3 Minutes… That’s all you have. If you only had three minutes to convey an idea or explain a topic, how would you feel?
 
Would you be nervous that you wouldn’t be able to add enough detail in that amount of time? Worried your main point might be misconstrued and taken wrong? Or maybe you felt relieved you only had to public speak for 3 minutes.


My 3MT Topic Slide
 
Whatever the feelings may be, they are more than likely to push the boundaries of your comfort zone. Even if you were 100% confident with your speaking ability, you may over-analyze your sentence structure to make sure you got everything you needed into your speech. It’s terrifying and exhilarating all at once… then just like that…the 3 minutes is over, and you are done.
 
This was my experience the first time I spoke at the Texas Section Society for Range Management’s 3 Minute Thesis Competition. I didn’t know what I was getting into; no one I knew had entered this competition before and the resources I found online were limited. But still, I wanted to do this thrilling and challenging thing. Along with all that, I was curious to see what research my peers would be doing and if I could present concisely and clearly (as I haven’t had to test my public speaking in a while).

I think these challenges that push our boundaries are good for us. They expand our comfort zones and test if we are really knowledgeable on the topic of which we are presenting. College, undergrad, and graduate school are the perfect times for that. We are surrounded by a support network that wants to see us succeed and are presented with opportunity after opportunity to immerse ourselves in something new. It’s practice for the real world, where there is sure to be lots of public speaking. And it doesn’t mean your future career will force you to present PowerPoint slides on a monthly basis. But it may mean that you have to collaborate with a group of peers on a project, negotiate an idea with the boss, or even put your best customer service self forward. 
 
So, while grad school may challenge our brains in the conventional, academic manner, the institution also allows us to practice and hone our ‘soft’ skills. Undergrad gave us clubs and organizations; grad school gives us seminars and competitions. It is almost as if they expect us to come even farther out of our comfort zone and put academia and mental toughness to the test.
 
Now that’s what I call pressure. 
 
But the pressure is good. I felt prepared and ready to go for my 3 Minute Thesis (albeit the butterflies still fluttered). 
 
But that’s the thing about your comfort zone – the more you push yourself, the easier stepping out of it becomes. So, for my first public speaking competition in years, I knew it was going to take some refreshing. The next one though I know will be easier.
 
Push your limits Aggies!  You never know what you might accomplish.
 
– Kaelanne Quinonez
 
Kaelanne is a master’s student in the Department of Ranchland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management.