Dear All, I start this thread as I cannot talk about this with anyone. I submitted my thesis after three years and recently been informed about a viva date very soon.

Since then, I was unable to sleep and unable to prepare for it. It's like a mental blockage. I cannot seem to sit down to prepare and I don't know how. I read all the standard viva preparation books but they don't give any useful advice. All seems to depend on the mood and attitude of the examiners. So how can one prepare for something which is totally based on luck? I am beginning to hate the process and I think I've never hit such a low in my entire PhD.

I read the other thread with the horror stories of MPhil with corrections and I know I couldn't cope with such a situation. I would start shouting at the examiners, which certainly wouldn't help. Also, I am not the most patient type of person, so I could imagine me starting an argument with the examiners if I sense arrogance, which wouldn't help either.

After all this hard work over the years I just feel like I've hit the bottom and can't motivate to go any further. It's ridiculous but I hate the fact that I have to depend on the generosity of some random examiners I've never met in my life.

Everyone told me to just read through the thesis. This made me cry and tug at my hair, so I stopped doing it. The most helpful thing that I did was to write summaries; a full 'thesis concept' summary and then a chapter by chapter summary. Each summary had two or three lines of background, a sentance to explain the aim and I then allowed two or three lines for each major result of the chapter.

I also made a list of questions they might ask and looked into these. I found that with my (science) thesis they wanted these summaries and also to know that I could explain techniques that I used (e.g. NMR, multi-variate statistical analysis algorithms).

Even if they don't agree with what you have done, as long as you can provide a reason why you took the approach (and obviously acknowledge that they are making a wonderfully valid point), you'll be fine.

The build up was the worst thing that I've ever had to go through but I got through it and so will you.
Good luck!

WHY does this thread show 7 replies in the chart and why cna i only see one reply?

Is there anyone who could do mini-mock vivas with you? I'm going to get dh to do this. He isn't an expert - but just getting used to being asked questions of any sort and talking about the work I think will be good practice.

I can also let myself down with my temper - especially if I'm already stressed. I'm already taking those herbal calming/sleeping aids (calms) and I find they are helping.

Yes...where did my reply go??!

an attempted repost of my reply, apologies if its a repeat

Jouri,

OF COURSE you feel overwhelmed--this is the defining moment of all your years of hard work and effort. When reading about some of the horror stories on this board, of course it makes it even more overwhelming.

Have you been able to do mock vivas? If not, can you get one set up, or possibly more than one, where you can actually go through the experience of being challenged, and figuring out how to respond? To me a viva sounds like it has a lot in common with being in a court room as a lawyer, where you are presenting your case, your facts, your theory, your arguments, to a somewhat skeptical and at times hostile audience.

So what you do you? KNOW YOUR FACTS. KNOW YOUR ARGUMENTS. KNOW YOUR THESIS COLD--as much as this is possible, but KNOW the main points as best you can. Have good notes to turn to to guide you if needed.

If someone fires off a hostile question, take a moment. Take a deep breath. Compose yourself. Think about how you can answer, and then do this. Smile. Even if you really feel :-s:-s:-s, actually, especially if that is how you feel. A smile shows confidence. Say, " Thank you, you raise a point that is very interesting. I gave that a lot of consideration in my thesis, and let me walk you through how that was done. Starting in chapter one, I noted that blah blah, and then again made a reference to this in Chapter 2. I put particular detail on this in the footnote, as its not germane to my central argument, but it is worth noting.......and finally in my conclusion, I blah blah blah and note it for future research. So and so actually lies this out in their article, blah blah in the most recent journal of blah blah, and while I agree with their main argument, I think blah blah was left under developed, as my commentary shows."

part 2 of reposted reply, again apologies if it repeats......

Or something to that effect.

Cite names, articles, parts of your thesis. Just ground your reply, all your replies, in your work. Sound definite. Be definite. If major things like paradigm or method or whatever get challenged, acknowledge differences in the field, and support why YOUR choice was valid, even if the choices are contested. Especially if choices are contested, say that. Acknowledge it as a minefield. Smile confidently about YOUR choice.

MAKE EYE CONTACT with everyone in the room as you talk. When the questioner asks you questions, look at them and nod as they ask. Make some notes if you need to, or are allowed. Again, take a few seconds to organise the thoughts in your head. Then, as you answer, look up and at people. Eye contact shows confidence, again. But do not just address the person who asked the question, invite the whole lot of examiners into the answer, by turning to them, looking at them. Open your body language--no crossed arms or legs. Hands or arms out, again, inviting the examiners into the answer. ( without obviously being too theatrical about this, do what is comfortable for you).

Don't argue. Just state. Confidently. Disagree if need be, by acknowledging differences, thanking the examiner for noting such a key distinction, and then talk away. Smile. Nod. Equally note if some examiners are nodding as you talk--they are agreeing with you, they are with you. Keep going down that track.

I was taught customer service skills in one job, in how to deal with crabby phone callers, although I was not in customer service--something called, ( digging in the banks of memory) LAST. Listen, Ask, Solve, Thank. I think in a general way you could structure viva answers this way. Listen to the question. Ask if you need more clarity, if you are not sure what someone has asked, ask them to clarify. Solve--well, that is just pointing to YOUR answers in YOUR work, and at the end, sure, why not thank them for an invigorating question, saying that is a part of the thesis you found most enlightening or challenging or whatever.........and you welcome the chance to address it, as its not a point of wide interest to all in the field......or something.

I haven't done a viva, so no idea if these would work in reality, but thinking of a courtroom setting, and facing down somewhat hostile people, and needing to make a point, its what comes to mind. I am sure others have many other helpful thoughts, but hope this helps.

I did have the experience of someone rather bluntly challenging my choice of paradigm and methodology in a presentation--the question or rather statement was to the effect, " You do not talk about the work of X. You must not know what you are doing, if you missed this out."

Me, in response, " Well, thank you for bringing that up, the paradigm and methodology is an important part of my work. In fact, I do mention X when I talk about the choice I made, and why I chose the methods of Y and Z?. Are you familiar with them? Y and Z talk about X, and acknowledge that there is some dispute in the field, but my research aims are supported by the work of Y and Z, and I would echo what they say about the position of X as not suitable for my research aims."

The question had all the feel of someone trying to gun for me, but making specific references to articles and what others in the field said seemed to do the trick. I am not at all sure the questioner was familiar with Y and Z, and so just got quiet and that was the end of that.

Although I've heard plenty of horror stories, it can also be a positive experience. My external examiners were very thorough and were positive about my research despite the fact that I was given a re-submit. They made it clear to me that my research was to be commended and that my rather poor thesis was the result of bad supervision. In fact, one of them kept asking me "Did they (my supervisors) get you to do....?" and when my answer was no to every single one, he then responded with "Well, if we'd been supervising you we would have got you doing.... in your first/second year." It made me feel reasonably positive about my work and the viva. Mind you, after the viva I had a major argument with my director of studies and relations have soured, which has not made for a pleasant year.

OK, you don't need to read the threads about bad vivas. That won't help. Your viva is about you. You've submitted, you wrote the thing, you know it. So, think about how a confident person acts. Picture what they do, how they speak, how they stand, how they thinking. Then just act like that. If you catch yourself hunched over, worrying, doubting yourself, just remember that is not how a confident person acts, then just re-adjust yourself to being that confident person again. It's difficult to worry when you are acting confidently. Really, acting confidently, is not far from being confident. They are pretty much the same thing.

Hi Jouri. I did have a horrid experience in my viva but you know what these experiences are incredibly rare and you do just have to cope with them. I managed to remain polite with the examiners and held up during the time I was there with them until the last few seconds and as I left the room I was in tears - when you're in there if you do have the remarkable misfortune to have a bad experience you will cope an you will come through it.

Do your preparation, you need to minimise any possible risk and this is the best way. As for the rest accept that it is part of the sometimes arbitrary nature of life and there is nothing you can really do to prepare for that except to acknowledge that it is a highly unlikely outcome and then push it to the back of your mind.

FWIW if the anxiety and lack of sleep are causing significant problems you could consider maybe hypnotherapy or something similar. I've just had some sessions to help with these problems and am finding it most successful.

Hang in there and keep calm.

xx

I'd agree about really knowing your thesis and if possible getting someone to give you a mock viva. The other thing that might be helpful if you haven't done so already, is to research your examiners and try to find and read their most recent conference paper or publications as it might give you an idea of what aspects of your thesis they're likely to be most interested in and where any opposition might lie.