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Nathan

A Lot Of Thank Yous

Daily Post

Today marks fifteen years since I shared my first Viva Survivor session. That means it is fifteen years since the start of a long and thankfully continuing journey that has lead me to be someone who spends a lot of time writing about, talking about and thinking about the viva.

In particular, someone who thinks about how to help people with their viva: how to help someone know what to do, who to ask around them for help and how to deal with the feelings or problems they might have.

 

Helping was the start: “Can you help us out by doing a workshop for final year PhDs? We think it would be fun to call it Viva Survivor!”

Fifteen years ago today I arrived to setup and the person who booked me said, “Actually, there was a massive waiting list for this… Are you free any time next week?”

Viva Survivor was not an overnight success story though. I did the session at the University of Manchester several times a year for a few years, then another uni asked, then another and then I thought, “Hmmm… Maybe I should follow this…”

 

Over 500 viva help sessions in total, 9890 PhD candidates, three books, a handful of zines, a Kickstarter, 64 episodes of a podcast and almost 3000 daily posts later…

 

I am really glad that I followed this and very thankful for all the requests, invitations and help along the way.

A very big thank you to Dee-Ann Johnson and Jim Boran, the first people to ask me to do Viva Survivor for their PGRs.

Thank you to the many institutions who have invited me to share Viva Survivor over the years – and for inviting me back! Thank you to the many doctoral training centres and programmes who have also invited me to work with their cohorts.

Thank you to the many, many postgraduate researchers who have contributed to the success of Viva Survivor and this site by showing up, asking questions, sharing what I do, sometimes buying a book or booking a ticket for an independent webinar.

An enormous thank you to my wife and daughter who have heard all about the viva far too much for anyone.

And thank you, whoever you are, for reading this and the other posts I share.

 

Normal service resumes tomorrow. Today, find one person who has helped your journey and thank them 🙂

Nathan

Small Changes

Daily Post

Maybe we need to rebrand minor corrections. How about:

  • Tiny tweaks?
  • Bespoke alterations?
  • Thesis refinements?

Whatever we call them, they are small changes compared to the large amount of work you have already invested. Minor corrections are a small amount of work to leave your thesis in as good a state as possible before you move on to your next challenge.

Small changes. Thank your examiners, do the work and finish your thesis well.

Nathan

Exceptional

Daily Post

There are viva regulations for your institution, general experiences from the massive number of vivas that happen every year and the particular practices of your department. Together, these combine to give a picture of what to expect at the viva. You can have a good sense of what a viva is supposed to be like by taking all of these into account.

There are always exceptions.

Most vivas have two examiners – apart from the ones that have three. Most examiners are academics at other universities – apart from the ones that aren’t. Most vivas up to 2020 were in-person – apart from the ones that weren’t, and then apart from all the ones that suddenly weren’t!

Your viva might be exceptional too. You might have done something a little different in your research or created outputs that most PhD candidates would not. Your thesis might be different. Your viva day might start differently. You could have requirements that many candidates never think about.

Exceptions change the viva but don’t change the purpose. Exceptions might shape your viva but they don’t alter the overall process.

Vivas are always unique and the exceptional people who have them are uniquely positioned to succeed whatever the circumstances.

Nathan

Three Words For The Viva

Daily Post

Pause: you don’t need to rush to speak after a question. Take your time, check your thesis, sip some water and catch your breath. The viva is a test of how well you engage, not how quickly you answer.

Think: you don’t need to fire away with your first thought. Pausing gives you space to think deeply. Again, check your thesis, make a note or two if needed. Get your thoughts in order.

Respond: calm and careful, say what you need to say. Remember that not every question has an answer. You might be sharing an opinion, offering an idea, asking a question or even saying that you don’t know. The viva is a discussion, not an interview, not a Q&A.

Pause, think, respond. Don’t forget.

 

PS: this month’s Viva Survivors Select is subtitled The Focus Issue, because that’s what a summary helps you do: focus on what really matters in your research and thesis. The issue has twenty posts from the Viva Survivors archive and two new pieces, including an original reflective game that would be perfect for you to practice pausing, thinking and responding! You can find out more details here 🙂

Nathan

Sooner Or Later

Daily Post

“It’s never too late to find out more, but you might have felt better if you’d found out sooner.”

There are many parts to the viva process: expectations, regulations, culture, ideas for prep and confidence and more. Right up until the moment you enter the viva you have opportunities to do something to help you feel more ready and better about the viva.

You don’t need to do everything and you don’t need to rush to do it all now. You can make a difference a day, an hour or a minute before your viva.

But you might feel better if you did something sooner.

 

PS: One thing that might help you feel better about your viva is to make a summary as part of your viva preparations. Summaries help you to focus, to think ahead about what you’ll need to talk about in the viva and can help you reflect on the best parts of your PhD and research. Summaries are also the topic of this month’s Viva Survivors Select, out now and available via my Payhip store 🙂

Nathan

Why Worry?

Daily Post

You’re not wrong to worry about your viva.

A PhD takes a long time. Postgraduate research culture builds the viva up as some monumental event. The outcome – even when it is overwhelmingly positive for most people – is such a big thing that wanting to pass can lead to worries for all sorts of reasons.

What will your examiners say? Will you be OK? How long will it be? Will they be fair? Will your viva be fair for you and your needs?

And just what will happen?

Even though most vivas are a matter of a few hours, your viva is a big deal.

You’re not wrong to worry about your viva.

 

But…

…what will you do about it?

Worry doesn’t have to be the end. If you feel worried, nervous, anxious, scared or unsure then there’s a reason for it. By knowing the reason you can then start to make the situation better for yourself.

Ask for help. Take steps. Prepare and get ready.

You’re not wrong to worry about your viva.

If you are worried, what are you going to do?

Nathan

The Point Of Prep

Daily Post

Remember that your viva prep isn’t the point. Being ready for your viva is the point.

You need to plan your prep but the plan isn’t the point. It mostly doesn’t matter what you use to annotate your thesis, except that it makes your thesis better for you and your viva. You’ll probably benefit from a mock viva but the conversation with your supervisor isn’t the point.

Being ready is the point. How you exactly get there is less important than getting there.

Figure out what you need to get you to “ready”.

Nathan

Describing The Viva

Daily Post

The viva is an exam.

The viva is a discussion.

The viva is a challenge.

The viva is almost-but-not-quite the end.

The viva is a part of the process.

The viva is regulated.

The viva is a milestone.

The viva is an event that you can prepare for.

The viva is a few hours on one day.

What words are you using to describe your viva? How do you think they’re influencing you?

Nathan

Fair Adjustments

Daily Post

You might need adjustments for your viva to be fair for you.

  • You might need your examiners to use a microphone.
  • You might need them to ask questions in a particular way.
  • You might need to write questions down so that you can process your thoughts.
  • You might need frequent breaks.
  • You might need a room at a particular location or with a particular setup.
  • You might need your viva to be over video or have some other technology involved.

It’s expected that every PhD viva might be difficult. The viva is supposed to be a challenge because of what you’re there to do, the level you work at, the meaning of what you’ve done.

Difficult is reasonable but barriers that limit you engaging with the viva are unreasonable. If you need adjustments to make the viva fair then make sure your institution knows.

Nathan

Happy Times

Daily Post

When were you most happy on your PhD journey?

Your first thoughts probably tell you a lot about what you value from your PhD. They may or may not line up neatly with your research, your thesis or things you think you’ll share with your examiners. But they’ll give you something to think about.

The viva is a big important day in your life – and then you’ll do something even more important afterwards. Whatever it was you were doing when you were most happy, it probably makes sense to see how you can have more of that in the future.

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