What you present on your Viva?

A friend has just visited us this New Year. He just did his ‘viva’ for his PhD couple weeks ago. He shared his experience which apparently is quite similar with what happened to me. Some of ex-PhD students might have different experience, but at least I found some similarities in some cases.

Preparing presentation slides

Most of examiners expect to listen to not more than 10 up to 15 minutes presentations. Less is more. Even, it appears that giving presentation is compulsory. So, limits your presentation to only about 10 minutes. Image if we have to spend one minute for one slide, it means we can only have maximum 10 slides to show. My supervisor once told me a week before the viva day. If you had to present something, however, focus on something very important. Remember, the examiners must have read the whole report when they sit on the examination room. Therefore, according to his experience in supervising PhD students for years, he suggested only three points to cover during the presentation.

First, explain again why you conduct research on this topic. This point will point out some key points which can illustrate the gap in current research or body of knowledge or the importance of issues. This point somehow summarises the points exist in introduction or background of research in your thesis. Of course, the whole explanation is already there in the thesis. However, giving simple and short hints of the background will help you to clarify the idea and demonstrate the importance of the research.

Secondly, you might need to explain how the general idea to resolve or answer the research question (or the points from the background). This point will explain how the research process is captured by a robust set of research methodology. Some students might only have a single research technique while other students could have used a multiple techniques. This point will show the relationship between all the techniques being used in accordance with the issues.

Finally, the contribution of your research. Most of research sees the importance of this point. This point will help you to reclaim your contribution by doing the research, either it’s a contribution to knowledge (to answer the gap in the body of knowledge), or contribution to practice (to indicate the use of your research for industry, for instance), contribution to policy makers, contribution to methodology, or something else.

How you present on your Viva?

The presentation might cover only three points but it can go more than 20 pages (if you are not careful). As mentioned before, limits the presentation to only about 10 slides. Speaking for about one minute for one slide might be easy for some students. However, I myself find it quite challenging to speak in English (as it’s not my first language) especially in a very stressful environment (as many students find the viva day).

So, I prepare two different presentations. The first presentation covers only about 10 pages which strictly only present some key points in a big and easily readable font size. Even, I often hear that we’d better use a plain simple slide design. Resist yourself to use a blinking colourful animation as this is an academic presentation, not a presentation to your MLM customers. This presentation is the one I presented to the examiners. While I was showing the slides, I was holding the print out of my second presentation package on my hand. In these papers, I wrote the explanation in more complete sentences. Again, you may need to use big font size as you will find it easy to read. You can make some important word into bold font if you want. Of course, the best presenter will need no paper at all in his hand but nobody knows what will happen in your viva day. A friend once lost speech in her viva day, and then the examiners had to call for a break. Rather, I prepared myself to simply have the paper on my hand to read. One page on the paper explains exactly one slide on the first presentation package. This strategy might sound stupid, but it works with me, who speak English not as first language.

#phd #viva