Daily viva help for PhDs
…you’re talented.
…your thesis is done.
…you only have a little way to go.
…is not like your first year.
…you’re at the end of the journey.
…you’re able to think clearly.
…you have experience.
Whatever first year, second year, third year was like, now is not then. Now you’re on the final approach to being done. Now you’re the expert.
Now you can be ready for your viva.
You might be looking to appoint a couple of people to the position of “Viva Prep Helper-Outer”.
What do you need from others to help with your viva prep? What are you looking for?
Think about it and make a decision. Find out who is available. Think about what they know and what they can do.
Make it clear that it’s a low-paid job, but you might be able to manage the odd coffee by way of compensation. Essentially the position is somewhere between a coach and a consultant. You want questions, ideas, advice, encouragement and someone to listen.
You might need to take on more than one person.
Don’t be too demanding on anyone’s time, and remember to settle up with anyone who is a really big help.
Say thank you when your viva is done, and be ready to help someone in the future.
Let’s be clear: it’s unlikely that something will “go wrong” in your viva.
Unlikely doesn’t matter though if you’re really worried now.
Unlikely really doesn’t matter if it’s happening on the day.
So what do you do?
Whatever it is, there’s a process. Just stop first. Then see what’s next. A pause might be enough to make you feel like you’re making too much of the situation. It may not be as wrong as you think.
But again, let’s be clear: it’s unlikely that something will go wrong in your viva. It’s unlikely because your examiners are up to the job and following an established process.
It’s unlikely because you are ready by that point. Your research is done, your thesis is done and you are ready and up to the task of discussing your work.
My favourite notebook: a tiny Moleskine, 64 pages, each smaller than a typical postcard. Many years back I bought a dozen in a sale and I’ve been hooked ever since. I use them for special projects, which got me thinking…
If one little notebook was all you could use to make notes about your thesis and research in preparation for your viva, what would you make notes of? What would help you? What would you use the space for?
And you’d probably still have pages free.
Two thoughts come to mind. First, you get to decide what you need most in order to feel prepared for your viva; whatever good ideas or advice other people have, you’re the one who has to do the work. Turn this one little notebook idea over and see if it might work for you.
Second thought: you probably need fewer resources to get ready for the viva than you think.
You might not want to say it.
You might be able to think and discuss to get somewhere.
Or you might engage with a question and say something but realise you can’t say everything.
Perhaps there is something you don’t know or can’t know. Maybe it is something no-one knows.
Sometimes it’s the only thing you can say.
Pause and think before you say it. Be certain. Say why you don’t know if you can.
Before every Viva Survivor workshop I rewrite my running order, arrange my props just so, prepare my flipcharts and listen to a few tracks from the Hello, Dolly! soundtrack. The music is really happy, and some of the lyrics in particular resonate with me:
Put on your Sunday clothes when you feel down and out
Strut down the street and have your picture took
Dressed like a dream your spirit seems to turn about
That Sunday shine is a certain sign that you feel as fine as you look!
I’m pretty confident about what I do because of the amount of experience that I have. But I use everything I can before every workshop to prime myself: all of my preparations, what I listen to, what I do and think about, all of it helps me.
Before your viva, you have a right to feel confident too. Your thesis hasn’t just appeared: you did it, you did the work and wrote your thesis and you can only do those things by being very talented at what you do. Do whatever you can on the day to prime yourself to be your best.
What will help you be at your best? Do you need to put on your Sunday clothes? What will make the difference for you?
Your thesis is an expression of your research. But in the viva, and at any time when someone asks you about your work, you can’t just hand them this great book you’ve made and say, “Read it!”
I like thinking about ways to help candidates reflect on their work. I like exploring ways to help people explain their ideas concisely. Here’s a plan of how to spend five days in short activities to break down your thesis and your research contribution.
Day 1: Describe the Why-How-What of your PhD in a single page, no more than 300 words.
Day 2: Use Day 1’s page to write a single paragraph about your PhD. Try to keep it under 100 words. Remove the inessential.
Day 3: Use Day 2’s paragraph to write a sentence describing your PhD – no more than 20 words. You’ll never be able to say everything, so don’t try. What can you get across?
Day 4: Use the work of the previous three days to write down five words. What are the themes of your work? Think about where it all started, how you did it and what your outcomes are.
Day 5: Write down one word. The Big Picture. What is it that stands out?
It’s unlikely your examiners will ask you to describe your research in a single word, but they will ask you to talk about your work. An exercise like this can help you think about your PhD a lot before the viva. You might never say to someone, “In one word, my research is all about…” but I think you’ll get something valuable from following this process.
My viva prep tip of the day.
Rest. Relax. Take a step back.
You don’t need to spend every day between submission and the viva “getting ready”.
Prep can wait a day.
On this blog and in my workshops I share a lot of viva prep ideas. No-one needs to follow all of my suggestions: my hope is that the ideas I share spark a path forward. The danger, sometimes, on being presented with lots of options, is that someone might think “I want to do it all!” or “I need to do it all!” or “Oh my gosh, how will I do it all?!”
I spend a lot of time talking and writing about all of the ideas for viva prep; today let me shift gears to give three questions I think can help anyone break down what they will do to prepare for their viva.
Three simple “how” questions:
Focus on you. It doesn’t have to be more complicated than that. There are lots of options but only a few core areas to pay attention to.
Don’t make your viva prep complicated. Just ask three questions to get started.
It can feel like a great pressure has been taken away when you submit your thesis…
…only to be replaced by the pressure of the viva and preparation. Some candidates will feel it more than others, particularly if they’re juggling work, applying for jobs, taking care of their families and 101 other things.
So plan. Break up the pressure by being clear about what you need to do. Some questions that could help:
“Busy” means you have to make a change. Start by stepping back. Get organised and get to work. The end is in sight.