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Tag: pause and think

Nathan

When You Speak In The Viva

Daily Post

Pause.

Breathe.

Think.

Every question is an opportunity, a prompt for you to share something. No tricks or traps, just invitations to add something to the discussion.

Pause.

Breathe.

Think.

There’s time in the viva. Enough for you to use it well. No rush, no hurry. Engage with your examiners’ questions.

Pause.

Breathe.

Think.

Be as certain as you can – not because you have to be right about everything, but because to do otherwise wouldn’t help you to present yourself and your work as best you can.

Pause.

Breathe.

Think.

Nathan

ASAP!

Daily Post

A potent strain of viva-anxiety virus breeds in the mind and says:

Faster, faster, faster!

Question. Answer. Question. Answer! Quest-ANSWER!

What if you take too long? What if it doesn’t come quickly enough? You “should” know it, right? RIGHT?!

Your research didn’t come that quickly. Recovering a memory or a fact might be quick. Analysing and thinking might not be.

There’s time available in the viva, and you can use it well. You can do this because you have experience, knowledge and skills, developed over time. Not thrown together ASAP, but brought forth through patient, deliberate effort.

Don’t listen to the virus if it crowds your thoughts. Pay attention to your experience. Take a little time to think before you answer.