Alora Korb Graduate Assistant, i3 Suite College of Graduate Studies 3 Minute Thesis Guide Alora Korb Graduate Assistant, i3 Suite College of Graduate Studies i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies

i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies What is it? A 3 minute presentation of your research that focuses on the WHAT, HOW, and WHY What you are doing How you are doing it Why it is important or why you’re studying it Sounds pretty similar to your abstract, right? No results yet? No worries!  Judging criteria does not explicitly mention results BUT can be beneficial edge if you have them! Remember – it’s a competition! 1st place, 2nd place, & People’s Choice (voted by the audience) receive monetary prizes and award plaques Winner of the doctoral competition also goes to Conference of Southern Graduate Schools regional competition (Spring 2016) i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies

i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies Good Presentations Engage the audience! (Remember, they vote for “People’s Choice” award!) Explicitly connect research to “the real world” Speak clearly and comprehensively Remember, the audience does not speak your discipline’s language No “academic” language Choose words wisely Active verbs, shorter words & sentences No jargon or acronyms Pace yourself and find your own rhythm Consciously slow your talking speed Practice your material and delivery often! Familiarity with your script (and topic) will help the presentation flow more naturally and easily i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies

i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies 3MT® Winner Videos Need a visual for good presentations? Check out 3MT® videos from around the world! http://threeminutethesis.org/3mt-showcase Many universities in the U.S. also have their own competitions – you can find their winner videos online too! Youtube or Googling “3MT® winner videos” will help. i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies

i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies The 3 Cs Concise Concrete Connective Strive to be i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies

i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies The 3 Cs Concise Identify the core of the idea and keep that the focus Simplify as much as possible! Exercise Complete this sentence in 50 words (or less): “The purpose of my research is…” Your story has a beginning, middle, and end Cohesion - connect your ideas Think circular. Start one place… if you branch off, remember to come back i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies

i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies The 3 Cs Concrete Try to use a metaphor to explain your research method, topic, or key problem Exercise Think of the following: Remember the chorus of your favorite song Remember the house where you spent most of your childhood Remember the definition of “truth” Remember the Mona Lisa Remember the definition of watermelon Which ones are most vivid? i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies

i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies The 3 Cs Connective Emotional engagement - relate to others on an emotional level Versus simply presenting ideas abstractly or merely statistically Well-placed humor Spark curiosity through Surprising or unexpected aspects of your research Story-telling A “hook” i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies

i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies Visuals Allowed 1 single, static PowerPoint slide No use of additional electronic media (sound/video files) Limit of 3 minutes maximum (or else disqualification!) No additional props (costumes, instruments) i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies

i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies Questions? Extra resources 3MT® website TAMUCC’s 3MT ® website This excellent PDF http://grad.auburn.edu/3MT/Simon_Clews_3MT_guide.pdf Any other questions? Contact us at i3@tamucc.edu Or stop by our i3 Graduate Suite office located in the library Room 220 (2nd floor) i3 Graduate Suite – College of Graduate Studies