Upcoming Communication Workshops!

OPD helps students and postdocs improve their writing and presenting skills through a variety of programs offered throughout the year.
 
The 5 Things You Need to Do to Prep Your Writing for Summer Vacation
Monday, May 19th - 12:30-1:00pm (online)
We all know that breaks are important for our well-being and long-term productivity, but how do we take time off without losing momentum on our projects? The key to both a restorative break and a productive return is to take small steps to prepare your writing—and yourself!—in advance. Join us to learn the five things you need to do before you leave campus so that you’re able to come back from vacation refreshed, renewed, and ready to pick up where you left off.
 
Ways Generative AI Might Help and Inhibit Success with Writing and Researching
Tuesday, May 20th - 12:00-1:00pm (online)
Generative AI (like ChatGPT) has the potential to be a helpful tool, but before you use it, you need to understand the potential consequences to your academic career. This workshop will provide you with a clear set of guidelines to help you decide if using generative AI in your writing and research is ethical, appropriate, and in keeping with UMass recommendations.
 
Deep Work / Slow Productivity: When You Need Time to Think and Write
Wednesday, May 28th - 12:30-1:45pm (online)
Perhaps you’ve heard of the Pomodoro technique for short, productive writing stints, but are finding this doesn’t really work for you. Do you need longer stretches of time to make headway in your research and writing? This workshop is for anyone intrigued by the promise of “deep work” and looking to add a handful of slow productivity techniques to their repertoire.

Writing the “Good Enough” Dissertation
Tuesday, June 3rd - 2:45-4:00pm (515 Goodell)
A good dissertation is a done dissertation – but what makes a dissertation "done"? In this workshop, we'll discuss the difference between an in-process draft and the "good enough" draft that is ready for defense and submission. We'll also introduce research-based guidelines to help you communicate effectively with your advisor and reflect on your progress.

Summer Planning Clinic: Making a Strategic Writing Plan from Now to September
Friday, June 6th - 2:30-4:00pm (South College W245)
Getting your summer off to a strong start requires knowing where you want to go and how you plan on getting there. This interactive clinic will provide strategies to plan your writing work and give you time to make those plans. Bring planners, calendars, schedules of family members, access to email—anything you need to make a map of the semester.
 
5 Questions to Ask About the Comprehensive Exams
Tuesday, June 10th - 1:00-2:30pm (515 Goodell)
Preparing to take your Comprehensive Exams? Knowing what questions to ask—and who to turn to—will help you navigate the process of this important milestone. Come learn 5 key questions to ask as you prepare for Comps.
 
How to Get More Out of Your Reading by Doing Less
Wednesday, June 25th - 10:00-11:15am (online)
Are you looking for tips on how to tame your reading list and take efficient notes on what you’ve read? In this workshop we will break the reading and annotation processes down into concrete steps that will save you time and help you to keep track of your reading.
 
A Topic is Not a Question: How to Design a Research Question
Monday, June 30th - 1:00-2:45pm (online)
Determining a field or concentration for your research may be easy enough, but how do you transform a topic of interest into a specific and compelling research question? In this interactive workshop we will discuss the qualities of successful research questions and why the advice to “just keep narrowing it down” can do more harm than good.
 
Writing Literature Reviews
Wednesday, July 16th - 1:00-2:15pm (515 Goodell)
Many dissertations, research proposals, and articles require a literature review. But many grad students get stuck on this deceptively simple genre of scholarly writing. This session will demystify the lit review by discussing its purpose and strategies for critical reading and writing to make moving toward effective synthesis easier.
 
Drafting Clinic
Wednesday, July 23rd - 10:30am-12:30pm (515 Goodell)
All writers agree: drafting is hard. By “drafting,” we mean that blank-page moment between research and initial draft, when most sentences are being composed for the first time. This “clinic” will be a combination of workshop and writing session. We will learn about and practice three different methods for drafting academic projects. Think of it as a drafting boot camp, a chance to get a head start on the coming semester’s writing projects.
 
Writing in Graduate School
Monday, August 18th - 1:00-2:30pm (online)
Writing plays a central role in sharing research and ideas in academia, yet it frequently becomes a source of worry and isolation for graduate students. This workshop serves as an "orientation" to a critical mode of communication that you will use daily while at UMass. You will be introduced to some academic genres, learn best practices for the four phases of the writing process, and discover tips to make your writing "sound more academic"!