Solo Session: Engage Wider Audiences with your PhD

Students and Graduates!

PhD thesis don't leave the academic circle and are shared towards specialised audiences. But what if they can be presented to other type of audiences? In this late-night talk, I describe how you can share your research when following the code of plain and simple language, storytelling and strong hooks. Here's the breakdown:

. Competitions like the 3 MT and Oak Ridge Laboratory: Your Research in a Nutshell.

. Research Festivals, including keynotes, posters, and short talks.

. Dance your Thesis and Bake your Thesis.

. Casual chats with your PhD peers at pubs while holding pints.

. Presenting your PhD dissertation at a live Stand-Up comedy show?

With time and practice, people will understand your thesis, and you'll form an outreach that strengthens your thinking, delivery and impact. Your research is not a secret. It is a gift—one that grows when more people can hold it.

Thank you all for tuning in, it has been a pleasure!

Chapters

• 3:23 Welcome And Core Challenge
• 4:01 Why Share Beyond Academia
• 4:23 Plain Language And Storytelling
• 4:34 Three-Minute Competitions
• 5:33 Festivals And Big Stages
• 6:12 Cafes Pubs And Q&A
• 6:55 Bonus Stand-Up Comedy
• 7:26 Recap And Encouragement

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:06

Hello students and graduates, welcome to PhD Launch, the podcast of late-night talks in which PhDs have a drink and talk about their research topics. You're deep in your PhD with your latest research findings. You update your supervisors about your progress and they become impressed. They also advise you to participate at academic conferences and research seminars to present your research. These fantastic and classic opportunities are the starting point to develop your knowledge, public speaking skills, and networking. However, let me ask you this. Have you considered sharing your research with lay audiences? Perhaps you've considered that, but you hesitate and think that no one will ever hear your research because they're not specialists. Although most people would think so, it's not an impossible task, since you could refine your thoughts into opportunities that open unexpected doors. When you share your research towards wider audiences, the key is to forget the jargon and master plain and simple language, storytelling, and strong hooks. While presenting at conferences and seminars are great occasions to develop your public speaking skills, there are other pathways to engage other audiences. That being said, let me show you three engaging avenues, plus a bonus one that might surprise you. First, oral competitions. These are a brilliant training ground where you must practice but also be creative and timely to make your research accessible and memorable for anyone. They are usually short to medium-length formats. Competitions like the 3-minute thesis or Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Your Science in a Nutshell, are popular competitions where you share your research in under 3 minutes. There are other ones where your creativity, performance, and taste take over your communication, including dance your thesis or bake your thesis. Second, postgraduate research festivals. Most universities host these annually, and there are various ways to showcase your research through posters, short talks or keynotes towards a mixed audience of peers, staff and the public. These are also great opportunities to network with like-minded people that align with your research interests and beyond. Furthermore, you might even discover bigger festivals to aim for later, such as the World Science Festival or Hist Fest. Third, informal forums or cafes. These are more relaxed and casual events led by PhD societies that host them at pubs or cafes, and it's an engaging way of meeting other people, building your confidence and developing your communication skills. You'll get the opportunity to present insights of your research under a time-limited period, followed by QAs from other PhD candidates with pints in their hands. At Swansea University, for example, I presented my thesis at the event Talking Research, sharing my findings and challenges of my dissertation in 10 minutes. Now, for the bonus stand-up comedy. That's right, you can participate in stand-ups and share your research by mixing it with humor and satire. It's an alternative yet bold to engage your thesis towards lay audiences. Where a strong reading of the room, your personality, and human connection are a must to boost your confidence and communication. So let's review. Your research is valuable to diverse audiences and must be shared beyond the academic worlds. The opportunities I mentioned here are great to clarify your research arguments and network with people. They require practice and time to develop plain and simple language, storytelling, and strong hooks to make your voice heard. So, why not take the next step and discover the rewarding parts of your doctoral journey? Thank you all for tuning in. It has been a pleasure.