I’ve been using questions and prompts to unstick my thinking a lot lately, like the question I mentioned in the recent Easy Viva Prep? post. I have a lot of projects and ideas I’m developing, and all have challenges or problems with non-obvious solutions. It’s hard to see something new sometimes, when you’re so used to looking at it in a certain way.
The same goes for a long research project, like a PhD. Here are seven prompts to help you explore your research ahead of the viva. Use these to start some positive unpicking through free-writing or reflection:
- The most simple way to explain my field to a lay-person is to say…
- The most influential paper I’ve read during my PhD is…
- The most difficult conclusion I reached in my research is…
- The best thing about my thesis is…
- The hardest thing I did during my PhD was…
- The best feedback I got was when…
- The best way to explain my contribution is…
Dig deeper with any of these prompts by asking yourself “Why?” after you answer. See what thoughts you can shake loose.
