Founded by the University of Queensland, the 3MT came into inception to help postgraduate students communicate their research more effectively. The presentation is intended for a general audience who may vary from those who know a lot about the subject to those who know nothing about the area. I first heard about it when the advert was placed by my university. Coincidentally, a friend of mine, Kelechukwu Onwukamike, was doing Famelab competition in Germany at the time. He encouraged me to go for it and helped me in transforming the complex ideas I had to simpler digestible forms.
I wanted to do the 3MT as a way to clarify my thoughts about what my research is really addressing and its impact. This seems pretty obvious when discussing with my supervisor and colleagues, but for a general audience it’s a whole new ballgame. I see the doctoral program as a time of building and laying strong foundations for my future career. Hence, I am always looking for opportunities to improve my skills and become a better version of myself. The 3MT was just the right platform for this.
In one of my earlier posts, I wrote about how I’d like to explain my PhD to my Mum; which was written with a lay audience in mind. I have also been involved with a project with AccessEd Charity where I unpacked my research into 6 self-contained modules accessible to A-level mathematics students in local schools. The work was quite challenging as I first had to look into their curriculum to identify the aspects that aligned with my research. I then went on to think about how to break down the complex research I was working on in a way that 16-year-olds can relate.
I like to think of the preparation as the coming together of the script, the slide and the style. I would discuss this in more detail in future posts. I worked on the feedback I gathered from the judges at the College level (I was runner up there); from colleagues and friends; and from the training session the university organised for the finalists. I practiced my speech before a mirror; with a voice recorder and played it back to myself severally; and also got my colleague to do a video recording which I replayed and critiqued. On the competition day, I got myself emotionally prepared, making sure my mind was in a state of tranquillity. I worked on my appearance too. I wanted to appear in a way that makes me feel confident and ready for the crown. Once I decided to wear my traditional blazer, I also did a hair I thought will complement it. The hair was DIY, and one that always made me feel good and proud whenever I looked in the mirror or got complimented. Knowing it was something I did myself boosted the ‘feel-great’ and ‘can-do’ spirit.
Like I mentioned, I see it as a blend of script, slide and style. I listened to several 3MT presentation and Famelab competitions. What I found that made the winners outstanding is that they had a unique style of communicating their research. All the participants I competed with did an impressive job. I think what made me stand out was how my script, slide and style came together to take the audience on a journey—from the background to the key outcomes of my research. My tweet few hours to the competition expresses the tips that helped me.
For me it's lots of practice with myself and friends. And the trainers say take a deep breath to overcome the nerves. We are on the stage as the masters of the subject. Speak enthusiastically. Now that's all theory...I hope it all comes together. Success! https://t.co/nGjy4AwZQB
— Maryleen Uluaku (@scholarleen) May 21, 2019
Material-wise, I was gifted an iPad by my university for the overall winner award. I also received a £50 amazon voucher for the people’s choice award. There are loads of intangible rewards I believe go along with this win. This competition has boosted my confidence a great deal. I never strongly considered myself an effective communicator, but the 3MT has unveiled some latent skills and potentials I can nurture. It shows me that not only can I communicate effectively, but that I can excel at making complex materials accessible to wider audiences.
There is the regional and national competition ahead which the winner and runner-up proceeds to. There is still lots of room for improvement. In the interim I would take some time to reflect on everything that happened from the first step to where I am in this journey. This would include sourcing for feedback on my performance from the judges, colleagues and friends. I would like to know what I did very well which I should reinforce and most especially the areas I could improve on for the next round. Great things start small. I believe that with such a platform as this, I am preparing myself for a bigger platform in the future. This is why I don’t take this opportunity for granted for any reason.
Congratulations Mleen.
Your ability to bring all your ideas into simple digestible details for anyone endears you to many.
Keep doing more
Thank you so much Joseph. You’ve been amazingly supportive.
Presenting a thesis to a select audience is one thing but to a general audience in 3M is WOW. You can achieve anything Scholarleen. Such an inspiration.
It’s a good read. Congratulations for doing the continent proud.
Never saw yourself as an effective communicator?
That was an underestimation of your potentials.
From your writing and your synopsis as I see, it tells a whole lot about you.
You’re the kind of person that can do anything as long as you have decided on it.
How can I get to run a blog like yours? In my own case, I think I have a story to tell rather than a subject to teach 😁
You’re right. There is a lot more potential in us than we sometimes give ourselves credit for, and the impostor syndrome sometimes plays a fast one on our psych to make us think we’re less than capable.
About running your own blog, that’s a nice medium to share your stories. If you’d get in touch I might be able to help with specific ideas about managing one from my own experience. One thing I made clear before I launched mine was the kind of content I wanted to create and the audience. I wanted a niche that would be sustainable in the long term. It’s not always a straight forward road and a lot would get figured out as you move along. So do reach out to me and I’d be very happy to help. Thanks for visiting.
Presenting a thesis to a select audience is one thing but to a general audience in 3M is WOW. You can achieve anything Scholarleen. Such an inspiration.
Very beautiful comment Nyzy. I’m WOWed by your nice words. Thanks for reading.