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Month: January 2025

Nathan

Images Of Confidence

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What do you think of when you think of “confidence”?

Do you think of a friend or family member? A famous person like an actor or sportsperson? Your supervisor?

I think of this image:

A single frame from a 1940s Superman cartoon. Partially silhouetted by light from behind against a general blue background. Superman stands with his hand on his hips, legs braced, back straight, chest out.

I used to watch 1940s Superman cartoons repeatedly when I was a child. It was the only video cassette we had! Somewhere along the way this image got lodged in my mind as a shorthand for confidence.

The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think it’s because despite the superpowers and general superhero associations, it represents a choice: “I want to do this” or maybe “I want to follow a specific path”.

Confidence is the result of a choice: you can’t choose to have confidence but you can choose to pursue confidence. The image above reminds me that I can take steps to develop and maintain my confidence.

What image do you think of when you think of “confidence”? And what does that image mean to you? And what else are you doing to build up up your self-confidence before your viva?

Nathan

The Viva Roles

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Examiners: two academics who accept the opportunity to examine your thesis and you. They have training, they prepare, they plan and they’re ready to do what’s required. They want to do the job well. They only take the role on if it seems interesting and right for them. They’re at your viva for a good reason, even if some of their questions might seem difficult.

 

Observers: a category that covers two particular sub-classes, the Independent Chairperson and your Supervisor.

  • The Independent Chair’s specific role is to make sure that the viva goes well. They might seem like a passive role – if they’re present at all, as not all vivas have Independent Chairs. They’ll steer the discussion if they think they need to. They’ll support newer academics taking on an Examiner role if that’s necessary.
  • If your Supervisor is observing then they are only observing; like the Chair they can’t ask or respond to questions. They sit back and watch. You get to decide if they’re present or not.

 

The Candidate: that’s you! How would you describe what you can do and what you’re there to do?

Nathan

Beyond Belief

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It’s OK to hope that your viva will go well…

…but remember that you can do more than hope.

  • You have years of work leading up to your thesis submission.
  • You can learn about the process and what to expect.
  • You can take steps to make sure you’re prepared.

You can do a lot more than hope that you will be ready for your viva.

Nathan

Mistakes Were Made

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Mistakes are a natural part of the PhD process.

They might happen by accident or through ignorance. You might make a mistake and learn from it. You might make a mistake and be confounded by it. You might have a mistake and not realise it. It could be inconsequential like a spelling miskate mistake or require a fundamental change to your thesis conclusions.

(thankfully, the latter is very rare!)

Mistakes are a regular part of the PhD and so talking about them in some form at the viva is almost guaranteed. There’s no set formula for responding to mistakes, but perhaps the closest thing might be to consider:

  • Why the mistake is a mistake;
  • How it might be resolved;
  • What you will do as a result.

Anyone can make a miskate mistake. It’s what you do as a result, depending on the situation, that matters.

Nathan

Up At The Top

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I like a good analogy, but have never been fully convinced of comparing the end of the PhD to reaching the top of a mountain. Yes, it might be an uphill struggle at times, but hopefully it won’t leave you exhausted, struggling for air and wearing many layers of extreme weather clothing!

The one element I like in the idea though is the view.

The view from the top of a mountain must be pretty special. The view from the end of the PhD is pretty impressive. Looking back and looking down you could see the route you’ve taken; you might remember challenges you’ve passed, the paths you navigated well and maybe even the places you had to take advice from others.

The viva is not quite the end of the PhD, not really, but like the top of a mountain it’s a good place to pause and check out the view.

How far you’ve come, how you got there – and possibly where you might go next.

Nathan

Differences Matter

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I couldn’t decide what to title this post. I was thinking about Differences Don’t Matter, then Differences Do Matter and then Do/Don’t! Maybe you can decide at the end which word seems best. Hopefully you’ll appreciate why this needed a little thought – and I’m still thinking 🙂

 

Some differences don’t matter when it comes to the viva and viva prep. Your thesis might be bigger than your friend’s, but you still just need to get ready. That difference doesn’t make a difference to the work involved.

You might have an examiner who is an expert whereas your friend had someone more general. They had their supervisor present but you feel that that’s not the right approach for you. These are differences, but do they alter the viva’s purpose or process? I don’t think so.

Of course, two big and important caveats:

  • differences like those above might matter to you because they do change things for you. A larger thesis or a different format might change how you need to approach your prep. Examiner A or Examiner B might change the situation for you.
  • some differences might necessarily have an impact to time, resources and the approach you take; if you have particular requirements that need to be met for your viva or viva prep – for any reason – then that could change the situation for you compared to someone else.

Maybe it’s as simple as this: differences don’t change the what or the why of the viva and viva prep. You still need to get ready. The purpose and general process of the viva remain unchanged. Some aspects just are.

Differences could likely change the how of the viva or viva prep: a specific approach might be particular to you or any other individual. Your needs might alter a very practical element of your prep or the viva day. Sometimes a difference could be as simple as how you feel – and what you might then need to do as a result.

Nathan

Engaging With Questions

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The viva isn’t an interview, a quiz or trial by (verbal) combat!

The viva is a discussion. Examiners prepare, ask questions and make comments to facilitate a discussion. They need you to talk so that they can gather evidence to justify the decisions they’ll make about you, your thesis and your viva’s outcome.

So what does it mean to engage with their questions?

  • You need to listen and be certain you understand. So take your time.
  • If you’re not sure of what’s being said or asked then ask for clarification.
  • To engage well you might need to check your thesis, make a note or stare off into space for a moment or two.
  • Your viva is not a race and you don’t need to be in a rush.

Engaging with questions at the viva means treating each one like an opportunity. Every question is asked for a reason.

Every question, essentially, is asked to give you a chance to say something about your work, your thesis or yourself.

Nathan

Your Best Is Enough

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If you can honestly say that you tried hard, learned lots and did the work for your PhD then that’s enough. If you can say that despite challenges and obstacles, setbacks and worse, that you did your best throughout your PhD then that’s enough.

Your determination, knowledge and capability helped you to keep going. That will help you to get ready for your viva.

Ultimately, it’s what will lead you to succeed in your viva.

Your best is enough.

Nathan

Some Examiners

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Some examiners say harsh things…

Some examiners don’t prepare well…

Some examiners treat the viva as box-ticking…

Some examiners use the viva as an opportunity to be cruel…

I can’t dispute the possibility of these kinds of statements. I’ve heard them before and I’ve heard fragments of enough stories to know that these statements are true.

…for some examiners.

Not all. Not most. In fact, only for a tiny percentage.

The vast majority of academics who take on an examiner responsibility try to do it well. The vast majority prepare and plan and get ready. They’re careful and thorough. Being asked questions might not always be comfortable – but the atmosphere in the viva is not totally dictated by examiners.

Some examiners could be described as not doing the job well.

Most examiners will do what’s appropriate.

Don’t let the rare exception skew your expectations.

Nathan

Considering Prep

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If you’re trying to explore any problem or project then remember SWOT:

  • What strengths do you have that could help?
  • Do you have any weaknesses that could make this more difficult?
  • What opportunities might you take advantage of in this situation?
  • Are there any threats to your success?

In particular, when it comes to viva prep, you could apply the questions to consider the following:

  • What could you consider as strengths for getting ready? (resources, knowledge, skills)
  • What weaknesses do you need to address? (resources, circumstances, perspectives)
  • Are there opportunities you could use to help you get ready? (people, events, resources)
  • Are there any threats to getting the work done? (events, risks, situations)

Exploring each of these could help you plan your viva preparation.

Remember that while your plans might not go exactly as you want, given the momentum you have from your PhD journey so far and the talent you have built up there are no real threats that could stop you being prepared for your viva.

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