You Are Here

Tag: responding to questions

Nathan

Always Something

Daily Post

No matter how much work you put into your research and thesis, or how much time you spend on viva prep, there’s always something that your examiners could say or ask that you haven’t anticipated.

And no matter what they ask, because of all of the work you’ve committed to your research and thesis, and all the time you’ve invested into getting ready, there’s always something you can do to respond to their questions and be part of the discussion.

You can ask a question. You can pause. You can think. You can check your thesis. You can remember something. You can take a situation and analyse it. You can work through a question or a problem. You can, in the end, always find a way to respond.

Whatever situation you find in the viva, there’s always something you can do.

Nathan

Opinions

Daily Post

The viva is a discussion. It’s not a Q&A. It’s not an interview. It’s not supposed to be combative or about proving who is right or wrong.

Remember that your examiners are allowed to have different opinions to you. They may not agree with a conclusion. They may think that X needs more Y to account for Z.

And that means that you may have different opinions to your examiners. Different opinions don’t mean that someone is wrong. It might mean that – or it could mean that someone needs to think more, explain more, share something else or do something else.

If your examiners ask for a change or strongly suggest something then ask why. Explore more and dig deeper. And do your best, not to prove them wrong, but to engage as best as you can with what they are offering to the discussion.

Nathan

Framing Limitations

Daily Post

Limitations in your research are constraints, parameters and requirements.

They could arise from setbacks and problems or be a result of the project specifications for your PhD.

You might acknowledge them, regret them or be frustrated by them.

They could have been anticipated, they might have surprised you or they could be a previously unforeseen complication due to the pandemic.

 

If your research – and consequently your PhD – has been impacted by limitations then you have to address it at some point in your thesis, and probably also in your viva.

But you get to choose the words you use to describe those limitations. Of course, be honest: but also realise that words mean something, and the words you use help to convince a reader, a listener and also oneself.

So: what words do you choose to use to describe the limitations of your PhD research?

Nathan

The Right Words

Daily Post

There are wrong words you could use in the viva. You could exaggerate or bluff. You could lie! You could mis-speak. You could be too modest or you could be careless in your thought or speech.

There are no perfect words for the viva discussion. Your examiners don’t expect you to respond like a machine without hesitation, errors or deliberation. Questions can have answers but they could also have opinions offered or hunches shared. You can say I don’t know.

You need the right words in your viva. The right words aren’t perfect, but they are considered. The right words aren’t scripted but can benefit from practice beforehand. The right words don’t require knowing the questions ahead of time or special understanding of the process.

The right words just require you to do the work. Do the work and you’ll find the right words on your viva day.

Nathan

Boring

Daily Post

What can I do in the viva if my research is boring?

Oof.

This was a tough question to hear at a webinar.

My first instinct was to turn the question around and ask, “Well, why do you think your research is boring?” but this was a group webinar and not a coaching session. Thinking or feeling that something is boring is related to perception: how someone sees something might not represent what that situation is really like, at least not fully.

There’s no shortcut to magically fix thinking if you feel your research is boring, difficult or highly specialised; a little reflection on one or more of the following questions could help:

  • Why did you want to do research in this area?
  • What is valuable about your contribution?
  • What is original about your thesis?
  • What have you enjoyed in exploring this topic?

If we think or feel that something is dull we can’t click our fingers or push a button to change that. Asking the right question, taking time to reflect and consider can help shift our perceptions. The process of doing your research could be boring at times – I remember the feeling well! – but perhaps with the right question you can get excited regardless.

Nathan

Tricky or Trivial

Daily Post

Describing the viva’s conversation and questions isn’t as simple as picking an extreme.

Questions can be tricky because of the standard of the work being talked about. Responding could be trivial because of the work that you, as a postgraduate researcher, have put into your thesis.

A comment might be simple, easy-to-understand, and in the moment you might find yourself lost for words.

It’s not sensible to focus on how much of one kind of question or another one might get. Instead, you can focus on being prepared.

Read your thesis and practise for the viva. Refresh your memory so that you’re as comfortable as possible talking about your work. Understand that you can’t know every question that is going to be asked, but you can prepare yourself to listen, pause, think and respond.

The viva isn’t trivial, but nor is it so tricky that you have to worry. Get ready to engage with whatever your examiners bring to the discussion.

Nathan

Pause, Don’t Stop

Daily Post

Pause in the viva to think about what you’ve heard.

Pause to gather yourself if you lose your train of thoughts.

Pause to check something in your thesis.

Pause to make a note.

Pause to take a sip of water.

Pause to break a question down because it’s really big and needs to be considered.

Pause, but don’t stop. Don’t stop because you are almost there. Don’t stop because whatever nerves you feel – whatever you feel – you have almost finished.

Pause whenever you need to in the viva. Ask for a break, a longer pause. Don’t stop.

Nathan

Out Of Options?

Daily Post

I don’t think there’s ever a situation in the viva where you can do nothing.

I can’t think of a question that could be asked that a candidate couldn’t respond to. Questions from examiners are asked to prompt discussion. They’re asked to clarify what something means. They’re asked to dig deeper into your thesis and research.

By design, they’re not asked to crush you, stump you or stop you. They’re not asked to tear your work apart or make you feel small. They could be uncomfortable, they could be critical or they could ask about something that you’ve not thought about before.

You always have options for how you engage with them.

You just need to pause. Then you think. And you respond. A difficult question or comment cannot derail your success so long as you pause, think and respond.

There’s always something you can do.

Nathan

It’s Complicated

Daily Post

If your research wasn’t complicated then it probably wouldn’t be up to the standard needed for a PhD. It will help you, however, to explore how you can express your ideas clearly, simply.

The process for getting ready for the viva isn’t a straight-forward linear process; deciding when to start and what to do can be a complicated business. You can simplify things by asking simple questions and doing simple things.

Knowing what to expect from your viva is a very complicated question. It depends on what field you’re in, what university you’re at, whether your viva is in-person or over-video, who your examiners are, what time of year you submit and many other factors. Or simply, you can expect a conversation for several hours or so, lead by examiners and their questions.

Ask anything about the viva and the honest first response is: “It’s complicated.” If you find the right help and explore a little though, you’ll probably find that there are simple things to consider which will really help you.

Nathan

Excuse or Explain

Daily Post

You don’t need to find excuses for when you talk to your examiners.

You do need to be ready to explain when they ask you something.

The reasons for your research, your knowledge and your thesis help explain how you have got to this point. You don’t need to excuse anything. Your explanations, offered honestly, will be enough.

1 … 5 6 7 8 9 10