You Are Here

Tag: viva feelings

Nathan

Fuelling Confidence

Daily Post

Confidence is not an innate state. Confidence is not a consistent feeling.

Confidence has to be cultivated. Confidence has to be fuelled.

What are you doing to fuel your confidence for your viva?

  • What are you reflecting on from your PhD journey?
  • What are you telling yourself about the viva?
  • What are you trying to build your confidence up?

Anyone could feel nervous or worry about the viva. That’s human. If there’s something in particular worrying you then consider what you can do to address it: work past worry to find confidence on the other side.

Nathan

Problems Are Opportunities

Daily Post

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

What You Want

Daily Post

There might be things you need for your viva, like a specific date or a reasonable adjustment. Needs have to be met.

Wants are different.

  • You might want a specific academic to be your external examiner.
  • You might want certain questions.
  • You might want to have no unexpected questions.
  • You might want to feel confident or to not feel too nervous.
  • You might want a morning viva.
  • You might want a viva over video.

Wants might be difficult or impossible to arrange. They might require compromise, coordination or persuasion. How do you make the case? And how do you deal with the wants that can’t be satisfied?

Focus on your needs first and then remember that what you want most of all is to succeed at your viva.

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.

Nathan

Awareness

Daily Post

I get nervous. I’m worried I’ll forget something. What if my examiners ask me a tough question? What if…?

Many PhD candidates – in fact, the majority of those I meet – express one of these thoughts or something similar. If one of these resonates you’re really not alone.

That awareness is a good thing.

The best thing you can do is work past your worry: if you feel something about your viva and it feels bad then do something to help yourself.

  • If you’re worried about getting nervous then maybe learn more about what to expect.
  • If you’re worried you’ll forget something then perhaps take steps to annotate your thesis.
  • And if you’re concerned about tough questions then use tough questions as you rehearse for your viva.

When you know what’s wrong as you get ready for your viva you can start to make it right.

Work past worry.

Nathan

Icebreakers

Daily Post

How might your viva begin?

  • Why did you want to do a PhD?
  • How would you summarise your research?
  • Can you briefly describe your main conclusions?
  • How are you doing today?

These example questions might break the ice at your viva. They might seem easy, challenging or unexpected – yes, some examiners really will see how you’re feeling!

Your examiners are asking a simple question and giving you something familiar to talk about:

  • Why did you want to do a PhD? – because you’ve likely thought about this many times before and told others why.
  • How would you summarise your research? – because you’ve had to think about, talk about and write about this many times before.
  • Can you briefly describe your main conclusions? – as this is something you’ve had to consider in writing your thesis.
  • How are you doing today? – because you and they are humans and they’re checking that you’re good to get started.

Whatever the question, that’s ultimately why they’re asking. Everyone in the room is human. Nerves play a part in the viva and everyone can engage better by starting well.

A simple icebreaker helps the viva to begin.

Nathan

Little Things

Daily Post

Here’s what I do to prompt my confidence ahead of giving a webinar:

  • I remind myself of how many sessions I’ve done before;
  • I wear shoes even though I’m going to be sitting (it reminds me I’m working);
  • I listen to a playlist of five songs as I look through my notes in the hour before;
  • I pre-draft follow-up emails with positive language that the session went well, leaving space for details of what will happen;
  • I make sure I have my water bottle and other practical things I’ll need;
  • I get my notes together and put my paperweight on top within easy reach;
  • And I make a cup of tea twenty minutes before the session so it’s a drinkable temperature as I start.

There are placebos, practical elements and a lot of personal steps there. Most of them I do almost on autopilot.

They all make a difference.

What little things will you do before your viva? What do you need to make a difference for you?

And what little things could you be doing regularly to help yourself as you work up to your viva?

Nathan

Bad Vivas

Daily Post

I’ve heard many things from candidates that would make a viva “bad”:

  • It would be bad to forget something;
  • It would be bad to get an unexpected question;
  • Having the wrong examiner would make the viva bad;
  • Feeling nervous would be bad.

I’ve even heard that getting corrections would be bad – which is tricky because the majority of vivas result in a pass with some form of corrections!

There’s a difference though between something feeling bad and something being bad.

It’s rare for something to be bad at the viva but there’s a strong chance that something about the situation might feel bad, whether that’s anticipating worry, feeling nervous or being unsure about the circumstances or process.

If something feels bad or something feels like it would be bad (going blank, getting an unexpected question) then you can consider what you can do. Many worry points or “bad” aspects of the viva can be addressed in advance. You can learn more, do something practical or in some cases change your perspective with a little reflection.

If something feels bad about your viva what are you going to do about it?

Nathan

Cramming Isn’t An Option

Daily Post

There are lots of ways to prepare for your viva:

  • You could spread the work out over a month or schedule it within two weeks.
  • You could read your thesis in an afternoon or review a chapter per day for a week.
  • There’s a range of options for annotation, writing summaries and learning what to expect.
  • And you could, depending on mutual availability, have a mock viva anywhere from a few days to a few weeks before your viva.

Cramming, however, isn’t an option for viva prep. If you don’t plan your prep and leave it to the last minute – or try to overload your days – you will only add stress to your situation.

Stress won’t help.

Instead, plan your viva prep. Consider how you’re feeling, what you’re doing and how you like to work.

Make an honest plan not a hurried one. Ask for help when you need it and take your time to do the work – give yourself time to gently think, consider and reflect.

Cramming isn’t an option for viva preparation.

Nathan

That One Question

Daily Post

It’s my belief that every candidate has one question that they know they don’t want to be asked.

  • “Why did you use the method you outlined in Chapter 4?”
  • “How would you summarise the limitations of the data you collected?
  • “How else could you approach the project you detail in Chapter 5?”

There may be other things candidates generally don’t want at the viva – unexpected questions they’ve never considered or going blank – but fairly high up the list is that one question that they are dreading being asked.

It’s entirely rational to not want the question. There’s no guarantee that someone will get the question they dread. As it’s probably going to be a distraction either way, if you know that one question you don’t want then it makes sense to find a way to prepare for it.

Unpack and unpick what it means. Make notes. Talk it over with someone. Find some helpful points that you could draw on if you are asked the question at your viva.

Give far more time to general preparations and rehearsal though: there’s a lot more to your viva than that one question you hope you’re not asked.

1 2 3 4 … 17