There are three things your examiners have to do in your viva:
- Explore your significant original contribution;
- Unpick the hows and whys of your research;
- Examine your capability as a researcher.
They have to do this. There’s a lot to talk about and a lot that could be brought up through the discussion, but as a starting point, consider how you would respond to these three questions:
- Why would someone value your research?
- How did you solve a difficult problem in your PhD journey?
- What can you recognise as an area of growth in your ability?
Each question corresponds to a point from above; there’s more to ask, more to say and these are just starting points. But what would you say?
