Are You Sitting Comfortably?

There’s a connection between how comfortable you are in the viva and how confident you are. I’ve written a lot before on getting comfortable with the thought of the kinds of questions you might get, but that’s not the full extent of what you can do to explore comfort and confidence for the viva. Instead of thinking in the abstract about process and possible questions, get really practical:

• What is the room like? What’s the layout? What does it have in there that could be useful (whiteboard, flipchart etc)?
• Where will the room’s windows be in relation to the sun during your viva?
• What do you know about your examiners? How comfortable are you with your awareness of them and their work?
• What are you wearing for the viva? How comfortable are you in that outfit?
• What can you take with you or do on the day of the viva to make you more comfortable?

Answers are about comfort, but also lead in the direction of confidence. Your clothes can make you more confident; being sure about the viva room can make you more confident; being aware of your examiners can make you more confident.