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Tag: getting ready

Nathan

A List Of Lists

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If you’ve five or ten minutes and are looking to do something to help your viva preparation, you can do a lot worse than make a list. Here are ten ideas:

  • A short list of key contributions in your research.
  • The top ten most useful papers in your bibliography.
  • Five questions or topics you anticipate being asked about at your viva.
  • Seven small tasks you can do to help your prep.
  • Seven questions to ask your supervisor at your next meeting.
  • A short list of everything you’ll take with you to your viva.
  • Five little things you could do to steady your nerves.
  • A list of anything you don’t know about the viva that you need to find out.
  • A list of your proudest moments from your PhD journey.
  • Five things that show you are a capable researcher.

Lists can be summaries, boosters, reminders and more. Don’t underestimate the power of a good list to focus your attention on your preparation and how close you are to being done.

 

PS: looking for more viva prep ideas? Take a look at my Viva Survivor session! Registration is open now for my March 27th 2025 webinar and includes a catch-up recording if you can’t attend live.

Nathan

Don’t Wait

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Don’t wait until your viva day to think about how you explain your contribution.

Don’t wait until your viva day to wonder about what your examiners might ask.

Don’t wait until your viva day to experience what it’s like to be asked a question about your work.

Don’t wait until your viva day to find out what vivas are like.

Don’t wait until your viva day to know whether or not you’re ready.

Nathan

Start Well

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The simplest way to start your viva well is to follow three steps:

  1. Get ready beforehand. Read, review, rehearse and generally be prepared.
  2. Understand what to expect. Check regulations, learn from viva stories and act accordingly.
  3. Show up ready. Be on time, have what you need and know what you’re there to do.

Start well by showing up ready, prepared and knowing what you need to do.

 

PS: if you want to know more of what to expect from the viva and what you can do to be ready, take a look at my upcoming Viva Survivor webinar on March 27th 2025! A 3-hour session, follow-up resources and a catch-up recording.

Nathan

Set Your Course

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Good viva prep is like embarking on any long trip or expedition (or any project): you plan, figure out a direction and get started.

Good viva prep is planned. It’s less effective and more stressful if you improvise completely. It takes time to do and a little time to first consider how you will do it. You can decide when, where, how and so on. As you plan you can figure out sticking points or stumbling blocks.

You can set your course – but you also have to be ready to adapt if circumstances change.

If you have a bad day, if something goes wrong, if you forget something then the plan changes and you go with the changes. This is just what you would do with any long trip or expedition – or any project – or the viva itself!

Set your course, but be ready to adapt.

Nathan

I For Interesting

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Long time readers might remember my acronym VIVA that I find helpful for reflecting on thesis chapters. In brief:

  • What is valuable in the chapter?
  • What do you find interesting about the research?
  • Is there anything vague in what you’ve presented?
  • Are there any questions you think you’ll ask your examiners?

All of these can be useful to start a process of reflection and write a summary. The second word, interesting, provides encouragement as well.

When you think about what you find interesting you get a little lift. “This is what got me hooked,” or “This is why I wanted to know more.”

Perhaps even, “This is what helped me keep going.”

It’s worth reflecting on this as you prepare for your viva. What did you find interesting in your research? Why did it draw you in? What did you find? What would you love to share with others?

Nathan

Prep & Placebos

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Prep helps to you get ready for your viva. Placebos help you to feel ready for your viva.

Prep is the practical work that gets you closer: read your thesis, make notes, check papers, rehearse with a mock viva and so on.

Placebos are the necessary activities and artefacts that help you feel better: the routines and rituals, the music that is just right or the outfit that helps you feel confident.

Both have an element of personal preference. Prep involves specific kinds of work done in particular ways to meet your needs. Placebos can be cultural but are more typically unique to each person.

(my paperweight is just for me!)

Prep helps you get ready. Placebos help you feel ready. Together they help you to be ready.

Nathan

Getting There

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How are you going to get to your viva?

If your viva is on campus, what route are you taking? Are you relying on public transport, driving yourself or getting a lift from a friend or family member?

When will you leave to be on time (or as early as you like)? How much time are you allowing in case of a delay?

What will you wear? What will you take? What will you take just in case you need it?

Decide in advance so that you remove some pressure – and hopefully stress – from your viva day.

(if your viva is going to be over Zoom many of these questions have counterparts worth considering)

Nathan

Images Of Confidence

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What do you think of when you think of “confidence”?

Do you think of a friend or family member? A famous person like an actor or sportsperson? Your supervisor?

I think of this image:

A single frame from a 1940s Superman cartoon. Partially silhouetted by light from behind against a general blue background. Superman stands with his hand on his hips, legs braced, back straight, chest out.

I used to watch 1940s Superman cartoons repeatedly when I was a child. It was the only video cassette we had! Somewhere along the way this image got lodged in my mind as a shorthand for confidence.

The more I’ve thought about it, the more I think it’s because despite the superpowers and general superhero associations, it represents a choice: “I want to do this” or maybe “I want to follow a specific path”.

Confidence is the result of a choice: you can’t choose to have confidence but you can choose to pursue confidence. The image above reminds me that I can take steps to develop and maintain my confidence.

What image do you think of when you think of “confidence”? And what does that image mean to you? And what else are you doing to build up up your self-confidence before your viva?

Nathan

Considering Prep

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If you’re trying to explore any problem or project then remember SWOT:

  • What strengths do you have that could help?
  • Do you have any weaknesses that could make this more difficult?
  • What opportunities might you take advantage of in this situation?
  • Are there any threats to your success?

In particular, when it comes to viva prep, you could apply the questions to consider the following:

  • What could you consider as strengths for getting ready? (resources, knowledge, skills)
  • What weaknesses do you need to address? (resources, circumstances, perspectives)
  • Are there opportunities you could use to help you get ready? (people, events, resources)
  • Are there any threats to getting the work done? (events, risks, situations)

Exploring each of these could help you plan your viva preparation.

Remember that while your plans might not go exactly as you want, given the momentum you have from your PhD journey so far and the talent you have built up there are no real threats that could stop you being prepared for your viva.

Nathan

What To Do

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A to do list could be a good way to tackle viva prep or start framing what you need to do. How about:

  1. Read the regulations for your institution.
  2. Ask for help from others.
  3. Sketch out a viva prep plan at submission.
  4. Do the work.
  5. Have your viva.

The third and fourth items are, of course, simplified – but that doesn’t mean that doing them has to be very complicated.

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