Research in Reach: NCA Graduate Student Pitch Competition

Your Research Matters. Tell Us Why.

Transform Complex Communication Research into a Short, Compelling Story 

What if you had just a few minutes to present your communication research project to an intelligent, but non-specialist, audience? What would you say? How would you explain it? 

The Research in Research (RinR) Graduate Student Pitch Competition, a new annual National Communication Association (NCA) convention event, invites master’s and doctoral communication students to showcase their research in a dynamic, engaging, and accessible format. Inspired by the internationally recognized Three Minute Thesis (3MT®) competition, this event challenges students to clearly, confidently, and persuasively communicate the significance and impact of their research to a lay audience in just a few minutes. RinR is a professional development experience that helps graduate students in communication build the competencies essential for success in academia, industry, government, nonprofit organizations, community development, and civic engagement.  

By translating complex research into an engaging two- to three-minute presentation, participants will strengthen their ability to connect with diverse audiences and demonstrate the broader relevance of their work. In other words, RinR participants should focus more on the results and implications of their research than on the theory or methodology behind the study, while still providing sufficient background for the audience to understand how the findings were discovered. Moreover, participants are limited to one static slide – no audio, video, or props – to keep the focus on the message and maintain a connection with the audience. At a time when the value of education and research is increasingly questioned by the public and government institutions alike, the RinR competition provides NCA members and partners with an opportunity to bridge the ever-widening gap between academia and civic life and to more accessibly demonstrate the “real-world” contributions of our work. 

Why Participate? 

Graduate students often spend years developing deep expertise within a specialized subfield, but that knowledge is rarely shared beyond those “in the know” (i.e., colleagues doing similar research) or is kept in research journals hidden behind paywalls and obscured by technical language and sophisticated statistical analysis. Stated simply, most people don’t have access to this information, or rarely get the opportunity to learn from these experts, from whom they could benefit.  

Moreover, career opportunities for graduate students are expanding beyond the traditional tenure-track research professorship, and as such, career success increasingly depends on the ability to communicate complex ideas to stakeholders in language that they can understand. The skills developed through this experience are therefore valuable not only for academic careers but also for careers in industry leadership, consulting, entrepreneurship, public engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, and more. 

The Research in Reach Pitch Competition addresses these gaps and trends. By participating in RinR, communication graduate students will have the opportunity to: 

• Develop concise and compelling communication skills 

• Increase the visibility of their research 

• Gain experience presenting to diverse audiences 

• Strengthen public speaking and storytelling abilities 

• Expand professional networks across universities and communication divisions  

• Receive feedback from communication faculty, industry professionals, and community members 

• Compete for cash prizes and national recognition