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Nathan

Summary & Memory

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Writing a summary of some aspect of your thesis or research before the viva can do a lot of things to help you. It forces you to focus on something, to highlight the best parts or the most difficult sections and can really support you as you fine-tune your thinking.

It’s important to also recognise that creating a summary can help your memory too. It helps embed ideas. You don’t need to memorise your thesis, or a list or a page of notes, or anything like that. Your examiners want to talk to a person and hear their research, their story and what that means. They don’t need you to recite your work to them.

The focus of writing a summary can help boost what you remember for the viva. You know enough and have done enough or you wouldn’t be working towards finishing your PhD. A little more work can help you remember what you need for meeting your examiners.

Nathan

Swallow The Frog

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What part of viva prep are you not looking forward to? What task do you wish you didn’t have to do?

An old piece of productivity advice centres on a sort-of analogy: “If your to-do list for a day included swallowing a live frog, wouldn’t you do that first to just get it out of the way?”

I.e., if swallowing a frog was the worst task you had in a day – and you had to do it – then doing it first would mean that everything else would seem easy by comparison.

When it’s time to prepare for your viva, what’s the frog in your situation? What do you have to do but not look forward to doing?

Do that part first. Get it out of the way or, if you really can’t, do something towards moving that task closer to completion. Don’t be simply frustrated. Don’t look away.

Get the frog task done and the rest of your viva prep is just work.

Nathan

Halfway

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Think back, if you need to: how far had you come when you were halfway through your PhD?

How much work had you done when you were halfway through the journey?

What did you still have to do? And what had you already learned that helped?

What have you done since then? And what are the highlights of all of these stages of your PhD?

It’s important to look back over your PhD as you prepare for your viva. Practically, it can help you to unpick the story of your research. You can check the details, when you did things, how they happened and what it means.

You can unpick the story of your confidence too.

A story of certainty in your ability, your knowledge and your results. It helps to have more than a vague awareness that you have done things. Really know your story and you’ll have a confidence that can help with any nervousness you might experience in the viva or the days before.

Nathan

The Last Review

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What will you look for when it’s the last time to look over your thesis before your viva?

  • The sections and sentences you’ve highlighted?
  • The red pen that shows the typos and changes you want to make?
  • The paragraphs that make you feel proud of what you’ve done?
  • The margins of notes you think you need?
  • Or the final pages that bring your research to a conclusion?

Or something else entirely? You have to decide where you need to give your attention. It’s probably best to steer towards the good stuff rather than remind yourself of typos. They’re there, you’ve acknowledged them, you know what you need to do.

Save your attention for what really matters.

Nathan

A Gamble

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Simply hoping you will succeed at the viva is leaving what happens up to luck. It’s not wrong to want to succeed, but you mustn’t believe that passing is only due to whether or not things just happen to work out.

Luck and hope isn’t enough. You have to act.

Do the best work you can. Write the best thesis you’re capable of. Prepare when you need to and build yourself up ready for the viva.

You’re not gambling when you take these actions. You’re not leaving things up to chance. You’re readying yourself for success.

You’re taking steps to get closer to what you want and the odds are good that you will succeed!

Nathan

Use Everything

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Do everything you can to improve your feeling of confidence for your viva. Look back at the story of your PhD and take apart all the key moments and stages to show how you have become a capable, talented researcher.

Examine your successes. Unpick the work you did, what happened as a result and what that has meant for your research and for you.

Explore your setbacks and failures. Why did things go wrong? What did you do to change your approach as a result? What did you learn from those experiences?

Estimate the amount of work you invested. How many days did you show up? How many hours? Realise that you stayed committed to your work, even when it was a challenge.

What other numbers could help you to see the scale of what you’ve done? The number of words written? Papers read? Meetings attended and talks given?

Find ways to remind yourself. Statistics help, but stories help more. Do things that help you to feel confident. Wear clothes that help you feel good. Your confidence is not only rooted in the pages of your thesis and what you did to write them.

Use every opportunity you can find to build up your confidence for the viva. There are many, many reasons to feel certain of your success. Do what you can to remind yourself of them as you get ready.

Nathan

Sticky Notes

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Cheer up your viva prep with a selection of sticky notes for your thesis.

Mark out the beginning of chapters and important sections. Add sentences of clarification to pages. Stick in summaries and helpful bullet point lists. Find the best pages and make them stand out with a bit of colour.

There’s a lot of serious viva prep that needs to be done; I’ve mentioned several parts in this post already! Just because something is serious doesn’t mean it can’t also be done with a little smile.

Annotate your thesis as part of your viva prep to make a better version of your thesis; use sticky notes to make that better version a little happier too.

Nathan

The Paperweight

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A small white paperweight, with a black etched design of a leaf

It was a gift from my daughter on Father’s Day a year or two ago. I love my paperweight. It feels like I’ve always had it.

Whenever I feel nervous before a webinar – which is every time I deliver a webinar – picking this little paperweight up is the action that helps me feel confident.

I’ve been a researcher-developer for nearly fifteen years. I’ve helped candidates get ready for their vivas for thirteen of them. I’ve delivered over 400 viva help sessions to almost 8000 PGRs, and been writing this daily blog for over six years.

Yet when I come to deliver a webinar this little paperweight is the thing that helps me feel confident. A small, solid reminder of why I do what I do. A little kickstart for my confidence.

You can’t have my paperweight, but you can find ways to be confident.

Think about what could help you. Is it reflecting on your PhD journey? Is it a routine that helps to centre you? Or perhaps even a small object or image that reminds you of who you are, what you can do and why you’re doing what you’re doing?

You can’t have my paperweight. You can find your own path to confidence.

Nathan

Small & Little

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Don’t sweat the small stuff.

Do every little thing to help yourself.

These are not contradictions when applied to the viva and viva prep.

 

When you find a typo after submission, you could underline it or add it to a list, but that’s all you can do. Would it be better to have spotted it in your proofreading? Sure. Is it frustrating? Maybe, but being frustrated won’t help. Fixing a typo won’t be hard later and won’t distract your examiners too much before then.

Small stuff is like that. Distractions like typos, forgetting a detail, or not having a viva date months in advance. If something is frustrating or a problem but you can’t do much about it, let it go. Work around it or work past it, but don’t drive yourself to distraction being annoyed by it.

 

On the other hand, if you find little things that could help, then try to do them. Add tabs to your thesis, find little opportunities to share your research with others and practise, wear your favourite socks, play your most happy music and follow every tiny idea that could help you get ready for your viva.

 

A problem doesn’t have to be big and difficult to frustrate your preparation. Put them to one side when you can.

An action doesn’t have to be big or time-consuming to help you get ready. Engage with it when you can.

Nathan

Tell Someone

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If you need help with some part of your viva prep, tell someone who might be able to assist you.

If you feel concerned, tell someone who might have experience or advice for your situation.

If you have questions about what to expect from your viva, tell someone who will understand and be able to share realistic expectations with you.

If you feel like you’re missing something in the weeks leading up to your viva, then tell someone who can offer considered advice to help you find what’s gone astray.

And if you want to mark your viva success when it’s all done, tell someone who will enthusiastically join in with your celebrations!

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