Our finalists will compete for first place in the 2025 Sheffield Hallam University Three Minute Thesis (3MT) competition final taking place as part of the Research in a Flash event. Please register your attendance via MS Forms.

Event details:

Monday 9th June 2025 
10am – 1pm 
City Campus 

Join us for a morning of sharing ideas and connecting across the Research, Innovation and Knowledge Exchange (RIKE) community. First up is the Sheffield Hallam Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition where you’ll hear from this year’s finalists who have risen to the challenge of presenting a compelling spoken presentation on their research topic and its significance in just three minutes. Then it’s over to you to try your hand at using some simple visuals to get your ideas across following a crash course in how to distil messages with Critical Inking. There’ll be opportunities to practice your newfound skills over lunch and vote for your favourite 3MT presenter while the panel deliberate their winner. All Hallam staff and students welcome.

Critical Inking: How to use simple visuals to explain complex research clearly 
You are a researcher. Or someone who supports researchers. You have complicated ideas to communicate. Ideas that have the power to change the world. Ideas to empower the next generation. Ideas to drive organisational change for the better. 
 
But words alone don’t seem to be working. Your ideas languish in reports never read; PowerPoints that are yawned through; and conversations that never seem to drive action. You can’t quite articulate yourself clearly so audiences really listen. If only there was a way to communicate that made you stand out? The cut through the complexity to true clarity? That actually got stuff done?! 
 
In a time poor, information overloaded, and disconnected world, more words aren’t the answer. Drawing is. 
 
CRITICAL INKING empowers you to communicate complex ideas visually; present them through simple drawings; and captivate audiences to drive change. So your ideas finally get the recognition, traction and buy in they deserve.  
 
In this session, you’ll learn how to: 

  • Distil your ideas or work into a clear story 
  • Draw your ideas using the visual alphabet and simple visual frameworks quickly 
  • Apply your new critical inking skill in presentations, publications and workshops to engage audiences for meaningful change 
     

Your instructor is Laura Evans-Hill – trained social researcher, founder of research communications agency Nifty Fox Creative (https://www.niftyfoxcreative.com), and award-winning visual storyteller. Over the last decade she’s worked with over 3000 researchers across 50 universities, and 80 public sector organisations, helping researchers and leaders communicate visually so audiences listen. 
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Programme 
10:00-10:30 – Registration and refreshments 
10:30-11:00 – Welcome to the event and 3MT®Final 
11:00-12:00 – Critical Inking with Laura Evans-Hill, Nifty Fox Creative 
12:00-12:45 – Lunch (provided) and the chance to practise your visual storytelling skills! 
12:45-13:00 – 3MT® winner presentation 
 
Please register so we know how many to cater for. Location details will be sent via Outlook to those who have registered.