Daily viva help for PhDs
It might be the start of your response to a particular question at the viva.
It’s unlikely to be the only thing you can say or the only thing you need to say in response to that question.
(see also: “I don’t know”, “My supervisor told me to” and “I’ve not thought about that before”)
If your examiners have an issue with something in your thesis then their problem is your problem.
Kind of.
Maybe.
First, it helps to ask, “What is the problem?”
Or even, “Is it a problem?”
Another person’s opinion doesn’t mean there is automatically a problem. It could just be a different perspective. Or a question of style.
If there is a problem it might then help to ask, calmly, carefully, “Why is this a problem for you?” Once you know why there is an issue for your examiner then you can start to think about how you can address it. If there is an unmet need you can consider how you bridge the gap. If you have to simply say more or do more then you can think about how that could be done.
Your examiners’ problem is your problem – but first be sure that there is a problem! Don’t rush to solve a situation that simply requires you to listen. Listening first is the way to approach any situation that may or may not be a problem at your viva.
PS: of course, you might find something that feels like a problem before you get to your viva. You can approach that with the same calm too and check if it’s really a problem before you get frantic! If you’re looking for more pre-viva support then take a look at The Submission Issue, the latest Viva Survivors Select collection – twenty posts from the archive and two original pages of help for £3.
Your examiners aren’t making a tally of your contributions as you engage in the viva.
That response was a 5… I think we can give a bonus mark for that observation…
They don’t ask harder questions to give themselves a chance to mark you down either. They might make notes on what you say and how you say it but it’s not for points. The viva isn’t a great zero-sum discussion where only one side can “win”. The discussion is built together.
The viva is an exam but it’s not about scoring points.
The viva is a facilitated discussion. Your examiners have a plan with notes and prompts. They’ve prepared. They come to the viva with questions, comments and ideas to invite you into conversation.
There are many possible questions they could have for you:
With all of that said, you don’t need to write a big list of possible questions ahead of the viva and make notes on them all so that you’re ready.
You can prepare for every question simply by rehearsing for the viva. Get experience by finding opportunities to practise responding to questions. Mock vivas, conversations with friends and seminars can vary in how close they will be to your actual viva but all can give support.
Have a plan (which you can practise in advance too!). Whatever the question, take your time to think. Maybe make a note in some way. Pause, take a sip of water. Then take your time to carefully respond. There’s no rush to get the viva done quickly.
Treat every question as important and you’ll give your examiners what they need at your viva.
They’re probably better than your first thoughts at the viva.
First thoughts might come from nerves, worry, mishearing a word, wanting to get a point across or wanting to move past a question as quickly as possible.
Second thoughts are definitely considered. They might be the same as first thoughts but they might have more nuance or be better expressed. They’ll slow the pace a little and show your thinking.
Think, then think again. Take your time to give the best responses you can at your viva.
Congratulations if you have found a new approach or a new way of doing things as part of your research! That by itself meets the definition of an original contribution to research (and it’ll probably have some significance too!).
It’s great but it might invite questions:
Anyone might ask these questions but they are also representative of the kinds of questions that could occur to examiners too (although theirs might be more specialised).
None of these kinds of questions are problems though. They’re opportunities to share something good. You’ve done something new. You’ve done something helpful.
It’s natural to worry or wonder but equally you can take time to prepare and even practise how you communicate your approach.
It’s not uncommon to ask who is responsible if something goes wrong. After all, things don’t just happen, someone has to do (or not do) something. In your PhD journey there could be lots of people involved when something is wrong: the person who wrote a paper missed something, your supervisor wasn’t available to help or maybe you made a mistake.
Asking “Who?” is typical human behaviour but it might be less helpful than asking “Why?”
When we ask “Who?” we have a name. When we ask “Why?” we’re working towards a reason.
If something went wrong and you ask “Why?” then you can start to unpick the reasons, the impacts and the resolutions. You see more and can explain more (whether you’re doing this kind of exploration at the viva or in advance).
Don’t forget you could also ask “Why?” things worked out well during your PhD too. Why did you arrive at submission with a good thesis? Why was the contribution in that thesis sound? Why was the work that you did ultimately of a good standard?
Although, at the root of all of these questions what we’re really asking is “Who did this?”
PS: There are lots of reflections and more viva help in the latest issue of Viva Survivors Select, which I released earlier this week. The 2025 Issue collects twenty of my favourite blog posts from last year and adds two new pages of viva help. Want a helpful viva prep game? You’ll find it in the latest issue here 🙂 And please spread the word if you can!
What’s next?
Whether your plans are academia or elsewhere it might be a difficult topic to talk about. Your plans might be in flux. Your plans might be sensitive and make you feel emotional in some way.
You don’t need to have a 5-year plan figured out for meeting your examiners but it might help to know how you’ll explain a little of your future plans at the viva.
You won’t be judged on them: the viva is centred on your research, your thesis and your capability. But it’s a natural topic of discussion for something like the viva.
Take a little time as part of your viva prep to think about the next challenges you’re facing – because that’s what they are. They might be smaller scale than a PhD but they’re no less daunting. If you’ve done a PhD then you are committed to doing good things well.
So what’s next? And how might you explain that to your examiners?
PS: what’s next for me is the new issue of Viva Survivors Select, which I’m releasing in two weeks!
At the root of a lot of viva questions and discussions is a why.
Why did you do this? Why does it matter? Why is it helpful?
Why this and not that? Why now? Why did you choose X over Y?
It could be explicit or quiet, it could be a why you have thought about for years or a why you are finding for the first time.
As you get ready for your viva, consider all the whys you know in your preparations. Consider what happens as you rehearse and offer whys in your mock viva and other spoken preparations.
What can you do to help yourself be more ready to talk about the whys?
There’s a good chance, whatever your research area, that you can be asked a question at your viva for which you have no answer. There’s a chance even that you could be asked a question for which no-one has an answer – there are simply opinions.
When you have an opinion – or are called to think and explore your opinion in the moment – it helps to pause and think a little. There’s plenty of time to do that in your viva.
None of this is evading the question: it’s all geared towards you offering the most considered opinion you can depending on the situation.
In fact, to engage well at the viva, whatever the question, pause and think before you respond. Even if you have an answer ready, something you’ve considered and refined for years. Pause and think just in case there is a subtlety in the question that you’re rushing past in your desire to show what you know.
When you’re called on for your opinion at the viva give yourself a little time to respond well.