Promoting Your Research with Compelling Communication (aka, 3MT and Beyond!)
Finalists for 3MT 2019 with Associate Dean Jan Allen. From left: Teddy Yesudasan (1st), Robert Swanda, Jeffrey Pea (honorable mention), Maria Sapar, Pamela Meyerhofer (People’s Choice), Ashwariya Lahariya, Michelle Duong (honorable mention), Shao-Pei Chou (2nd place), Cassandra Benson, and Katherine Adler. Credit: Phil Wilde
Do you want to learn how to better present and promote your research? Are you interested in competing in the Spring Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition, which challenges participants to present their 80,000 word thesis or dissertation in just three minutes?
The Graduate School is offering a series of workshops dedicated to research presentation and communication. Join us to improve your skills in making effective presentations, regardless of whether you intend to participate in the 3MT competition.
To receive more information about the 3MT competition, email grad3mt@cornell.edu or fill out the interest form.
Workshop Sessions
How to Turn Your Research Into an Elevator Pitch (And What's an Elevator Pitch?)
Thursday, July 30, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.
This workshop provided tips and discussed how to succinctly sum up research for multiple audiences. Participants had chance to practice their pitch in small groups and capture phrasing for different audiences.
Tuesday, September 15, 2020 at 4:00 p.m. and Thursday, September 24, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.
These sessions provided information on the Spring 2021 Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition.
Tell Your Story! Developing Your Presentation's Design and Message
Thursday, October 1, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.
Serge Petchenyi and Kim Benowski from the Center for Teaching Innovation spoke about designing format and developing content for effective presentations, especially for online presentations this year. They provided tips for virtual job talks, conference presentations, and competitions such as the Three Minute Thesis (3MT) and other graduate student research competitions. The primary audience for this event was graduate students and postdoctoral scholars.
Resources from the presentation:
Designing Effective Presentations: Home. (n.d.). Retrieved October 01, 2020.
Presenting Research Effectively at a Distance: Technology and You
Thursday, October 22, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.
This workshop offered tips for using technology more effectively for presentations, job talks, and other virtual academic and professional opportunities. Participants learned about smart and effective uses of technology for class, job talks, interviews, and conference presentations, as well as preparing a professional digital footprint online, advertising talks, using social media, and engaging the audience prior to and during a talk.
This workshop focused on the important role that well-designed slides and graphics play in effective job talks, teaching, and conference presentations. We demonstrated good ones as well as pitfalls to avoid. We provided tip sheets and other resources to all who pre-registered and attended.
Overcoming Stage Fright and Improving Your Presence
Thursday, November 12, 2020 at 4:00 p.m.
Who doesn’t get at least a little nervous when preparing and presenting for audiences of any size when the stakes are high? (No one!) Thinking about a class presentation? A job interview? A presentation at a colloquium or conference? Join us to learn ways to manage nervousness and anxiety about presenting and to develop and demonstrate confidence with your audience. We provided tip sheets and other resources to all who pre-registered and attend.
Compete with other Cornell graduate students and get the opportunity to compete in the Ivy competition, the Northeastern (U.S. and Canada) competition, and to showcase your research at the Council of Graduate Schools annual meeting.
Register if you want to participate in Cornell’s 3MT competition in Spring 2021. Preliminary round competitions are scheduled for February 22-26, 2021 and the final round competition is March 10, 2021. We will send you more information about the preliminary round presentations if you completed the interest form.
3MT is an annual competition sponsored locally by the Graduate School, but with competitions across the globe. All research master’s and doctoral students who have some completed research to share are eligible. This year, all submissions will be in video format. Read more about past 3MT competitions and view videos.
