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Tag: start with why

Nathan

Your Objectives

Daily Post

Why did you start your PhD? What was your objective when you began?

As you continued through the years how did your work develop? Did your objectives change?

And as you reach the conclusion how do you feel you’ve reached your objectives? What are your objectives for the future?

Some of the questions above might be in the background of your viva. Some are probably not typical of discussions but all are worth reflecting on as you prepare.

What you were doing, why you were doing it and how things changed over time are all worth considering before your viva.

 

PS: Want more reflective viva help? Then check out my live 3-hour Viva Survivor webinar on Wednesday 25th March 2026 where I’ll share more reflective thoughts and a lot more. You’ll also get four-week access to a recording of the session and follow-up materials too. There’s information at the link but please get in touch if you have questions or want to know more. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Yours & Theirs

Daily Post

Everyone involved with your viva will have opinions.

There’s a lot of truth and certainty by the time you have finished your thesis but you could have plenty of unanswered questions too. Plenty of space for doubt. Plenty of space for wondering. Plenty of space for believing but not knowing for sure.

You will have opinions about some things. Your examiners will too. It’s possible that your opinions will collide or oppose. That’s not as big a problem as you might believe.

Whether you have to defend your view or unpick your examiner’s, start with why. If you need to convince with your opinion ask yourself why you think it is true to motivate your response. If you aren’t sure of your examiner’s point then ask yourself why or ask them why.

Once you know why someone holds their opinion you can understand more. You can figure out what you actually agree with and what you don’t. You can see the root of the problem or understand how to find common ground.

When defending or exploring opinions, start with why.

 

(this works very well outside of vivas too!)