Why do the 3 Minute Thesis? A Florey PhD student’s experience

Could you explain your thesis to your grandmother? Could you do it in three minutes and still make it clear and engaging?

That was the challenge posed to PhD students at the University of Melbourne’s 3 Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition throughout July. 

Michelle Shannon presents her 3 Minute Thesis at the University of Melbourne semi-final.

The rules

·      Competitors give an overview of their research to an intelligent lay audience

·      There is a strict time limit of 3 minutes

·      Competitors can use a single static PowerPoint slide (no transitions or animations allowed)

·      No costumes, no props, no poetry or songs

·      Judges assess speakers on comprehension, content, engagement, and communication

The winner receives $4,000 and represents Melbourne at the Asia-Pacific 3MT competition.

Michelle Shannon is a PhD candidate in the Florey Stroke theme who is researching how architecture affects stroke recovery. She progressed through the heats of the 3MT competition and competed in the semi-final on the 2^nd of July.

Benefits of the 3MT

‘The 3MT was a personal challenge to speak more concisely on my PhD topic, and to be better able to communicate to a non-scientific audience,’ she said. ‘I was already comfortable speaking to a room of others but not controlling the words coming out of my mouth!’

The 3MT is often touted as teaching students how to communicate their research effectively. Because it is aimed at a lay audience, competitors need to find important and interesting key messages to hook their listeners.

‘The highlight was definitely getting to pitch to a panel of media judges and hitting my keywords that I had practised with others,’ said Michelle.

Congratulations Michelle on a brilliant effort – we look forward to seeing more Florey Stroke students competing next year!

To find out more about her research and about life at the Florey, follow Michelle Shannon on Twitter @ShannonMM2017