of the judging panel are final.

Video submission:   

• Your video and slide should be submitted using the button below.  Please register at the blue button at the top of the page  if you are interested in participating .
• All video files should be named: “Title_of_talk.mp4” or “Title_of_talk.mov”.  Please do not include your name or any other identifying information in the name of the video file.
• You do not need to include your slide in your video. A video of you speaking is enough. You will upload your slide alongside your video.
• At the very beginning of your video, please state your full name, graduate program, and the title of your presentation. The time it takes to do this will not be counted against the three minutes to present your research.
• You will not be judged on your skills as a videographer, and you do not need to use professional video equipment. As long as the judges can see you and the audio is clear and understandable, that is sufficient. You can record yourself using the Panopto interface in Canvas. You can also record yourself in Zoom. You may ask a friend or colleague for help creating your video, or you can get assistance and borrow equipment from the Vitale Digital Media Lab . You can also follow these tips for recording a presentation in Zoom . Here is one demonstrated on a Mac .

Visual submission :

• Presenters may use a single image or static PowerPoint slide (no Prezi or other presentation formats) to enhance their presentation.
• Students must create their slides themselves – they cannot ask someone else to design the slides. Use of PowerPoint templates is allowed.
• Slides can include visual elements (charts, visualizations, photos, clip art, etc.) created by someone other than the student, as long as the slide credits the original creator.
• Embedded audio, animations, and/or video clips (including but not limited to .gif, .avi, .mp4, .mp3, and .wmv file types) are NOT permitted.
• Powerpoint slides should be named "Title_of_talk.ppt". Please do not include your name or any other identifying information in the name of the PowerPoint file.

Powerpoint slides and videos can be uploaded below. If you are having difficulty, please upload it to Microsoft, Box, or Google Drive and email jomcb at upenn.edu the link to download.

Upload Your Video & Slide

Length and Timing: Presentations should be a maximum of three (3) minutes in length, commencing from the moment the speaker starts the presentation through movement or speech.

• The presentation  begins  at the moment the speaker engages with the audience (if they start with a hand clap, a gesture, or any other such engagement, prior to speaking, the clock begins at that time; if there is no such engagement the clock starts when the student begins speaking).
• If the speaker continues past three minutes, points will be deducted from the final score, beginning with one point at 3:03, and one point every two additional seconds thereafter.
• No props of any kind are permitted, and notes cannot be used during the presentation.

Want some help getting started? In need of Inspiration? Check out the resources below!

3MT® Resources

• Three-Minute Thesis Showcase :  Watch winning 3MT presentations from around the world.
• Three Tips to Help You Prepare a Winning Presentation
• 3MT: The Three Most Common Mistakes
• Sample 3MT Coaching Session

Past Penn 3MT ® Competitions and Workshops

Research Communications Workshops

Additional Resources

• Nature MasterClass: Effective Science Communication (PennKey login required)
• Alda Center for Communicating Science Creating Connections Workbook
• XKCD Simple Writer
• Dejargonizer
• TED Talks :  Short talks on “ideas worth spreading.” 
• PhD Comics Two-Minute Thesis  Competition
• Berkeley Grad Slam Competition

Have questions? Need more info? Fill out our contact form and our staff will get back to you!

Graduate Student Center University of Pennsylvania 3615 Locust Walk Philadelphia PA 19104 215-746-6868

[email protected]

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University of South Florida

Office of Graduate Studies

Main navigation, three minute thesis (3mt®) at usf.

The Office of Graduate Studies and the Graduate and Professional Student Council are proud to present USF's 3 Minute Thesis Competition (3MT®)!

The Three Minute Thesis, or 3MT®, is an annual competition held at over 200 universities world wide, open to graduate students who present their research in less than 3 minutes, with only one static slide.

Winning presentations are engaging stories that are understood by the broader audience, requiring little expertise in the research area. The competition cultivates students’ academic, presentation, and research communication skills. The idea is for students to orally present the significance of their dissertation or thesis using a single static slide in just three minutes.

WORKSHOP: Preparing a Winning 3MT® Presentation

Date: October 4, 2023 (Most recent)  Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM

Description

Presented by Ruth Bahr, PhD, Dean, Office of Graduate Studies and Tracy Costello, PhD, Director, Office of Postdoctoral Affairs

The Three Minute Thesis , or 3MT® , is an annual competition held at over 200 universities worldwide, open to graduate students who present their research in less than 3 minutes, with only one static slide.  Winning presentations are engaging stories that are understood by the broader audience, requiring little expertise in the research area. 

This lecture is designed to help you understand and develop your best 3MT® presentation so that you're prepared to enter the USF competition in October 2023.  We'll share tips for success including how to frame your research for any audience and considerations for your slide's design. 

The winner and runner-up of the USF competition receive travel awards and are additionally supported to travel and present in the Council of Graduate Schools 3MT® competitions at the 2024 Council of Florida Graduate Schools Conference and the 2024 Council of Southern Graduate Schools Conference, schedule and funding permitting.  

Pictured from left to right: Asim Waqas, Anna Gonzalez, Reham Abuemira (People's choice) , Indira Goldman, Darrail Abercrombie, Alex Seigel, William Cromwell (Runner-up) , Martha McAlister, Alexandra Zamitalo (First Place), Dean Ruth Bahr. 2023 3MT® Competition.

Pictured: 2023 Participants compete with 3MT® presentations during the USF Finals Heat held on the Tampa campus. 

Judges will rate the student's ability to effectively present their research to a multidisciplinary audience in accessible and engaging non-technical language. Developed by The University of Queensland in 2008, enthusiasm for the concept and its adoption in numerous universities has also led to the development of an international competition.

Now, 3MT® is held in over 900 universities across more than 80 countries worldwide.

Why Participate?

Skills Development

Participating in 3MT® develops academic, presentation and research communication skills, while developing research candidates’ ability to effectively explain their research in language appropriate to a non-specialist audience.

Culture of Research

3MT® provides a valuable opportunity for researchers to come together (live or virtually), get to know one another and talk about their research. It also provides a supportive environment in which schools, institutes and universities can provide presentation skills training.

Networking Opportunities

3MT® winners may go on to represent their university at national and international 3MT® competitions which provides an excellent networking and professional development opportunity. Previous 3MT® finalists have benefited from invitations to a variety of other networking events following their participation in the competition.

A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted (no slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description, the slide is to be presented from the beginning of the oration).

No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.

No additional props (e.g. costumes, musical instruments, laboratory equipment) are permitted.

Presentations are limited to 3 minutes maximum and competitors exceeding 3 minutes are disqualified.

Presentations are to be spoken word (e.g. no poems, raps or songs).

Presentations are to commence from the stage.

Presentations are considered to have commenced when a presenter starts their presentation through movement or speech.

The decision of the adjudicating panel is final.

JUDGING CRITERIA

Comprehension & Content

Presentation provided clear background and significance to the research question.

Presentation clearly described the research strategy/design and the results/findings of the research.

Presentation clearly described the conclusions, outcomes, and impact of the research.

Engagement & Communication

The oration was delivered clearly, and the language was appropriate for a non-specialist audience.

The PowerPoint slide was well-defined and enhanced the presentation.

The presenter conveyed enthusiasm for their research and captured and maintained the audience’s attention.

PEOPLE’S CHOICE

An important aspect of the competition is the People’s Choice prize. Following all presentations, the audience is asked to vote on who they thought gave the most convincing 3MT® presentation (based on their understanding of the criteria outline above). A finalist can be the winner or runner-up and still receive the People’s Choice award.

ELIGIBILITY

Active Ph.D. and Professional Doctorate (Research) candidates who have successfully passed their confirmation milestone (including candidates whose thesis is under submission) by the date of their first presentation are eligible to participate in 3MT® competitions at all levels. Graduates are not eligible.

• 3MT® Competitor Guide
• FAQs for Competitors

USF holds a series of heats during the fall semester. Winners of the heats go on to compete in the USF 3MT® Finals, which typically take place in early November. 

• First Place: $300
• Runner-up (Second Place): $200
• People's Choice: $100

The First Place Winner moves forward to represent USF at the regional 3MT® competition the following spring.

VIEW: USF 3MT® Winners

First Place: Alexandra Zamitalo Title: Intraocular Marvels: Revolutionizing Techniques for Studying the Eye College: College of Engineering Program: Medical Engineering

Runner-up: William Cromwell Title: The ABOs of Cerebral Malaria College: College of Medicine Program: Medical Sciences

People's Choice: Reham Abuemira Title: Telecollaboration as an Approach to Facilitating Intercultural Communicative Competence and Exposure to Arabic Varieties in Arabic as Foreign Language Classrooms in the US: Exploring Teachers' Perspectives and Practices College: College of Education Program: Technology in Education and Second Language Acquisition

First Place: Kanchana Karunarathne Title: Coloring In Memory: Fluorescent Dyes as a Candidate for Oligomer Detection in Alzheimer’s Disease College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Physics

Runner-up: Efrain Gonzalez Title: Know the Unknown College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Mathematics and Statistics

People's Choice: Shelby Kell Title: One-size-fits-all: Pharmaceuticals For Human Health Care College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Chemistry

First Place: Aditya Chakraborty Title:  A Data-Driven Analytical Process to Monitor Pancreatic Cancer Survival Time College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Mathematics and Statistics

Runner-up: Jing Chen Title:  Membrane Proteins: Starting From a Binary Switch College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology

People's Choice: Minglu Sun Title:  The Effect of the Drug Abuse Prevention Programs on Domestic Violence College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Economics

First Place: Tiffany Miller Title:   Sniffing out COVID-19 with a Gas Sensor Array College: College of Engineering Program: Electrical Engineering

Runner-up: Celine Atkinson Title:  Climate Change, Gut Microbes, and You College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Cell Biology, Microbiology and Molecular Biology

People's Choice: Poonan Lathiya Title:   Biotelemetry College: College of Engineering Program: Electrical Engineering

First Place: Aya Elmarsafawi Title:   Long Live Memory Cells College: Morsani College of Medicine Program: Molecular Medicine (Immunology)

Runner-up: Zeinab Motawe Title:   Having a Stroke? Take a Chill Pill! College: Morsani College of Medicine Program: Molecular Pharmacology and Physiology

People's Choice: Sandra Hornung Title:   Respiratory Syncytial Virus Accessorizes Human Proteins College: Morsani College of Medicine Program: Integrated Biomedical Sciences

First Place: Christian Brown Title:   Salamanders in the Sky and How They Try to Fly College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Integrative Biology

Runner-up: Abhijeet Iyer Title:   Air Pollution – Think Inside the Box College: College of Engineering Program: Chemical Engineering

People's Choice: Wainella Isaacs Title:   The Social and Technical Life of Drinking Water Tanks College: College of Engineering Program: Civil and Environmental Engineering

First Place: Karena Nguyen Title:   Parasites, People and the Changing Climate College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Integrative Biology

Second Place: Earnest Hansley Title:   Identification of Individuals from Ears College: College of Engineering Program: Computer Science and Engineering

People's Choice: Saurav Chakraborty Title:   El Niño Neutral Condition and its Influence on the Development of Hurricanes College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Geography

First Place: Kevin Orner Title:   Nutrient Removal and Energy Recovery from Digester Effluent College: College of Engineering Program: Environmental Engineering

Second Place: Karena Nguyen Title:   A Mechanistic Framework for Temperature-Dependent Disease Dynamics: A Novel Approach with Dynamic Energy Budget Theory College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: Integrative Biology

People's Choice: Dagmara Monfort Title:   Self-Assembling Nanoparticles for Treatment of Genetic Diseases College: College of Engineering Program: Chemical and Biomedical Engineering

First Place: Simon Bello Title:   Development of an Implantable Pressure Regulating Pump for Glaucoma Studies College: College of Engineering Program: Electrical Engineering

Second Place: Elan Pavlinich Title:   Counterfeit Feminism in Disney's Maleficent College: College of Arts and Sciences Program: English

People's Choice: Parveen Bazard Title:   Plasmonic Stimulation of Electrically Excitable Biological Cells College: College of Engineering Program: Chemical Engineering

3MT competitor guide

Even the world’s best public speakers prepare before important presentations. To assist you with your preparations, please find a few suggestions below that will help you in writing your presentation, creating your slide and practising your presentation.

• 3MT drafting
• 3MT presentation
• Examples of 3MT presentations

Write for your audience

• Avoid jargon and academic language.
• Explain concepts and people important to your research - you may know all about Professor Smith’s theories but your audience may not.
• Highlight the outcomes of your research, and the desired outcome.
• Imagine that you are explaining your research to a close friend or fellow student from another field.
• Convey your excitement and enthusiasm for your subject.

Tell a story

• You may like to present your 3MT as a narrative, with a beginning, middle and end.
• It’s not easy to condense your research into three minutes, so you may find it easier to break your presentation down into smaller sections.
• Try writing an opener to catch the attention of the audience, then highlight your different points, and finally have a summary to restate the importance of your work.

Have a clear outcome in mind

• Know what you want your audience to take away from your presentation.
• Try to leave the audience with an understanding of what you’re doing, why it is important, and what you hope to achieve.
• Proof your 3MT presentation by reading it aloud, to yourself and to an audience of friends and family.
• Ask for feedback.
• Ask your audience if your presentation clearly highlights what your research is about and why it is important.

Before you start work on your slide, you should take the following rules into account:

• One single static PowerPoint slide is permitted;
• No slide transitions, animations or ‘movement’ of any description are permitted;
• Your slide is to be presented from the beginning of your oration; and
• No additional electronic media (e.g. sound and video files) are permitted.

Suggestions

You may like to consider some of the following suggestions.

• Less is more: text and complicated graphics can distract your audience – you don’t want them to read your slide instead of listening to your 3MT. 
• Personal touches: personal touches can allow your audience to understand the impact of your research.
• Creativity drives interest: do not rely on your slide to convey your message – it should simply complement your oration.
• Work your message: think about how your slide might be able to assist with the format and delivery of your presentation – is there a metaphor that helps explain your research?
• An engaging visual presentation can make or break any oration, so make sure your slide is  legible, clear and concise .

Practice, practice, practice

• Feeling nervous before you present is natural, and a little nervousness can even be beneficial to your overall speech. Nonetheless, it is important to practice so you can present with confidence and clarity. Practicing will also help you gauge the timing of your 3MT so that you keep within the time limit.

Vocal range

• Speak clearly and use variety in your voice (fast/slow, loud/ soft).
• Do not rush – find your rhythm.
• Remember to pause at key points as it gives the audience time to think about what you are saying.

Body language

• Stand straight and confidently.
• Hold your head up and make eye contact.
• Never turn your back to the audience.
• Practise how you will use your hands and move around the stage. It is okay to move around energetically if that is your personality, however it is also appropriate for a 3MT presentation to be delivered from a single spot on stage.
• Do not make the common mistakes of rolling back and forth on your heels, pacing for no reason or playing with your hair as these habits are distracting for the audience.  

Record yourself

• Record and listen to your presentation to hear where you pause, speak too quickly or get it just right.
• Then work on your weaknesses and exploit your strengths.

Look to the stars!

• Watch your role models such as academics, politicians and journalists, and break down their strengths and weaknesses.
• Analyse how they engage with their audience.
• View presentations by previous 3MT finalists .
• There is no dress code, if you are unsure of how to dress you may like to dress for a job interview or an important meeting. It is important that you feel comfortable so you can focus on your presentation.
• If you are presenting on a stage that has a wooden floor, be aware of the noise your footwear might make.
• Do not wear a costume of any kind as this is against the rules (as is the use of props).

For ideas and inspiration on how to develop your own 3MT presentation, there are many examples of previous 3MT finalists from a broad range of disciplines on our website:

• Past UQ Competition Finalists
• Past Asia-Pacific Competition Finalists
• Past Finalists from around the world

Moscow Method

What do you think of this template.

Product details

At its core, the MoSCoW method is simply a prioritization framework that can be applied to any kind of situation or project, but it works best when a large number of tasks need to be ruthlessly whittled down into a prioritized and achievable to-do list. The core aim of the process is to classify tasks into four buckets; Must, Should, Could and Won’t. As you can probably fathom, Must is the highest priority bucket, and Won’t is the lowest. You can also presumably now see where the funny capitalization in the term ‘MoSCoW’ derives from. One of the primary benefits of a MoSCoW exercise is that it forces hard decisions to be made regarding which direction a digital product project will take. Indeed, the process is usually the first time a client has been asked to really weigh up which functions are absolutely fundamental to the product (Must), which are merely important (Should) and which are just nice-to-haves (Could). This can make the MoSCoW method challenging, but also incredibly rewarding. It’s not uncommon for there to be hundreds of user stories at this stage of a project, as they cover every aspect of what a user or admin will want to do with the digital product. With so many stories to keep track of it helps to group them into sets. For example, you may want to group all the stories surrounding checkout, or onboarding into one group. When we run a MoSCoW process, we use the following definitions. Must – These stories are vital to the function of the digital product. If any of these stories were removed or not completed, the product would not function. Should – These stories make the product better in important ways, but are not vital to the function of the product. We would like to add these stories to the MVP build, but we’ll only start working on them once all the Must stories are complete. Could – These stories would be nice to have, but do not add lots of extra value for users. These stories are often related to styling or ‘finessing’ a product. Won’t – These stories or functions won’t be considered at this stage as they are either out of scope or do not add value.

The first two slides of the template are similar in design and structure. These slides can be used to provide general information to the team about the client’s needs. The slides will be useful for the product owner, development team, and scrum master. The next slide groups user stories into vertical columns. You can also set a progress status for each user story. The last slide gives you the ability to specify the time spent on each user story. After summing up the time for each group, the team can understand how long it will take them to complete each group. All slides in this template are editable based on your needs. The template will be useful to everyone who uses the Agile method in their work.

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A view of space from space

WSU professor shows Hubble Space Telescope’s greatest images, details history

About 50 people tilted their heads back, gazed up at the Washington State University Planetarium dome and took in images from space Sunday at Sloan Hall on the WSU campus in Pullman.

Long before Sunday’s sunset, viewers sat in the dark room looking up at sharply-focused images of planets, stars and galaxies. One image showed a detailed shot of a purple ring at the top and bottom of Jupiter.

Guy Worthey, WSU associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, displayed the images taken from the Hubble Space Telescope.

Worthey discussed the history of the telescope, named after the late American astronomer Edwin Hubble, and how it revolutionized astronomy.

He said American physicist Lyman Spitzer developed the idea in 1946 of a telescope beyond the atmosphere rather than on the ground, as turbulence and air currents make telescope views from the ground blurry.

“If you were to go above the atmosphere, you could defeat that completely,” Worthey said.

Find out more

Moscow-Pullman Daily News

Arbat - the main street of Moscow

Oct 11, 2014

250 likes | 424 Views

Arbat - the main street of Moscow. Arbat is the ancient street in Moscow. It was built in 1493. Arbat - business centre. There are lots of shops here. That's why Arbat is a shopper's paradise. Here you can shop till you drop. There are enormous department stores

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Presentation Transcript

Arbat is the ancient street in Moscow. It was built in 1493

Arbat - business centre. There are lots of shops here...

That's why Arbat is a shopper's paradise...

Here you can shop till you drop..

There are enormous department stores which suit everyone's pocket and taste...

But Arbat is not only a shopper centre. It is a place of meeting, too...

In this street you can stop at your favourite quiet spot...

And enjoy the spectacular view of monuments...

Without doubt it is not a street for shoppers with big bank accounts...

You can have mixed feelings here... Because some people feel a need to do something more important...

Only in this street you can look up to artists...

Sure to say, you can pass your time with great pleasure...

Visitors are advised to allow at least two hours for their visit as there is a lot to see...

We are sure Arbat makes a great impression on you...

And lots of gorgeous pictures are stared you in the face

Nedless to say this street is definitely worth visiting...

In Arbat street you can find something funny, too...

Don't miss your chance to put your own signature here...

It would be a good idea if we paint only the walls in this street..

Most people believe it must be great to become famous. So, you can get this special privileges in Arbat...

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