Tom Harper

Hi, my name is Tom and I have recently passed my PhD viva at Sheffield Hallam University, and this is an insight into how I prepared for my successful viva.

I’d like to outline how I approached viva preparation and to pass on some of the valuable advice I have received on my journey to passing.

Keep it simple

I’d like to share a brief framework that I used to structure my own viva preparations that I hope will help you. My overarching aim was to keep everything as simple as possible and this created three focal points: The Big Three, Headlines, and The Conversation. I used all three of these to simplify my approach to the assessment and I hope they can help you too. Let’s get stuck in!

I think simplicity is important and the main reason for that is you can only do so much to prepare for your viva. You have no idea what questions you will get and in what order they will come. You have no way of predicting what your examiners will find interesting or worth exploring further.

In the face of such uncertainty what can you do? I keep it simple.

The Big Three

Articulating a clean and crisp answer to the big questions in my viva was much harder that I thought. My supervisors suggested I focus my energy on developing strong responses to The Big Three – Argument, Contribution and Methodology. To me, those three terms captured the essence of what my examiners would likely ask me or at the very least, what they would use as their starting points (and I think they did). After researching, writing, and reading your thesis you will have a good idea of what to make of those three points so have a go at articulating that.

The mock viva was a great place to test these ideas because it was a safe space to get it wrong. In my mock it dawned on me that I was unsure about where to start my discussion about my contribution. I understood what my thesis brought to the table but how do I articulate that? Where do I start? The mock viva and the resulting discussion were invaluable in this regard. What we discussed was developing memorable and precise phrases that captured my core messaging. So, I developed headlines.

Headlines

Clean and crisp. Memorable and precise. The goal was simplicity and efficiency. My Headlines became a playbook of phrases I had constructed to map out my responses to the big three. All tied into a big question – The Big Three – I started big and broad and made them gradually more specific. From thesis to chapter, chapter to sub-chapter. These headlines constituted most of my note taking throughout my preparation. This really worked for me because it allowed me to keep it simple to the smallest detail. The purpose of the headlines was to keep it as memorable and precise as possible without the mental baggage.

The Conversation

Your viva is a conversation. Yes, it is an assessment but don’t let that twist your perception of what muscle you are working. You and a bunch of people are coming together to discuss your project. That is how I saw the viva format anyway. Although I have practiced this conversational method before for interviews, it worked a dream for my viva, however, I needed to reframe it slightly.

It was suggested to me that I consider every question my examiners ask as an expression of curiosity and not a judgment. This way they are asking for more interesting detail and not probing for a mistake. It is a conversation, not an interrogation. To practice working that conversation muscle, I would suggest talking to a friend or family member through your Big Three, test those headlines you have developed and see if they are clean and crisp enough that a lay person gets your message. Can you keep it simple?

"I think it is helpful to see the viva as much more than an assessment. See it as a conversation between interested parties, networking and critically engaging with new research to better understand a shared interest"

The Technical Bit

In terms of what my actual workflow looked like I tried to avoid distractions and wasted effort. I read my thesis front to back. I participated in a mock viva with my supervisory team. I spoke to other students and academics outside of Hallam for advice as well as family and friends who were keen to support my preparation. I practiced what I have outlined above. I tackled The Big Three, I detailed and reworked headlines, and took every opportunity to have a conversation about my thesis in any capacity. I didn’t spend hours in the library, I didn’t read my thesis multiple times, I didn’t write pages and pages of notes.

Overall, I tried to keep it simple.

After Thoughts

I thought it would be useful to briefly outline what I wanted from the viva beyond a pass. I saw it as a great opportunity to ask what my thesis might need or benefit from for publication. Would it be a good book or is it better suited to being broken down into multiple articles? Does my framework in Chapter One respond to the gap in the literature I identified in my introduction? Furthermore, it was a fantastic opportunity to network with my examiners, one of which was someone who had shaped my understanding of the discipline.

I think it is helpful to see the viva as much more than an assessment. See it as a conversation between interested parties, networking and critically engaging with new research to better understand a shared interest.

Your viva is an assessment, but I implore you to enjoy it as much as you can because I certainly did and it gave me a whole new perspective on my research and those in my field.