Connect The Dots

If everything is in your thesis then what are your examiners asking about?

Questions in the viva are asked for a range of reasons.

Sometimes it’s to dig deeper into a topic. Sometimes examiners need to understand something that isn’t clear to them. A question might not be about the thesis at all, instead looking to explore a candidate’s skillset, knowledge base or way of thinking.

And sometimes a question is a means to explore and get the candidate to explore. Can they connect the dots between ideas? Can they show what they think would happen? Can they combine their ideas with something new?

Whatever the question in your viva: pause, think and respond. Be clear. Take your time. Connect the dots so that your examiners can be confident in awarding you your PhD.

 

PS: the Viva Survivors Summer Sabbatical starts on Monday! A daily post from the archives all through the summer while I take a creative break after seven years of Viva Survivors 🙂

In The Frame

Pause, think, respond.

That’s how you engage with a question or comment in the viva. You pause in order to think and you think in order to respond well.

Pause and Think: Are your examiners clear with their question? Do you know what they are asking or needing you to speak about?

Think and Respond: Be calm and clear as you respond. Are you responding to their question or comment directly? If not, how are you reframing that?

If you can’t respond directly to a question then you need to think about how you can still engage with it. “I don’t know” and exploring why you don’t know is a good response. Trying to steer away and talk about something different is a bad response.

Pause and think to fully understand how a question or comment is framed. Think then frame your response well so your examiners can clearly understand you.

A Changing Why

Why did you want to do a PhD?

Why did you want to explore the topics or projects you did?

Why did you keep going even when your PhD journey was hard?

Why did you want a PhD still when you were finishing?

Your examiners might not ask you directly about why you’ve been doing a PhD, but motivations are worth reflecting on before your viva. The reasons you started and kept going might change.

It helps to remind yourself why you did all this work, either to help with sharing things with your examiners or to keep you motivated for the final weeks of your PhD.

Show Them What You Know

At your viva you’re expected to explore your significant original contribution with your examiners, tell them about your PhD journey and demonstrate for them that you are a capable researcher.

Which is simple to understand but sometimes difficult to do!

You have to show your examiners what you know. Show them what you understand. Show them what it means.

Whatever their exact questions are you know the topics they will be interested in. Part of the challenge is being ready and able to respond well, whatever the question might be.

By the viva, you’ve done the work. You’ve done the prep. Take a deep breath and show them what you know.

Think Again

Two words that make up a little tip for responding to questions at the viva.

You hear a question and you think and you have something to say. Think again and check: is it correct? Is it clear? Is there anything else you want to remember?

You hear a question and you think and go blank. You’re not sure what to say. Think again and check: why has this question made you freeze? What can you do? Can you ask your examiners something to get a clearer picture?

You hear a comment and stop to think. You have an idea of how to engage with it. Think again and reflect: is that the best you can do? Is there something better you can say?

Don’t rush to say the first thing that comes to mind. Your viva is not assessed on how quickly you respond to questions but on how well you engage with the discussion.

Between Questions

Your examiners make a note. They check their prompts. They quickly confer.

Breathe. Take a sip of your drink. Breathe. Think about what you’ve done so far. Think about what you might still want to talk about.

Just wait for the next question or comment. It won’t be a long time coming. Then you’ll have to think and say something.

For now, wait. Breathe. Relax if you can.

The next opportunity to show your talent is coming.

Questioning Difficulty

A simple distinction for the viva: your examiners might have difficult questions for you but they’re not asking them to be difficult.

Difficult questions naturally follow your work. They come from doing something original. They result from writing a book and needing to explore it deeply. They follow the challenges of your research into the particular challenge of your viva.

Neither your external or your internal is purposefully asking difficult questions to make you sweat, to make you worried, to tear your work apart or to bring you down. The viva is not a hazing ritual you have to get through before you’re allowed to call yourself Dr.

Expect difficult questions at your viva – not difficult people.

Gasp!

If a question or comment in your viva makes you freeze then just stop.

Breathe again.

Think again.

Try to understand the question.

Think some more.

Breathe again.

And if the question or comment still makes you freeze then reflect, “Why?”

Why is this question or comment giving you trouble?

Once you start thinking about that, even if you still don’t have an answer or an opinion you’ll have the beginning of a response that you can share with your examiners.

If a question or comment gives you pause, makes you freeze or even makes you gasp, just sit with it a moment. Take a little time to think and explore how you can still respond.

Good Responses

Some of your viva questions will have great answers.

You’ll know something for certain, either because of your reading or your research. In that situation, when asked you will be able to give an answer.

You won’t know in advance which questions will lead to that in the viva. In fact, aside from some good guesses or small hopes, you won’t know any of the questions or comments that your examiners will ask or offer at your viva.

You might not have an answer standing by but you can always be ready to respond. Through practice and preparation, no matter the question or comment, you can:

  • Listen carefully to what is being said.
  • Pause and think carefully.
  • Make a note if needed.
  • Check your thesis for information if that will help.
  • Choose your words carefully and offer a good response.

Some viva questions or comments won’t have answers. Some don’t need them. Your examiners are looking to you to offer a good response by engaging with their words and doing your best.

Great is great but good is good enough. Engage with your examiners’ questions; offer the best responses you can and you’ll succeed at your viva.

The Pledge

I will engage with my examiners’ questions, whatever they are.

If you commit yourself to this goal then you won’t go too wrong in the viva.

Keeping this in mind means you’re open to discussion. You’re ready to listen. You’re well-prepared.

You’re not listening to worries about “hard questions” or hoping to keep certain topics off the table.

You’re remembering that while you can’t know every question ahead of time, you can take your time in the viva to think and respond as well as you can.

Pause, think and respond as well as you can to each question and comment in your viva. Engage with your examiners’ questions, whatever they are.