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Nathan

Best of Viva Survivors 2017: Viva Prep

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I’m rounding 2017 off with five days of link sharing for five different areas I’ve posted on this year. I’m starting today with the topic of viva prep which is something I think about every day. How can we best approach it? How can I help people think about it and then do something effective? Here’s a list of some of the best posts from 2017 to help with preparing for the viva!

I hope these posts are really useful for you. There are hundreds of posts on the blog from 2017, so go looking and see what you find.

Found something else on viva prep that you think is awesome? Let me know! And please share my best of 2017 posts with anyone who might need them. Retweets are always welcome!

Nathan

Best Laid Plans

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The Three-Part PhD Plan!™

  1. Do a good piece of research;
  2. Write a good thesis;
  3. Be ready to answer questions in the viva.

All of these are achievable for a PhD candidate. There’s a lot more detail to The Three-Part PhD Plan!™, of course, but it can be done (and is, all the time).

But still most candidates get minor corrections, and obsess about getting them despite their best laid plans. They’d rather get none at all. Indeed, if you follow The Three-Part PhD Plan!™ how can you get any corrections?

Well…

  • …the word is “good,” not “perfect” – with best intentions you can make mistakes;
  • …writing a good thesis is non-trivial and you’re learning as you go – you can miss typos or have a structure that could be improved on;
  • …you’re clever, and talented, and well-read but you’re not omniscient – you can’t know everything or have considered everything in your field.

None of these are disqualifying, and none of these have to be massive ordeals to correct post-viva.

Aiming for minor corrections isn’t the right goal. Aim to do your best.

How do you do that? Check out The Three-Part PhD Plan!™

Nathan

Weather Report

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Last weekend the news promised Snowmageddon in the UK. 30cm of snow! Freezing temperatures! And as the cold weather arrived there were lots of shots of drifts, stuck cars, cancelled trains and more.

Meanwhile where we live, near the mouth of the Mersey, the snowfall wasn’t heavy and didn’t stick. We had clear paths on Monday morning. Even after a freezing night over Monday night there was just a little frost.

The weather report matters. Headlines are important. We need the big picture, but it’s important to dig in to the specifics, the really fine details. I think this is particularly true when examining how you feel about your thesis ahead of the viva. I would have honestly said I felt good about my thesis…

…except for Chapter Five. I knew I was unsure. I had questions I was still grappling with. The results were fine, but how I got there was all confused in my mind.

If you feel great about your thesis, is that really everywhere? If not, dig down, zero in, where are you not feeling good? Why?

If you’ve got doubts, again, is that with everything? Where are the bright spots? Why?

The national weather report won’t tell you what’s out your window. You have to look for yourself. And just having a general impression about how you feel about your thesis isn’t enough: get detailed!

Nathan

My Good Day Socks

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I’ve noted before that I wore a pair of my “good day socks” to the viva. There’s no magic involved, just a little boost. An association I’d built up in my mind with particular socks and the state of “having a good day”.

I’d done the work, read my thesis, made notes, met with my supervisor and more. I was as ready as I could be for the viva.

So on they went: cushioned, comfortable, secret pattern hidden at my toes and heels. It put a smile on my face and stilled the wings of one of the butterflies in my stomach.

A little boost.

When you’ve done the work, when you’ve read your thesis, when you’ve made your notes and met with your supervisor – what else can give you that little boost in confidence?

Is it silly? Does that matter?

Postscript: For the longest time I had three or four pairs of good day socks and all of my other socks were normal. One day it struck me… If I had more pairs of good day socks, then every day could be a good day! Or rather, I could prime myself every day to think of the day ahead as a good day. Socks, songs, routines, whatever makes a difference. For the viva or everyday, what could make that difference to you?

Nathan

Primers

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A pat on the back. A thumbs up. “Good luck.” Motivation, encouragement and reinforcement come in many forms. Sometimes you have to look to your memory and your experience. The words you choose to use can help prime you for confidence.

As the viva gets closer, try these phrases out and see if they help:

  • I did the research and wrote the thesis: I can do this.
  • I’m the expert in the room.
  • I’m ready. I’m ready. I’m ready.
  • Per Scientiam Ad Meliora.

It’s a reminder, not magic. What words could prime you to be at your best?

Nathan

Emotional Limbo

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Typically there’s six weeks to three months between submission and the viva. You’re bound to be busy with lots of things, but there’s plenty of time to prepare well for the viva – and plenty of time to feel a range of emotions swirling around you. One day you can feel fine, the next worried. Confident one minute, concerned the next. A bit anxious, a bit excited, a bit indifferent. Unsure perhaps, stuck, and alone.

Remember: you don’t have to be stressed – or excited – by yourself. Sharing helps.

Nathan

Questions and Focus

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I recently watched the Tony Robbins documentary I Am Not Your Guru on Netflix. I’d really recommend it; it’s uncomfortable at times, funny at others, but it’s an interesting look at an interesting person and it gets you thinking.

At one point he observes, “Questions control what you focus on.” It made me think of my workshops. I ask people for their viva-related questions at the start, which I’m always happy to answer and help with. Candidates ask me questions that they’re already asking themselves. Frequently asked questions include:

  • What if my mind goes blank?
  • What if my examiners are harsh?
  • What if I can only say “I don’t know”?
  • What if I fail?

These are important questions, and clearly some answers or thoughts could help people feel better and prepare better. I just wonder how the general mood of the viva and viva prep would be if candidates more regularly asked themselves:

  • What will help me be prepared?
  • Where can I find good help?
  • What have I done to put me in a good place?
  • How can I make the most of this opportunity?

Questions control what you focus on. Change your questions, change your focus.

Nathan

The Unimportant Bug Hunt

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After submission, read your thesis long enough and you’ll eventually spot a typo. Go actively looking for them and you’ll get a decent list of things that you can correct after the viva.

…but is that really a good use of your viva prep time?

Focus on getting a good perspective on your whole thesis, practise how to articulate your research, find opportunities to think and learn more.

If you find typos along the way, fair enough, but don’t make that a goal.

Nathan

The Simple Life

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Long-term readers will know that I’m a fan of acronyms as valuable tools for encapsulating useful ideas. You can see some examples here, here and here of how I think they can be applied to help with the viva.

KISS is an odd one! Not a means to remember a cool tool or a structure to build around. Rather it’s a reminder that can help with viva prep and the viva, and of course to much of life:

Keep It Simple, Stupid

There’s a place for the complex and complicated in research, of course, but don’t jump to the most complex expression: simplify first. Don’t worry about the optimal way to mark up a thesis: start with a few small things to help yourself. Don’t focus on “what if” questions you may never have to face: find opportunities that will help you practise talk and answer questions.

You’re not stupid. Start simple.

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