Heading image illustration by UofG PGR Maria Clara Liuzzi, on Instagram @artbyclara.x and Twitter @MariaClaraL13.

Emma Elliott is in the final year of her PhD within the Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences. She won the 2019 University of Glasgow Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition and also received the highly commended award in the Universitas 21 (U21) 3MT 2019 competition. In this post, she shares why she participated in and how she prepared for the 3MT competition, as well as some of the benefits of competing. She’s on Twitter @emmaelliott_1 and you can watch her 3MT Universitas 21 video.

Taking part in 3MT in 2019 was without a doubt one of the highlights of my PhD, so I want to encourage all PhD students to give it a go. Receiving positive feedback from the judges and audience boosted my confidence, which motivated me to present at many more meetings over the past year. The competition also made me realise how enjoyable and rewarding science communication is and helped me develop skills to present in a creative, engaging and informative way.

Why I took part:

Like many people, I dislike public speaking, so taking part in the competition was both to challenge myself and to gain practice. Anyone can win this competition: you don’t need to be one of the rare few who loves to give talks. You also have nothing to lose; the first round of the competition is in a small venue and not intimidating. You feel a sense of achievement through simply taking part. Winning is, of course, a bonus!

I think researchers should make more effort to make their research accessible to the public, and this is an excellent opportunity to do so. All PhD students should write a 3MT-style talk for the experience and practice even if they don’t want to enter the competition.

Benefits of the competition:

• It looks impressive on your CV. This is especially true if you want to go into a science communication or an academic career, but the skills required (public speaking, public engagement, creativity) are sought after in many jobs.

• It is a very supportive environment and you get valuable feedback from the judges (both in the heats and the final).

• It helps you think about your research from different perspectives.

• It helps you gain focus on your key messages of your work and the wider implications.

• It reignites your passion for your work!

• Through watching other people’s talks, you get to hear and learn about a whole range of interesting topics.

• You could win a prize in both the college round and the final. I used my £1000 travel grant for winning to go to Brazil!

• If you win, your video will be entered into the Universitas 21 3MT competition where you compete with universities worldwide. This is a great opportunity for your research to reach a wider audience and an opportunity to win another prize (top prize US $2500).

Advice for Participants:

• Keep the message of the talk and the slide simple.

• Work out what your hook will be.

• The opening and ending of your talk are very important. Think about how you will grab the audience’s attention and leave a lasting impression.

• Stories and simple analogies work well.

• Remember that you need to explain what the current issue is within your field and how your research is addressing it.

• Think about, and emphasise, the key points that you want the audience to remember.

• A specific example can highlight a much broader concept. In my talk, I spoke about one test that I used during my research (a clock-drawing test). My PhD covers a whole range of cognitive tests, but a simple message is easier to follow, and the example I chose has visual impact.

• The title of the talk isn’t part of the marking criteria, but this was key for me and framed my whole talk. The title after all could have been ‘Cognitive testing post-stroke’, but this was too straightforward. I wanted the judges and audience to be intrigued and go into the talk without knowing much. I thought of it like a story, where you want to reveal certain information at different times, so I titled my talk ‘Draw me a clock…’.

• Think from the perspective and interests of someone outside academia or at least outside your field. Your talk might not be the most exciting thing to those in your area, but it will be to those outside your field who know little about it.

How I prepared:

• First stage: I simply got all of my ideas down. I split my word document into different sections: my opening, introducing the topic and the current issue, leading onto my specific project. I went through numerous versions until I ended up with the final script which I memorised. I practiced many times and recorded myself.

• I watched many 3MT examples on YouTube (winners from previous years and from different universities). I reflected on what made their talks successful.

• As soon as I realised what my focus and hook (attention-grabber) would be, everything fell into place.

• I got advice from my PhD supervisor, other colleagues in my department and friends/family.

• I went along to watch the finalists in 3MT the previous year, so I had a good idea of what to expect.

Good luck to all of this this year’s competitors. I can’t wait to hear your talks!

Information about the competition can be found on the Three Minute Thesis Webpage, and you can follow 3MT on Twitter @3MTUofG.