Design and Deliver Grad Studio

Design and Deliver Grad Studio is self-directed and is most beneficial to those who engage with the material and their peers each week.

To make the most use out of the in-class session, you’ll be expected to read the material ahead of time and prepare your draft so that you can participate fully in the practice session.

Design and Deliver Grad Studio has strict parameters for participation. Before applying, please think ahead and decide whether you can meet the following expectations:

• Be available for a 3-hour weekly meeting on the UW main campus 
• Be able to work on Design and Deliver Grad Studio activities outside of the weekly class meetings, which includes independent reading (approximately 1-2 hours a week) and planning, drafting, or practicing (approximately 1-2 hours a week). 
• Engage actively with your peers’ drafts and provide constructive, action-based feedback
• Before Design and Deliver Grad Studio, you should gather all the materials you will need to draft and design presentations (articles, data, previous drafts with comments, research notes, etc..). 

You are encouraged to plan any kind of presentation on any topic, but it’s best if it’s related to your scholarly work in some way: research you’re currently engaged in, research you’ve completed previously, practice for a conference presentation, thesis defence, seminar presentation, etc. 

Over the course of 4 weeks you will meet your peers for classroom instruction and hands-on practice. To prepare for each weekly in-person, on-campus session you will complete readings ahead of time and bring in a rough draft for in-class practice and peer feedback.

During the weekly session, you will meet with the facilitator and other participants on campus to review material and discuss topics with your peers, then have between 1-2 hours of drafting, practicing, and feedback time.

Design and Deliver Grad Studio will offer instructional readings, discussion topics, and feedback addressing many aspects of giving oral presentations in an academic context:

• Drafting spoken versus written texts
• Performance strategies and mental skills for public presentations
• Cultural contexts and expectations for spoken communication
• Principles of visual aid design
• Responding to questions and formulating questions for fellow presenters

Design and Deliver Grad Studio is structured to get you from the very beginnings of a plan all the way to a completed presentation: in week 1, you’ll identify your key messages; in week 2, you’ll plan out the structure of your presentation; in week 3, you’ll support your presentation with visuals and delivery; in week 4, you’ll practice answering questions after your presentation. Each week will involve short practice sessions where you’ll deliver drafts and short portions of your presentation.