Daily viva help for PhDs
Reading your thesis, making notes, writing summaries, checking papers… It’s quiet time. It’s you time, alone, getting the work done.
The exception is rehearsal. Rehearsal needs talking, questions and people. You need more than you, your thesis and your thoughts.
Are you ready for the quiet time? Are you happy in the quiet? And if not, what can you do for yourself?
In an effort to speak clearly at webinars and cover what I need to say without too many words I have a small background pop-up on my desktop when I’m presenting that simply says “DON’T WAFFLE!”
It works quite well.
I don’t have a script for any session but I do have talking points. I can dig into most of them to much greater depth than I might typically. In the moment I might go on and on because I’m excited and then I notice the time and realise I have to now say less about the next topic and wonder, flustered in the moment what I could cut and so-
DON’T WAFFLE! has served me quite well as a little reminder.
A less direct and less exclamatory way that I might interpret this is say less, communicate more.
It’s a reminder to pause. To breathe. To think about the next words: I might know the point I want to make but the particular words matter. When I’m asked a question I can take my time to think if I pause.
All of these are reminders for me, but they largely apply to any kind of presenting or responding to questions – even the viva.
What reminders do you need to help you engage well in the viva?
I often thank people in webinars for “generous questions” that they ask.
Typically these are questions that cover a sensitive topic or difficult area for them. It might be something they would struggle to talk about in another context or if it was outside the private space of the webinar chat.
I often call these generous questions because they allow me to talk about difficult things. Without exception and despite the specifics for that person, the questions are always related to broader topics that concern others.
Another thing that’s quite common in webinars but which happens in real life as well is people apologising for “silly questions” or “questions that might not matter much” or “questions that are difficult”.
Of course, these apologies aren’t necessary – in fact the questions themselves are necessary because they can help the person asking to find some peace or next actions to take, assuming that they’re asking the right person.
If you have a question, ask it. And if the response can be applied more broadly than your particular circumstances then please pass it on.
All the papers and books you read.
All the hours on all the days you showed up and worked.
All the words on all the pages that you wrote, rewrote, proof-read and wrote again.
All the meetings with your supervisor.
All the new things you found and created.
All the ideas that weren’t there before.
You bring all of that together and it means a lot. There’s always more or different things to do. There are always questions to be asked at the viva. But if you add up everything you did you can be sure that you have a contribution.
And you can be reminded that that contribution exists because of you.
What should I be concerned about when it comes to my viva?
There are two strong words in that question. “Should” you be concerned at all? If you’re putting your focus on potential negative impacts is “concern” a good way to frame things?
At face value the best response a stranger could give to that question would have to begin with “It depends…” If you’re worried then that is concerning. If you feel that there’s a gap in your knowledge, understanding or confidence then that needs addressing.
But it depends: do you feel anything like that?
Maybe instead of the opening question we need different ways to frame this:
There’s no need to feel concerned for your viva generally. If something is distracting you then unpick why, possibly in conversation with your supervisors. Beyond that, reframe your focus for getting ready.
It would be nice to down tools, kick back and relax when you submit your thesis. You did it.
Wait, I mean: YOU DID IT!!!
It’s worth the exclamation marks because submission is an incredible achievement. One wish I have for all PhD candidates is that they could take a little time to relax and enjoy that feeling. I wish that they could get away and take a real break after all that work.
I also know that might be out of reach for many. Day to day life, responsibilities and resources might not allow for a holiday after submission. What will you do to enjoy that time?
The world won’t stop turning but perhaps you can halt the wheels turning when it comes to your research. Take a little break from your thesis and research after submission. Press pause so that when you start your preparations you’re more rested and more able to engage with the work you still have to do.
The viva is a purposeful discussion or series of them: sparked by your thesis, made deeper by your contributions and aimed at providing enough evidence for your examiners to confirm that you’ve earned your PhD status.
What you and your examiners say helps to move the conversation along. Of course, different prompts and different responses mean different things.
A question has a different impact than a statement. An answer means something different to an opinion. A big general question is different to a finely-focussed small question about page 72. Saying “I don’t know” means something different to a three-minute monologue about something you do know.
Different does not mean better or worse. It’s just different.
Whatever your words, be clear. Be thoughtful. Take your time. Check the details.
The viva typically takes place in a small room with a small team of examiners, one person and their thesis and their history – and a closed door that screens it all off from the outside world.
There are lots of negative perceptions about what happens at vivas. The perceived attitudes of examiners, the nature of questions, the unlikely-but-possible negative outcomes – these all combine and make many candidates feel down on the whole experience.
All of this is perception though: if you ask PhD graduates typically they’ll describe a challenge but one that’s positive. Maybe tiring, but fair. Difficult but doable.
It’s hard to change the overall perception of the viva in academic culture, but you can steer yourself if it seems intimidating to you. Focus on regulations and expectations. Yes there’s a closed door and two examiners and a challenge but what can you focus on?
You’ll be asked a lot of questions but remember: you did the work.
The door is closed here and now perhaps, but you have years of work, weeks of prep and a few hours to show what you know. The closed door doesn’t mean that you’re closed off.
Do you feel that you need to be right in your viva? Do you need to have an answer for everything? The right answer?
I think that would feel like a lot of pressure. Needing to be right might also remove a lot of other opinions, opportunities and perspectives from a discussion.
Perhaps it’s better to strive for certainty. Take time in the viva to put your thoughts in order so that you are careful and certain in what you’re saying.
It’s far better to be clear in your responses than push to be right about everything.
I’ve very rarely met PhD candidates who describe their research journey as completely smooth.
I’ve also, thankfully, very rarely met candidates who say that it was a total nightmare!
Most PhD candidates made plans, worked hard and did enough.
Sometimes plans worked out well. Sometimes their plans had to change for reasons that were not obvious beforehand or circumstances that changed suddenly. Perhaps a candidate couldn’t do all of the research they wanted. Perhaps the questions or processes had to change. Perhaps they had to do something else entirely.
I’ve seen candidates approaching their viva worry because they frame changes or shifts as compromises. “I wanted X but I had to do Y.” “This could have been great but that wasn’t all it could have been.”
But compromises are still chosen and choices are made for reasons. Examiners might want to unpick circumstances and choices at the viva, so it helps to review those reasons as you get ready.
A better reason for reviewing your choices though is that they help you to remember that you did the work. You were not always in control of the situation but being a clever and capable researcher you made a reasoned choice.
Unpick the whys to help explain your PhD journey to your examiners.
Unpick the whys to help you explore your capability and build your confidence.