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Tag: viva confidence

Nathan

Control The Controllables

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This is how an attendee at a recent webinar summarised what I’d said about getting ready for the viva.

Control the controllables.

He was absolutely right. That’s how I think about a lot of things connected with the viva.

There are things you can’t control or won’t know until you get there. These range from questions to feelings to the approach that your examiners will take.

There are things you’ll know but won’t control too: the purpose of the viva, the date or location of your viva venue.

But there’s also a lot you could take control of.

  • You can choose what you wear.
  • You can select the words you use.
  • You can plan out your preparation.
  • You can decide on how you’ll get to your viva.
  • You can choose what you do on the morning.

All of these things and more can help how you feel about your viva.

There are a lot of things you can take control of for yourself in advance of the big day.

If you do that then the things that are beyond your control won’t seem so bad.

 

Many thanks to Luke C for offering this observation!

Nathan

Acutely Nervous

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In the weeks before my viva I didn’t feel nervous.

I was too busy.

I kept myself occupied with reading my thesis a lot, making notes, reading papers, talking to my supervisor and wondering what to do after my PhD was finished. I didn’t have time to be nervous.

Until ten minutes before the start of my viva. I hadn’t slept well the night before and at 9:50am I was tired.

And suddenly I was acutely nervous. One thought occupied my mind: “What if I am just too tired for this? What then?”

Then my examiners arrived, slightly awkward pleasantries ensued and I didn’t have time to think about whether I was tired or not; I was nervous and I had to simply get on with my viva.

 

Viva prep helps someone get ready. It can also be a helpful distraction from feelings one might not want to face.

“I don’t want to think about that.”

Nervousness is commonly a symptom of anticipating something important; it doesn’t mean that the something is negative and it doesn’t mean that nervousness itself is negative. It’s not usually a comfortable feeling, but it doesn’t have to be bad.

Distraction will only help so much though. Viva prep helps, but in parallel you have to build up your confidence for the viva. You have to build up certainty in yourself, your capability and the work you’ve done. Nervousness won’t disappear, but confidence can take the sting out of it.

Don’t distract from nervousness. Pursue confidence.

 

PS: to find out a lot more about viva confidence and getting ready, do come to Viva Survivor, this Thursday 5th December 2024. It’s my live webinar about everything to do with the viva, viva prep, expectations, examiners and more. I’ve shared this session over 375 times and I can’t wait to do it this Thursday as well. If you’re thinking about coming registration closes tomorrow at 5pm. Check out the details now – and maybe I’ll see you there 🙂

Nathan

Expectations Are Estimates

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Viva expectations help. Regulations and past experiences can help someone figure out what their future experience might be like; stories can shape actions for preparation and convince someone that they are going to be OK.

Remember though: expectations aren’t exact, expectations are estimates. And, going a step further, expectations are a set of estimates, about length, questions, feelings, process, outcomes and more. You can have a sense of what your viva will be like – and what vivas are like in general – but you can’t know for sure.

It’s not exact. But with enough information and reflection you can have a good estimate of your future viva experience.

 

PS: expectations are a big part of my upcoming Viva Survivor webinar. If you want to know what’s worth putting your focus on – and what to do – then register to attend the session on Thursday 5th December 2024. More details at the link.

Nathan

Glass Half-Full

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I think that the majority of PhD candidates can be broadly optimistic for their viva.

Believing that you’ll succeed doesn’t come from simply hoping though. Hope is good, but generally hope is what we have left when we have no meaningful actions we can take. A PhD candidate, on the other hand, can build up their capability and their confidence as they work through their PhD journey.

A candidate can do a lot more than hope that they will succeed: they can feel sure of it, optimistic that whatever happens they can engage well at their viva.

Nathan

Save The Best For Last?

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It’s not needed for your viva.

The knowledge, understanding, skillset and determination that you apply to get to thesis submission is all you need in your viva. A little prep for the particular challenge of talking to your examiners will help, that’s all.

You’ve already displayed your best and been through the worst by the time you get to your viva.

Nathan

Set Your Intention

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You intend to pass your viva! So what will you do?

You intend to submit the best thesis you can! So what will you do?

You intend to respond as well as you can in the viva! So what will you do?

 

Intention helps. Actions follow intentions. You can set a goal and hope or you can decide what steps you will take. The latter is probably more effective!

If you intend to prepare well then perhaps make a plan for your viva prep. Leave room for the unexpected. Make good time for you to do it when you won’t be stressed or tired.

If you intend to engage well in the viva then rehearse. Have a mock viva. Talk with friends. Read your thesis. Do a lot of thinking.

 

If you intend to pass your viva then don’t just hope that it all goes well. Make it certain.

Nathan

Hyped

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It’s sometimes said that excitement and nervousness are two sides of the same coin.

That might suggest there’s no control over which side is shown, like a coin toss, but really it’s just focus. If you try to focus on excitement that’s what you’ll find more and more.

You could focus on the opportunity to talk about your work with experienced academics. You could think about the contribution you’ve made to your discipline. You could think about how close you are to finishing your PhD!

It won’t eliminate nerves, but getting excited can help a lot to reduce the discomfort of nervousness – and maybe it will give you one more reason to feel confident for your viva.

Nathan

Effort

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What did you learn in order to get through the first year of your PhD?

What did you figure out about your research area before you were halfway through your PhD journey?

What challenges did you overcome along the way?

How many pages does your thesis have?

How many chapters?

How many references in your bibliography?

How many days did you show up to do the work of your PhD?

 

Perfection isn’t possible in a PhD. Luck is only a very small factor in success. When you really reflect on the last few years, you only got this far through sheer effort.

And when you reflect on what all that effort means you can see why you’ll succeed at your viva too.

 

PS: I’ll be exploring success and how you achieve it at the viva at Viva Survivor, my upcoming live webinar on Thursday 5th December 2024. Lots more as well: expectations, examiners, viva prep – they all feed into confidence and success. Find out more about the session here.

Nathan

Overconfident For Your Viva?

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It’s unlikely!

Even the most self-assured individual will probably feel some nerves and disquiet on their viva day. It’s unlikely that anything will go seriously wrong, but fairly probable that you might be asked a question you’ve never considered, face a criticism you don’t like or simply feel awkward at being in there.

So I don’t think you’ll be overconfident for your viva.

 

The one dangerous area that a PhD candidate can stray into is feeling that they need to have the last word. That they’re the only one who can be right. That they’ve considered everything.

Your viva is a discussion. Your examiners are exploring your thesis, your research and your capability. You might be the best-placed person to respond to their questions but you are not the only smart person in the room.

Listen carefully, take your time in responding and don’t forget to pause and think!

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