Good Things
A simple piece of viva prep and confidence building: make a list of as many good things about your research and thesis as you can think of. Add anything about your development too, what knowledge or skills you’ve built up...
Daily viva help for PhDs
A simple piece of viva prep and confidence building: make a list of as many good things about your research and thesis as you can think of. Add anything about your development too, what knowledge or skills you’ve built up...
When you defend in the viva you aren’t throwing up a barrier with your words – that’s being defensive. Defensive sounds like, “I’m right!” whereas defending says, “I hear you, but this is why I’m right on this…” Listen to...
You have to read your thesis to get ready for your viva, even if you don’t want to. You thought about it, you wrote it, you rewrote it and now you’re done- -except you read it and you think you...
With great power comes great responsibility. It’s fun to know that Stan Lee didn’t quite invent this phrase, but lovely to know that it’s popularisation is pretty much all due to Spider-Man. It applies to more than just superheroes and...
“What if I’m wrong?” asks the concerned PhD candidate, getting ready for their viva. Typos are a kind of wrong. Not quite meeting expectations with the thesis is too. Not knowing something is a flavour of wrong, but can be...
Between the first day of your PhD and your last you travel a huge distance. From potential to results, you’re talented when you start and even more talented when you submit – plus you have a lovely book too! Across...
Gather what you need: thesis, notes, pen, paper… What else do you need for your viva? Decide on what you will wear: wear something for comfort, for confidence, to feel right or to feel happy… Decide in advance to remove a...
The short version: I have five upcoming webinar times for my 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva session! 7 Reasons has been a super-popular session in the last year since I started it during the first UK lockdown. I’ve developed as...
While there are lots of good tasks that can help with viva preparation, maybe it would be better to gently nudge candidates. A few gentle nudges could be far more helpful to offer than a super-structured programme of work and...
Quite simply, it’s the best thing to say on days like today. Yes, you need to read your thesis, make notes, have conversations and do lots of thinking before the viva… …but you also need to rest. Relax. Recharge. Restore...