Preparing for Grad Slam Step-by-Step

Don’t worry, GradPro is here to help! There are a variety of resources available to help you prepare for the Grad Slam competition. Walk through these four steps on your own, using the online resources below, or attend GradPro’s workshops to help you develop and prepare your speech and your video submissions.

December 2023: Study the Grad Slam Rules and Watch Some Sample Talks

• Read this page thoroughly to make sure you understand the rules. Then, watch previous Grad Slam videos, both from the UC Berkeley campus competition and the UC systemwide competition (from disciplines as varied as metabolic biology, sociology, and earth & planetary sciences, and more).
• Analyze the content and structure of several talks; choose some that are from your own discipline, and some from unrelated fields.
• Attend a Grad Slam Information and Prep Session hosted by GradPro on Thursday, December 14, 1 p.m.-2:30 p.m., or Monday, December 18, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m.

December 2023: Create a Compelling Story about Your Research

• Within any research project, there are many compelling stories to tell. A successful Grad Slam talk tells a single, clear, engaging narrative from start to finish. This could mean telling the story of why your research is exciting to you; it could mean connecting your research to ideas or experiences familiar to the general public; it could mean explaining why your research is urgent and impactful. Read the disciplinary resources below to see a variety of different, successful strategies and write out your talk and prepare your slides.

January 2024: Memorize, Practice, and Record Your Presentation

• As former Grad Slam champion, Joe Charbonnet, put it, public speaking is “a psychomotor skill, not an innate talent.” Take some time to learn tips and techniques that can make you a better speaker. Then, practice and get lots of feedback! View the presentation resources below, attend a session of Toast of Berkeley (a Toastmasters club), or recruit a friend to be your sounding board.

January 2024: Submit your application

The Deadline for video submissions using this APPLICATION FORM is January 31, 2023, 11:59 p.m. (PST)

Disciplinary Resources on Communicating to Wider Audiences:

• TED Talks You Should Be Watching from the American Historical Association
• SciComm Blog, from PLOS
• Object Lessons series, from The Atlantic and the National Endowment for the Humanities
• LSE Impact Blog, from the London School of Economics and Political Science

Resources for Humanists and Social Scientists:

• Interview with Alberto Sanchez Sanchez (Ph.D. student, Architecture): Read about Alberto’s experience competing in Grad Slam.
• 2018 Campuswide Grad Slam Semifinalists from humanities and social sciences:
  • Lilith Acadia, Rhetoric
  • Alberto Sanchez-Sanchez, Architecture
  • David Wheeler, Ancient History and Mediterranean Archaeology
• UC Systemwide Grad Slam Finalists from humanities and social sciences:
  • Marissa Stevens, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
  • Leslie Rith-Najarian, Psychology

Tips for Very Short Presentations:

• Making the Most of Your Three Minutes for 3MT: The Three Minute Thesis by Simon Clews, Director, Writing Centre, University of Melbourne
• Top Ten Tips for Writing and Delivering Very Brief Speeches by Bill Cole, Founder and CEO of William B. Cole Consultants
• Guidelines and Tips for Five-Minute Presentations, by Department of History, University of Chicago

Presentation and Public Speaking Tips:

• How to Talk like TED by Carmine Gallo, Article by Guy Kawasaki
• 10 Most Common Rookie Mistakes in Public Speaking by Terry Gault, Managing Partner and Vice President of the Henderson Group
• Giving an Academic Talk by Jonathan Shewchuk, Associate Professor in Computer Science, University of California at Berkeley
• “Giving Oral Presentations,” from English Communication for Scientists by Jean-luc Doumont (ed.), Nature (2010)

Need inspiration? Watch these talks:

• TED Talks:“Fascinating History”
• Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, “The Danger of a Single Story”
• Jill Bolte Taylor, “My Stroke of Insight”
• Hans Rosling, “The Best Stats You’ve Ever Seen”
• Ph.D. Comics Two-Minute Thesis: Ph.D. Comics challenged graduate students to explain their work in two minutes – the best have been turned into videos!