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Tag: viva confidence

Nathan

Lucky & Fortunate

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It’s important to properly frame the role of good fortune in a PhD journey or in viva success. Words matter – and the words you use to describe your progress and achievements have an impact on you and on others.

Lucky could happen to anyone but fortunate is down to you and your efforts.

Fortunate means you worked hard and enough of that hard work paid off.

Lucky means your actions didn’t matter. Anyone could have done it and it just happened to be you.

Whatever your research, remember that you’re not lucky: you’re fortunate.

 

PS: The latest issue of Viva Survivors Select 12, The Contribution Issue came out yesterday! Reflecting on your thesis contributions is a useful reminder of how your success really is down to good fortune and not luck. You’ll find a lot more in the issue too so please do take a look if you’re looking for more viva help.

Nathan

Today & Tomorrow

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You can’t change the past even if you wanted to.

You don’t get a do-over if you faced difficulties in your PhD or have regrets for something that could have been – or if you simply know more now than you did then.

Whatever happened, whatever the reason, today you can change course. Today you can decide that the past doesn’t define you. You can go a different way.

Today you can change course and tomorrow you can take action. And, importantly, you can do this again and again, steering yourself closer and closer to who you want to be for your viva.

So what do you want to achieve for yourself before your viva? How do you want to present yourself and your research at your viva? How might you change course? And what will you do to get to your destination?

 

PS: my final 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar is running tomorrow morning, Wednesday 15th July 2026 at 11am. This is my last webinar before my summer break – so I’ve decided I’m really going to make it a good one! 😉 Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. Hope to see you there.

Nathan

All The Stats

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The breakdown of viva lengths, pass rates, corrections and questions don’t mean a thing for confidence. They might give a little comfort but they won’t really make you feel better about your viva.

What did you do? What does that mean? What can you do now that you couldn’t do before?

Consider these simple questions, look back over your time as a postgraduate researcher and you’ll find lots of confidence to help you feel better about your viva.

Nathan

Crossing The Gap

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Some candidates worry that viva prep will be a terrible task to complete.

The viva can seem like an awesome task to face – how can you get ready in the few months between submission and the viva when you’re being called to be prepared to talk about your work, yourself and what it all means with two experienced academics?

By recognising that in reality, the gap between who you are at submission and who you need to be for the viva is not that great.

By remembering that viva prep is doing particular work for the particular challenge of the viva – and remembering that if you have got to submission then you are very experienced at rising to challenges.

There’s a little work to do to cross that gap. You can do it.

Nathan

One Sentence Per Day

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Every day after submission write down one sentence describing something that didn’t exist before you made it happen during your PhD.

It could be a result in your thesis. It could be an output or outcome of your research. It could be a chapter of your thesis. It could be a skillset or aptitude that you developed over the last few years. It could be a small idea or a great big contribution.

If you write one sentence per day in this way then by your viva you’ll have dozens of reminders of your capability and contribution.

You’ll have dozens of reminders that underscore why you’ll succeed in your viva.

 

PS: I’ll be exploring core reasons for viva success and confidence at my 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinar this Wednesday evening. Registration includes a catch-up recording, follow-up email and my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva. Hope to see you on Wednesday 8th July 2026 at 7!

Nathan

Problems Are Opportunities

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Problems are only opportunities in work clothes.

I first came across this assertion many years ago when I first learned about creative thinking approaches. It’s fairly natural to be repelled by problems and think they’re only obstacles. Another perspective is to consider a problem as something to be worked at; it’s a more positive way of looking at things.

Any hint of a problem in your research, particularly around viva time, can be intimidating. There’s already enough in the viva situation to make a person nervous. A problem could go further and lead to stress – but if you shift your focus a little maybe there’s a better way to look at things.

A problem in your research or thesis could be an opportunity to make progress. It could be an opportunity to show what you know and what you can do. A difficult question at the viva might feel like a big problem, but it’s also a big opportunity to work and demonstrate the same knowledge, capability and determination you’ve shown in the past.

Research problems and viva problems can be opportunities for you to do more good work.

Nathan

July 2026 Webinars

Event, Update

I have three 1-hour viva help webinars coming up in July! Today seemed like a good opportunity to send out a reminder.

7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva has grown to be one of my most-requested webinar sessions since I first it delivered during COVID lockdowns in 2020. I love sharing this confidence-boost for the viva and seeing how it resonates with PhD candidates.

I’ve offered viva help for more than fifteen years to over 10,000 PGRs and shared 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva almost 100 times. The session is designed to be a confidence boost, concise and valuable, with plenty of time for questions too.

I’m offering 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva at a range of times in July – including my first weekend session this coming Saturday morning! Attendees for all sessions will have access to a catch-up recording to review for four weeks afterwards. They’ll also receive a follow-up email and resources including my pdf guide 101 Steps To A Great Viva.

Tickets for my July 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva sessions are available now. If you’re looking for viva help then I hope you can join me on Zoom on one of these dates:

One more time: registration for these live 7 Reasons You’ll Pass Your Viva webinars is £20 and includes a follow-up email, a pdf copy of my 101 Steps To A Great Viva guide and access to a catch-up recording of the session.

Thank you for reading. I hope you can join me for one of these sessions – and if this news might be helpful to a friend with their upcoming viva then please share this message.

All the best,

Nathan

Nathan

Last, Final, Only or Next

Daily Post

How do you feel about these expressions?

  • The viva is your last chance to succeed.
  • Your viva is the final test of your PhD.
  • The viva is your only opportunity to convince your examiners.

These are sentiments that I’ve come across while doing my own PhD and in the two decades since. There’s a small hint of truth to them but the tone always works to weaken one’s feelings of confidence.

How about, “The viva is your next challenge”? As in the next challenge after successfully completing many others.

“The viva is your next opportunity to share your research” or “Your viva is the next chance for you to show what you can do”?

Words matter. Can you change the words you use to describe the viva or yourself?

Nathan

Everything & Something

Daily Post

You can’t do everything for your research, your thesis or your viva prep.

(and you don’t have to)

You must have done something good to get this far on your research journey.

(and you must be capable to have done it)

You don’t need to be perfect in any way – your capability and contribution are enough.

Nathan

Cosy

Daily Post

My daughter and I both have an appreciation for cosy video games. There’s often no great rush when you play, there’s typically a creative aspect to the things you do and you often see a great deal of cute aesthetics!

I don’t think that many vivas will feel cosy for those involved but maybe cosy isn’t a bad vibe to keep in mind for your viva preparations:

  • Take your time. There’s work to do but you can find a good pace for your needs.
  • Be creative. Make the work fun in parts and in expression.
  • Make it personal. Find an aesthetic for how you make notes. Follow your feelings for how you get it done.

How else could you make your viva prep cosy? And is there anything you can do to take that feeling on to your viva as well?

 

PS: if you need to feel better about your examiners and their role at the viva then check out The Examiners Issue, the 11th issue of Viva Survivors Select. Twenty posts from the blog covering nearly everything to know about examiners and two new pages of viva help.

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