3 Minute Thesis Preparation Workshop
Dr Eliza Howard
Graduate Education Officer
Griffith Graduate Research School
E
[email protected]
T @DrElizaHoward
Workshop 1
• Competition overview
• Principles of good communication
• How to effectively summarise your research
Competition Overview
Rules (the boring stuff)
A single static PowerPoint slide is permitted. No slide transitions, animations or 'movement' of any description are allowed. 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 (eg. 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 either movement or speech.
Competition Overtivew
Judging Criteria (more boring stuff)
Comprehension
» Did the presentation help the audience understand the research?
Engagement
» Did the oration make the audience want to know more?
Communication
» Was the thesis topic and its significance communicated in language
appropriate to an intelligent but non-specialist audience?
Principles of good communication
The alternative pain scale… Why do we crash and burn? How do you overcome the pain?
My reaction to presenting…
• Scale of
1
7
Terrifying
Can’t wait!
Consider your
key thoughts/feelings
when you are told you have to
deliver a presentation?
What happens when we are anxious?
Fight/flight/ or freeze response (Walter Cannon)
activated in the sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system which controls blood vessels, smooth muscle, & glands
Pulse rate
Digestion
Breathing
Cognitive ability
Top 10 reasons people fear public speaking
1. Fear Of Failure - Don't want to fail.
2. Self Doubt - Don't think they are capable of speaking in front of an audience.
3. Vulnerability - Feel scared and alone when standing on a stage with everyone's eyes
focused on them.
4. Personal Disabilities - For example, you have a stutter or you have a disfigured face,
and believe that others will laugh at them.
5. Fear Of Other People Judging You - Feel uncomfortable that others may be forming
an opinion of them.
Top 10 reasons continued
6. Perfectionism/Expecting Too Much Of Yourself - Overwhelmed by the fact that
everything has to be perfect that they don't do it at all.
7. Fear Of A Large Audience - Standing in front of tens, hundreds, even thousands of
people.
8. Lack Of Preparation - Not prepared enough to deliver a speech
9. Stress - of public speaking
10. Don't Know How To - Do not know how to write, prepare for and deliver a speech.
Prepare to overcome your fears...
Write
dot-points
Practice
your presentation & get honest
feedback
Visit room
beforehand
Visualise yourself
giving the presentation
Don’t say too much –
focus on what is
important
During your presentation
Have
a friend
(or two) in the room
Realise
people want you to succeed
Keep
focus on the message
not the audience
Principles of good communication
Prepare for every situation… Know yourself – your strengths, weaknesses, skills, goals, personal qualities
Look at the situation again - what knowledge, capabilities and experience might you have to use
Think about the types of questions you may be asked and have all your best
evidence prepared
Think about any questions you may want to ask in response—listen and respond
Tape record or video yourself, practise discussing your thesis with your Mum or budgie
Principles of good communication
Know your context. To whom will you be talking? Faculty? (Confirmation, supervisor, other academics, research colleagues?) Conference attendees (presentation, during breaks?)
To the media
To your family and friends
To potential investors in your research To your research team
Effectively summarise your research
What to do, courtesy of Leah Coutts
>> 3MT Trans Tasman Top Ten, 2014
>> #1 3MT in Queensland, 2014
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO7xeEwYgx8
Think about:
What made Leah’s presentation so good? What about her slide?
Look at Helen Leung’s slide, commended by the judges. What makes her slide so effective?
“I should be able to play already!”
Final tips
1. Think about what research needs to be done 2. Tell your research as a story
3. Illustrate the abstract with concrete examples 4. Incorporate a surprise
5. Think about the big picture
6. Be positive about yourself and your research!
7. Make people care about your research: Ideas and clarity are more important
