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Tag: critical questions

Nathan

Critical Thoughts

Daily Post

It’s never unreasonable for a PhD candidate to worry about receiving critical questions or comments about their work. The effort and emotion that someone might invest into doing something on the scale of a PhD fully justifies anxiety at the thought of someone else offering different views or difficult questions.

It’s not unreasonable but can be distracting to worry about. Perhaps consider:

  • A critical question about your thesis doesn’t mean that someone is criticising you.
  • A critical comment doesn’t mean that something is wrong.
  • A critical comment about your thesis might require a correction but that doesn’t necessarily mean a big change.
  • A critical question is still an opportunity for you to demonstrate something good about your thesis, the PhD process and your capability.

And in all likelihood you can imagine far more critical questions than your examiners.

 

PS: want to explore more about receiving or responding to questions at the viva? It’s a key topic at Viva Survivor, my upcoming live webinar on Wednesday 25th June. I’ll talk about this and a lot more – viva prep, viva expectations and confidence – at my 3-hour live webinar, plus you’ll get a catch-up recording and follow-up materials. Do take a look and see if this session might be right for you.

Nathan

Critics & Cheerleaders

Daily Post

Your Worst Critic?

It’s probably you. Pulling yourself down for slips, failures and mistakes. Overly critical of things that could be better. Berating yourself for things that are difficult. And the Worst Critic within is self-perpetuating, it’s hard to get away from the voice.

But you can try. If you hear your Worst Critic creeping up the backstairs of your brain place a call to your Biggest Cheerleader.

This could be you too!

Ask your inner cheerleader to tell you something good. Not just something positive and nothing false, just something truly good about what you do and how do you do it. You need your critic, but only so long as they don’t drown out your cheerleader. You need your cheerleader to help you believe in your talent. As you get close to the viva, there’s a place for both of them.

You need to think critically: to be clear, to be honest, to be able to engage well as a researcher with your examiners.

You need your cheerleader to remind you: you’re great, you got this, you can do this, you’re amazing.