Nice Ideas

“…I’m sorry but that won’t work for me…”

I’m always slightly sad when I hear that or see it in response to a piece of advice or help for the viva.

Please don’t mistake me: I don’t think that someone is wrong for not agreeing to what I suggest! I want to help people get ready for their viva and if options I offer don’t work I’m sad that I couldn’t help.

I’ve come to accept that there is no universally helpful idea for getting ready for the viva. Ideas for making plans might run counter to someone’s preferences or situation; the good idea of having a mock viva might not be practical given a candidate’s supervisory relationship; a particular annotation idea could be a non-starter given the nature of someone’s thesis.

Still: if a nice idea, a tip, approach or piece of advice you receive for your viva really won’t work for you, then use that as a provocation. What could work for you? If a particular annotation won’t help, what might? If you’re not going to have a mock viva, how will you rehearse?

If someone’s nice ideas for getting ready for your viva won’t work for you, then you have to come up with some nice ideas of your own.

PS: one nice idea for getting ready for your viva is my Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 3rd December 2025. This is my comprehensive live session on getting ready and there’s full details at the link. Also, if you use code VIVASURVIVORS before midnight tonight you can save £10 on registration!