Clarify & Respond
Could you repeat that please?
Can I just check…?
Before I respond, can I confirm that you…?
At the viva you need to make sure you’re comfortable with the question you’re trying to respond to.
Clarifying isn’t evasion: you’re not trying to dodge a question but be sure.
You’re not using up time as there’s no time limit: you have as long as you need to respond as well as you can.
Clarify the questions you need to so that you can give the best responses to your examiners.