Daily viva help for PhDs
A few hours have passed in the viva.
Another question. Deep breath. Pause. Respond: talk, watch their faces, listen… Say more.
OK… Well, I think that’s all we need… Would you like to go outside and…
Back in. Poker faces and nervous smiles. Congratulations and some formal words.
Any questions? You can send them on later if you think of any.
What now?
….good question.
What now?
Looking out of a window might not be enough to help you decide whether you should take an umbrella with you.
You might need to step outside and feel the breeze. You might want to think about what the weather has been like for the last few days or consider the time of year. It may help to ask someone what they think. Or you could always check the weather forecast, get a statistical sense of what will happen.
At some point though you have to make a decision and accept it: the sky is cloudy and grey, the wind was cool, you see people with raincoats on and umbrellas poking out of bags. And the Met Office says there’s a 70% chance of rain before midday.
All the signs are there.
The story above isn’t that different to the situation with you and your viva.
“Are you going to pass?”
Well, when you listen to the stories of people who do pass, you’ll see that they’re not so different from your situation. When you talk to academics about what happens at the viva you’ll know what to expect and realise there’s not much to be concerned about. You could check online, read stories, listen to podcasts and do the work needed to get ready.
When you think back over your progress you’ll realise that all the signs are there – all the signs from the last few years, showing your determination, knowledge, progress and ability.
You know what the most likely outcome is for your viva.
One of the main principles of improvisational comedy is “yes, and…”
There’s no script in improv. If you’re on stage and someone says something, you agree with them and build on what they have said. If someone remarks about the (imaginary) hat that you’re wearing you accept the idea they have introduced and build on it.
How remarkable, I’ve never seen a hat like that before!
Yes, it was my grandfather’s he made it himself-
-he sewed a great mass of tentacles on to the brim?
…Yes, and it’s very comfortable, would you like to try it on?
Scene! (that’s quite enough of that!!)
While the viva might not be a time for laughing and joking, the principle of “yes, and” – of accepting and building on what has come before – is definitely part of the discussion you’re going to have.
Your examiners will ask questions and your job is to engage. You say yes to the question and then build on the discussion with your words.
It’s not about saying yes to every comment, or agreeing with every point: you say yes rather than try to divert. You say yes and engage rather than try to evade the topic or displace it with something you’d rather talk about.
In the viva your main responsibility is to engage with whatever questions your examiners ask. Say yes to their questions and then share your thoughts to give them what they need to help you pass.
When doubts creep in before the viva they can be difficult to remove. By the time you recognise them for what they are it may feel like you simply have to feel them and feel bad. There is hope though: you can’t simply press a button and change how you feel, but you could do something or a series of things that would help the situation.
If you doubt that your viva will go well, then find out more about the viva. Look at the regulations, ask questions about other’s experiences and talk to your supervisor about what to expect.
If you doubt that you’re good enough or that your thesis is good enough then reflect on how far you’ve come. Write down a list of your successes. Write down a list of things that you know have improved in your ability as a researcher. Talk to your supervisor or others to get their reflections.
If you doubt you can speak in the viva, or if you doubt that you will be able to answer questions, then practise. Rehearse with a mock viva. Present your work and take questions. Do things, as uncomfortable as they might be at the time, to build up your confidence and comfort for meeting your examiners.
It’s very human to doubt. It’s not wrong to worry. But you’re not alone and you’re not without hope. If you feel doubts then act to remove them.
It could be exciting to have the chance to sit down and talk with your examiners!
You may be eager to finish your PhD journey!
Getting ready for your viva might have put a smile on your face as you realised just how far you’ve come – and just how much you’ve done!
And equally you could be nervous, anxious, worried or uncertain about everything.
You might not be able to resolve every issue or problem you have before the viva. You may have a few particular worries and what ifs rattling around your brain.
But you can also prepare for the viva. If you have gaps in your knowledge you can work to fill them. If you’re unsure of what to expect you can ask. You can go to the viva nervous, but also certain of what you have done and what you are capable of.
You might not dance into your viva and high-five your examiners as you greet them, but I hope you can feel some of the positives about the occasion!
It could be that you have an independent chair at your viva; they would be a member of staff from your university. Their role in the viva would be, largely, to observe what happens.
There are lots of reasons you might have an independent chair:
There are lots of reasons you might have one, but no bad ones: an independent chair is there to watch and to make sure that the viva is going well. They won’t have read your thesis. They won’t ask you any questions. They will make sure the process is fair.
An extra person in the room might add to nerves, but really the best thing you can do is check far in advance what the situation will be or might be for your viva. Then you can do anything you need to do in order to be comfortable on the day.
Annotating your thesis before the viva can help you as you read and prepare. You then have an enhanced version of your thesis with you for the viva. Adding bookmarks or tabs to chapters and important sections can help you to find things. Highlighting references or underlining typos, as well as making notes in margins, can add layers of useful information as you refer to your thesis.
Before you sit down to add anything to your thesis though, take a few moments to create a system for yourself. Just reflect on a few simple questions then make a few simple decisions.
Keep things simple, clear and consistent.
You don’t need to answer every question. You don’t need to know every fact. You don’t need to have absorbed every detail about your examiners.
To be alright in the viva, you don’t need to get everything all right in advance of it. You don’t need to respond in the right way for every question. Of course, do your best! Of course, try and work hard! But if your mind goes blank, or your freeze, or you forget, you will still be alright.
You will have done enough before the viva and will do enough during the viva to pass.
You’ll be alright.
It’s a Bank Holiday in the UK, which is always a good reminder to take time off. It might not be today for you: it may be that your situation means you have to work, research or do something that doesn’t allow for a significant element of rest or relaxation.
But you need it.
If your viva is somewhere on the horizon, taking a day off to do something else entirely can be helpful. Take a day for you, before you do anything for your viva. Pause, relax your thinking, rest your mind, leave – for now – all the prep and hustle that still needs to happen.
You have time to do all of that later and a need to look after yourself now. Take time for yourself as part of getting ready for your viva.
There’s no single right way to select examiners. There’s no best criteria for deciding whether you should have you supervisor at your viva. I can think of many options for planning out and completing viva prep. I have a lot of suggestions for how someone might build their confidence before their viva – but I don’t know the best one to suggest to you offhand. And, of course, there are many different questions that can be asked at the viva, many approaches that your examiners can take, endless variety of situations on the day.
There are so many aspects of the viva that have lots of possibilities and yet, ultimately, there’s only one way you succeed: you do the research, grow as a researcher, write your thesis, submit it, then prepare for and pass your viva.
It’s the only way to get it done.