Congrats on your upcoming defense!
Deliver your defense with confidence with my presentation design support services.
You have worked so hard to get here, and I would love to help you with this significant milestone.
1,000+ individuals in STEM, academia, and evaluation have taken my professional development training online course, training workshop, or worked with me 1:1.
Additional reviews and testimonials can be found in my LinkedIn profile.
Hi! I’m Dr. Echo Rivera 👋
This is a big milestone for you…
…A milestone that’s maybe also a bit nerve-wracking.
…And that comes when you’re beyond burned out. More like…a pile of ash.
Working with a presentation specialist (who has a PhD and has been there) will calm those nerves so you can deliver a defense with professional, impressive slides that you’re proud of (and are so good can use them again for a future conference talk or even your future job talk 😉).
The “Last Lap” Session
You’re almost there! I’ll help get you across the finish line 🏁
90-minutes together on Zoom
90-minutes of my review/design time before our session (I will review/edit your draft slide deck)
$600 for 3 hours of collaborative support
Perfect if you:
Already have* ~ 80% or more of your defense presentation slide deck drafted; AND
Just need some help with refining some tricky parts of your script or sprucing up some slides / data visualizations.
*or will have by the time we meet.
The “It’s OK to Stop Running” Package
You have other things to do. I’ll handle the design for you 💅
I create or overhaul your slides and data visualizations (quant & qual ok)
~2-3 weeks turnaround time (shorter timeframes may be ok)
Exact price depends on length & complexity, but you’ll always know what to expect before we begin
$1,200 - $2,000 for a ready-to-go dissertation defense slide deck
Perfect if you:
Are giving a defense that is 20 minutes or less; AND either:
Have a written script (word for word what you want to say), and want me to create the slide deck from that; OR…
Have a complete draft of the slide deck, but want an overhaul on the designs and data visualizations.
How I approach dissertation defenses
The primary goal with a defense is to pass.
This is quite different than, say, a keynote where we need to change minds and captivate hearts to spur our audience into action..
With a defense, we’re usually presenting to a relatively friendly audience. For many, the defense is a time for celebration as the final (ish) step in their program and, ideally, your chair would only schedule the defense if they feel strongly that you will pass.
We’re not going to take risks—we’re going to check the boxes.
We don’t take risks with this one—our goal is to be succinct and professional. We typically use a standard structure that is similar to a conference talk:
introduction/literature review,
research questions/hypotheses,
method,
results,
discussion/implications/limitations
A defense can also include optional light-hearted moments for acknowledgements and personal notes to your committee.
I will help you put together a professional defense that you’ll be proud to present.
My defense was years ago, but I will never forget how nervous I was. I was relatively confident that it would end well and I would pass…and yet…the nausea, lack of appetite, and difficulty sleeping I had during the week leading up to it were signs of intense anxiety I couldn’t ignore.
Getting a PhD can be a lonely process that fuels imposter syndrome. And it’s hard for some to understand how the defense can bring so many mixed emotions of excitement, optimism, terror, and anxiety. Although it’s likely a relatively friendly audience and a moment of celebration, it’s still it’s a nerve wracking experience.
Working with someone who gets it for help with sprucing up your slides (or taking things completely off your plate when you’re too burned out and overwhelmed) can make all the difference.
Dr. Selameab was burned out and had a lot on her plate, but she needed to get her dissertation slides done, fast.
See what we accomplished in just one intensive.
Want to see me redesign a few educational presentation slides?
This 10 minute makeover video shows some before/after redesigns. Every client is different, but we should have no problem doing something of this scope (and likely even more) during just one session together.
My slide portfolio has more examples of visually engaging presentation slides for academic settings.
Ready to work together?
Let’s make your defense a celebratory, joyful experience that you will look back upon warmly as a capstone performance that positively summed up your years of tears, sleepless nights, and hard work as a graduate student.
…or…have a question first?
Book a no pressure call or send me a quick email using this form.
