Daily viva help for PhDs
You can’t do everything for your research, your thesis or your viva prep.
(and you don’t have to)
You must have done something good to get this far on your research journey.
(and you must be capable to have done it)
You don’t need to be perfect in any way – your capability and contribution are enough.
Every viva is unique because every person, their research and their thesis are unique.
There are regulations, broad expectations and local norms for the viva process so no viva should be a complete unknown. However, every viva has aspects that will be unknown until a candidate experiences it.
There is a tension between what you can reasonably expect and what you can’t know – and that tension pulls you in the direction of preparation and building confidence. Unique but expected, a little unknown but in no way impossible.
PS: I’ll be digging into more viva tensions tomorrow afternoon at my 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar. Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. There are full details for all of my June and July webinars here. Hope to see you at a session soon!
I’ve enjoyed learning to create digital art a lot so far this year.
(see recent issues of Viva Survivors Select for examples!)
It’s freeing to not have to worry about making mistakes while creating. The software I use allows you to add elements in layers: I can create a quick sketch, add a new layer and build on that with more detail. I can do some broad colour, add another layer and go deeper. Bringing all of these together creates a lovely composition.
(at least, I think it does!)
Consider viva prep in the same way. You’re layering pieces of work to create a beautiful effect. Layer annotation on top of spending time reading your thesis. Layer creating summaries on top of the time spent thinking while annotating. Layer a mock viva on top of a chat about your work with a friend. It all comes together to create a state of being ready.
Each layer matters but isn’t the whole picture. You need to bring things together to be well prepared.
PS: there are many more layers to the viva. You can find out more at this week’s 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar on Wednesday 24th June 2026. There are full details for all my June and July webinars here. Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. Hope to see you there!
I was going through my files in the last few months and found the speech I gave at my sister’s wedding. When I gave the speech I was nervous but I also had a fair amount of experience with speaking in public so it wasn’t too bad. I got some laughs, I encouraged a few heartfelt tears and I didn’t take too long.
To help with the latter I researched a typical speaking speed: the low end estimate is 120 words per minute. If I didn’t want to speak for more than five minutes, I had to say everything I needed in 600 words, give or take. That was my guideline as I drafted and redrafted.
Now, at the viva you’re not required to give a response within a time or word limit, but thinking a little about them in preparation can help you shape your responses:
You don’t want to take notes and prompts to the viva – although you might want to consider annotating your thesis to mark things out usefully – but you can make a variety of summaries and prompts in advance to help you think through how you talk about things generally.
Adding this to rehearsal can give you a lot of practice at shaping and sharing your thoughts. You’re not limited to 120 words – but maybe considering a range of options can help you find what feels right for you.
After your viva, be helpful for other PhD candidates if and when you can.
If you can, when your viva is done, share your experience. Share what helped you get ready.
A PhD candidate can feel like they need more of lots of things.
More prep. More time. More work.
More papers in your bibliography. More results in your research. More page in your thesis.
What might it take for you to feel like you have enough?
I cut a chapter from my thesis I knew I didn’t have the time to finish the research involved. I rearranged the flow of information in a few chapters several times to try and make the points flow well.
When I started my prep, after only a week away from my thesis, my first thought was, “Where’s that section? Where did I write about…?”
So how has your thesis changed between your first draft and the draft you submitted?
The massive amount of writing, rewriting, changing and editing makes reading your thesis a crucial part of viva prep so that you can be really sure of what’s in there for your viva.
Reading your thesis doesn’t mean rote memorisation. It means refreshing your memory. Read and annotate your thesis after submission so you have a good overall view of your thesis and a helpful resource for your viva.
Your thesis has come a long way from your first draft. Be certain of what you’re talking about at your viva.
If a decision in your PhD was difficult then there is probably something interesting to reflect on as you get ready for your viva.
Hard choices might not be questioned directly in your viva but their impacts will likely be felt on your research and your journey.
It’s worth taking a little time in your preparation to reflect on how you progressed through difficult decisions.
PS: you’ll find advice for sharing your contribution at the viva in The Examiners Issue, the 11th issue of Viva Survivors Select which came out a week ago. The issue contains twenty posts from the blog all about examiners plus two new pages of viva help.
At some point you’ll know the date, time and location for your viva and, importantly, who is going to be there. Typically, a candidate gets at least two weeks notice of the viva circumstances.
Sometimes those circumstances have to change.
There’s a small chance you or one of your examiners will get sick in the days leading up to your viva forcing a postponement. There’s a small chance that one of your examiners, for illness or another reason, might have to cancel their involvement.
Travel disruption could have a last-minute impact. Room availability can change unexpectedly. It’s unlikely but not inconceivable that someone could forget something they felt was needed for the viva leading to a delay.
It’s worth remembering that most vivas happen exactly as planned – and it’s worth finding out in advance who you would contact if something was to go wrong.
If there was a change of circumstances for your viva who would you get in touch with? And are there any potential problems you can identify and guard against in advance?
PS: if you have any viva worries then check out tomorrow’s 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva live webinar on Wednesday 17th June 2026. As well as being a big confidence boost all about the viva there’s plenty of time for questions too. If tomorrow is too short notice to attend then you can find full details for all my June and July webinars here.
Good viva expectations follow from considering three sources of information:
Good viva expectations are not difficult to find out and can help you unpack how it’s done.
PS: if you want to explore viva expectations in greater depth then check out this week’s 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva live webinar on Wednesday 17th June 2026. You can find full details for all my June and July webinars here. Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. Hope to see you there!
PPS: if you just need to know how examiners get things done at the viva then check out The Examiners Issue. The 11th issue of Viva Survivors Select came out last week and contains twenty posts from the blog covering examiners and two new pages of ideas.