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Tag: viva confidence

Nathan

Effort

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What did you learn in order to get through the first year of your PhD?

What did you figure out about your research area before you were halfway through your PhD journey?

What challenges did you overcome along the way?

How many pages does your thesis have?

How many chapters?

How many references in your bibliography?

How many days did you show up to do the work of your PhD?

 

Perfection isn’t possible in a PhD. Luck is only a very small factor in success. When you really reflect on the last few years, you only got this far through sheer effort.

And when you reflect on what all that effort means you can see why you’ll succeed at your viva too.

 

PS: I’ll be exploring success and how you achieve it at the viva at Viva Survivor, my upcoming live webinar on Thursday 5th December 2024. Lots more as well: expectations, examiners, viva prep – they all feed into confidence and success. Find out more about the session here.

Nathan

Overconfident For Your Viva?

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It’s unlikely!

Even the most self-assured individual will probably feel some nerves and disquiet on their viva day. It’s unlikely that anything will go seriously wrong, but fairly probable that you might be asked a question you’ve never considered, face a criticism you don’t like or simply feel awkward at being in there.

So I don’t think you’ll be overconfident for your viva.

 

The one dangerous area that a PhD candidate can stray into is feeling that they need to have the last word. That they’re the only one who can be right. That they’ve considered everything.

Your viva is a discussion. Your examiners are exploring your thesis, your research and your capability. You might be the best-placed person to respond to their questions but you are not the only smart person in the room.

Listen carefully, take your time in responding and don’t forget to pause and think!

Nathan

Contribution To Confidence

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Contribution and confidence would seem to go hand-in-hand. If you make a contribution to your field of research it would seem natural that you would feel some confidence in yourself and for your viva.

The problem is everything else that gets in the way: long hours, setbacks, the years-long time period for a PhD, redrafting writing, redoing research… Over time, the nature of the PhD can get in the way of appreciating just how far you’ve come.

One way to help yourself might be to consider where you put your focus when you think about your PhD journey.

If you focus on the struggle, the hours and the problem you’ll probably not feel so confident. It’s easy to be overwhelmed by the volume of hard stuff that can be part of a PhD.

If you focus on your contribution, your outputs and how much you’ve grown then you’ll probably find the confidence you need for your viva. Your efforts have produced results – that’s the only way they could exist.

Your research contribution can lead to confidence, provided that you focus on the right things when you get ready for your viva.

 

PS: confidence is a big theme of my upcoming Viva Survivor session! Join me on Thursday 5th December live on Zoom to explore finding confidence, viva expectations, viva prep and more. Full details are over on Eventbrite and I’d love to see you at the webinar.

Nathan

Wind At My Back

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I live by the coast. On certain days with a fair breeze it feels like I don’t have to do anything to walk in the direction I’m going. With the wind at my back I feel lighter, freer and able to go further and faster.

When I think about viva prep and viva confidence I wonder what someone could do to find the same feeling. Everyone is different, but the questions that naturally come to my mind include:

  • When will you do the work?
  • What do you need to do the work well?
  • How can you remind yourself of all you’ve done?
  • How can you make the process fun?
  • How can you remind yourself that you’re enough?

Create a good environment to get ready for your viva. I can’t promise the work will be easier – but I do think it will be more valuable, more beneficial and ultimately more rewarding for your viva.

Nathan

The Motivations

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What was your motivation for doing a PhD?

What was the motivation for exploring the topic that lead to your research contribution(s)?

Has your motivation changed during the course of your research?

What topics or themes motivate your examiners?

What questions do you think will motivate the discussion in your viva?

What will keep you motivated as you get ready for your viva?

And what motivates the personal confidence you feel?

 

Or another way to think about many parts of the PhD and viva process is always to look a little deeper and ask “Why?”

Nathan

At First Glance

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Rescued baby hedgehog turns out to be hat bobble (BBC News)

This news story has been stuck in my head for over six months: a well-meaning member of the public took a hair bobble to a wildlife rescue centre because they mistakenly thought it was an abandoned baby hedgehog.

Awwwww!

 

And because of the way my brain works it made me think of the viva and all the things that are mistaken about that.

  • Candidates mistake corrections for failure, when really they are just part of the process.
  • People mistake examiners for the enemy, when in fact they’re there to do their job and do it well.
  • Questions are mistaken for criticisms, opinions are mistaken for facts and experiences are mistaken for the whole story.

At first glance there’s a lot about the viva that can seem negative – but that doesn’t come from the viva itself. Perception plays a big part and perception can be distorted by stress, nerves, the situation and skewed expectations.

Before you worry and before you act, make sure that you’re considering something real – and not just a metaphorical hair bobble!

Nathan

Write Two Lists

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On the first list capture the following sorts of things:

  • Your disappointments from your research.
  • The things that didn’t work.
  • The questions you don’t know how to answer.
  • Your concerns for finishing your PhD.
  • Your worries about the viva process.

On the second list write the following sorts of things:

  • The conclusions of your thesis.
  • The results you got through your research.
  • The ways you became a better researcher.
  • The topics you’re looking forward to talking about at your viva.
  • Your great plans for the future.

Now decide: which of these lists are you going to look at every day, and which are you going to skim over once a week?

Put the everyday list in a prominent space and the once a week list in a drawer.

 

You get to decide where you put your focus; it might be helpful, for example, to think a little about viva worries and do something about them – but maybe it’s better to think more often about the good things in your thesis than the what ifs of your viva?

 

(writing two lists is a viva-centric riff on a Seth Godin idea – his blog is always worth reading!)

Nathan

When To Get Ready

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Get ready for the specific challenge of your viva after taking a short break from your research and thesis submission.

Get ready by making sure you sketch out a plan for your viva prep. Give yourself enough time to read and review your thesis. Take time to reflect on what it all means and rehearse for meeting your examiners.

Get ready during this period by building up your confidence. Recognise that you are a capable researcher. You must be: that’s the only way you could have developed as much as you have.

And recognise that while you are preparing for the specific challenge of your viva, in reality you’ve been getting ready for your viva for a very long time.

 

PS: you don’t need to get ready for the viva until after submission. For help with all of the work and days leading up to submitting your thesis, check out Final Year Focus – my 1-hour live webinar running TOMORROW! Figuring out priorities, getting clear on plans, writing up, thinking about life after the PhD and more. Full registration details are on Eventbrite and there will be a catch-up recording if you can’t attend live. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

Signs Of PhD Success

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You don’t pass your viva until you actually pass your viva – but there are lots of signs that can indicate PhD success before then.

  • You have a thesis.
  • You have submitted (or had accepted) one or more papers.
  • You have presented a talk or paper at a conference.
  • You have been working towards a PhD for at least several years.
  • You have submitted your thesis.
  • You have a viva date.
  • You have positive feedback from your supervisor and/or others about your research.
  • You can see future applications for your research, even if you’re not going to be the one to do that work.
  • You have future plans.
  • You have prepared for your viva and feel fairly confident.

You don’t pass your viva until you pass your viva. Before then, pay attention to the many signs showing PhD success in your future.

It’s not simply luck that you’ve got this far.

 

PS: if you’re working towards submission now and any of the above seem out of reach, take a look at Final Year Focus, my 1-hour live webinar running this Thursday, 24th October, at 11am. If it seems good but you can’t make it then you can still sign up to watch the catch-up recording! Full details and registration on Eventbrite. Thanks for reading!

Nathan

More Than Hope

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You can hope that your viva will go well, but if you learn what to expect you can do something to make a difference.

You can hope that your examiners will be fair with you, but you can find out what they do to feel certain they will treat you well.

You can hope that you’ve done enough, but you can review your work and know you’ve made a contribution.

You can hope you’re prepared, but you can know you’re ready by planning, taking your time and doing the work.

You can hope you’re not too nervous, but also pursue confidence: reflect on your journey, take steps to get ready and remind yourself of what you’ve done to get this far.

You can do more than hope you’ll succeed at your viva.

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