Institute of Leadership in Higher Education

Competition Objective

• Improve student’s ability to communicate their ideas clearly to a non-specialized audience, which is essential for success in both academic and professional settings.
• Spotlight and explain innovative study findings in 3 minutes.
• Gain useful experience to enhance marketability and employability skills.
• Communicate the research output of UoS students to the community at large.

Guidelines for Presentation

• Candidates prepare an address/speech on the topic (capstone/thesis/dissertation) that lasts no more than three minutes in total.
• Competitors who exceed the 3-minute time limit will be disqualified.
• Focus on or spotlight the main ideas of the project/inquiry and leave out details.
• One static slide could be used for presentation. Slide transitions, animations, or other types of “movement” are not permitted.
• Use graphics to illustrate key points. Avoid visual clutter with less text and more visuals.
• Use time efficiently.
• Avoid talking fast in an attempt to cover everything, instead cut down material to fit the time (focus).
• Use simple and concise language. “Simple is often better.”
• Be very selective with terminologies and keep the audience in mind.
• Additional props are not allowed, such as clothes, musical instruments, lab apparatus, or animated backgrounds.
• Practice, practice, practice: aloud, timing, use a mock audience, etc.

Levels

College Level Competition

Colleges are expected to submit their top three (3) nominations in each of the categories to the final competition no later than Monday, March 30^th, 2026. However, colleges should run their own competition at earlier times in collaboration with ILHE.

Workshop

Selected nominees from the college-level competition are invited to attend How to Prepare a Powerful Three-Minute Presentation workshop a week before the University Level competition. These preparatory workshop is designed to enhance participants presentation skills.

University Level Competition

The University Level competition will be held live on Thursday, April 9^th, 2026. The winners from the Postgraduate category may represent UoS at the National 3M Level competition.

Judging Criteria

Understanding and Content: Judges will evaluate the clarity of the research explanation, the avoidance of specialized jargon, the detailed communication of the findings, and the presentation's logical structure, all articulated in a layperson's terms.

Communication and Engagement: The criteria here involve assessing the speaker’s ability to engage the audience, the presenter's overall enthusiasm, the maintenance of audience interest, and the visual aid's effectiveness in complementing the talk. 

Prizes

Each participant who makes it to the final round will receive certificates. The winners will be rewarded as follows: