A couple of weeks ago I participated in the 3 Minute Thesis Competition Semi-Finals. (It’s great, the first round of presentations at UWA is literally the semi-finals and to get in all you have to do is sign up. Like a Certificate of Participation but even better.) It was probably one of my favourite experiences at uni this year and this is why.
Condensing your research - even when you’re just at the beginning - into three minutes is the ultimate minimalist design challenge. You know that minimalist rule, “only things you need or love”? Like that, on steroids. There’s also a rule I think that says you’re more creative when you have constraints. So writing a three minute talk (about 400 words) is this really zen kind of challenge where every word is important and you’re forced to think of new ways to express something even more succinctly and you surprise yourself and at the end you have this really lean, mean presentation. There’s just an intrinsic satisfaction in writing precisely and with punch.
Being able to explain your research to a general audience in three minutes also helps you to minimise your academic freakiness at parties and maximise your chance of getting dates. I mean, probably. For some of us there’s no hope.
I learnt my favourite piece of public speaking advice at the 3MT practice sessions, which is: pretend your audience is interested in what you’re saying. This doesn’t mean you don’t do the work to write or present an engaging talk. It just means you don’t have to be a bitch to yourself before you even begin: “Who would want to listen to me anyway? Why would I think I’m qualified to present to these people? What is even the point of me being born? etc. etc.” No. Your audience are there because they want to hear what you have to say, so say it.
The other really great thing about entering the 3MT competition is that you’re in a high-stress situation with a small group of other highly-stressed people who are feeling exactly what you’re feeling and therefore are incredibly supportive and generous and gracious with you. Which is kind of the opposite of competition.
Listen - I’m not going to tell you competition is bad. Striving for excellence is a good thing. (Didn't the UWA motto used to be Achieve Excellence? Now it’s Pursue Impossible. I’m so conflicted.) But competition by default creates a condition of scarcity - there can only be one winner. Support, on the other hand - generosity and graciousness - those are unlimited. And when I didn’t make it to the finals I realised, for one of the few times in my life, my highly competitive self didn’t care. I was more than happy to bow out to every single one of the participants this year.
Maybe the antidote to the crushing weight of academic scarcity - never enough funding, never enough jobs, never enough time - is just to be unconditionally supportive of each other. Most of us won’t get the academic holy grail, but we can all be enough. I think that's a pretty great 3 minute thesis.
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