Planning on doing a three-minute thesis (3MT) or a Famelab presentation? Not sure what makes a good a compelling pitch? Then today's video is for you!

I'm discussing nine common mistakes I've frequently see when PhD's are doing a 3MT/famelab style presentation. These include:

1. Lack of Preparation (1:04)
2. No Hook (2.25)
3. Uneven Structure (3.40)
4. Too much content (4.34)
5. And, and, and (5.23)
6. not seeking feedback (7.15)
7. Using too many Analogies (8.31)
8. Bad props (9.46)
9. Finishing weak (12.04)

Want to see my Famelab presentation at the 2017 Australian National Finals in Perth, Western Australia (mentioned at 3:13): see here: https://vimeo.com/217774907

4:23: Don't feel like you need to be locked into the specfic structure here, or in the order I said. It really depends on what hook you go with or how you can present the most compelling story. It may make sense to mix the order up. Main point here is to make sure you touch on all aspects of the project. You don't want to leave the audience wondering key aspects of what, why, or how you did the research.

11:00: On props. I should clarify that sometimes using the actual item of your research can be a good idea. Particularly if its very interesting, unusual, not-common or left-of-field. The point I was trying to make here was when your using a prop to talk about something that the audience would be well familiar with. Like using a DNA helix to talk about genetic research (most people will know what a helix is or have seen it before). Unless there's some way your planning on using it to explain your research, just holding it up as a show and tell isn't adding much value. Instead get creative! For an example, see my famelab video above. I use body postures to explain genetic findings.

Nothing ventured, Nothing Gained.

Stemventurist credits
Content Curation and Direction: Ken Dutton-Regester
Producer and Editing: Dave Dutton-Regester
Thumbnail and Social Media Assets: Lisa Dutton-Regester

Content created for PhD, graduate students, postdocs, academic researchers or those looking to understand the skillsets to succeed within or outside academia.