Critique Preparation for Facilitator
1) Decide What is Being Critiqued
- Artifact, Design Problem, Process, Research, etc?
- What kind of critique would be most effective?
- What design phase should the artifact be in?
2) Who’s in the Critique?
- Will participants include students, guest Critics, etc?
- Do you know the individual history, expertise, and design background of the Presenter(s) and Critic(s)?
- Have you communicated any necessary info to the Presenter(s) and Critic(s) before the critique?
- Meet with students beforehand if needed
- Invite Critics with different areas of expertise Ex: Engineering, Marketing, etc
3) Timing of the Critique
- Critique duration? (Keep them short)
- Time allotted for presentation vs. questions?
- Notify Presenter(s) and Critic(s) of the time allotted per Presentation and Q&A session
4) Make Sure Everyone Knows the Critique Process
- Do the Presenter(s) and Critic(s) know their roles and how to give or receive good criticism?
- Remind them of the Critique Process:
- Critic(s) say what Presenter’s work does well
- Presenter asks questions
- Critic(s) ask neutral questions
- Critic(s) give permissioned opinions
- Critic(s) ends with a positive statement
5) Make Sure You Know How to Intervene
- What will you say if Critics give opinions in their statements of meaning? What will you say if Critics go off-topic? Etc. Ex: “I’m going to interrupt for a second. We will have time for permissioned opinions later. For now, try to focus on what is compelling about the work”
- You may give Critics a template for opinions
6) Why Are You Having This Critique?
- What learning goals have you set for the Presenter(s) and Critic(s) for this session?
- What questions can you ask to guide the group?