8. Know the format of your thesis defence
The format of a thesis defence varies from
country to country. The first and most
tip, then, is to make sure you know what the
format of your exam like for example will be;
whether you will have to prepare a
presentation and so on.
9. Prepare and practice your presentation
If you have to give a presentation, check any time restrictions so
you can prepare accordingly. You don't want to show up with
100 slides for a 15-minute presentation, nor do you want to
up with 10 slides for a 1-hour presentation. The most important
thing to do for any presentation is to practice so that;
You know the material inside out
You know how long it takes
You can refine the presentation
10. You can practice on your own or with an audience, and
you should do both if possible. Practising on your own
and speaking out loud to an empty room may feel silly,
but overcoming that discomfort is good preparation for
the discomfort of facing an actual audience. Practising
with an audience of peers is then a good way of getting
feedback and finding out what questions people ask.
11. The dreaded "awkward question"
Whether you have to give a presentation or not, one of the scariest aspects
the defence is the possibility of being asked a question you can't answer. It's
tempting to try to read a ton of literature to prepare for this, but since it's
very difficult to predict what the examiners will ask and it's impossible to
everything, this approach isn't always effective or reassuring (it might just
make you realise how much you don't know). There will always be gaps in
your knowledge, but, actually, it doesn't matter if you don't know the answer
to an awkward question; you can still respond in a way that will make the
examiners happy.
12. When you don't know the answer...
You aren't expected to know everything. Sometimes, an examiner will ask a
question they don't know the answer to, either out of interest (since you are
the expert in your research) or because they want to see how you think.
it is OK, sometimes, to just say "I don't know", you could also say something
like,
"I don't know, but I would think that [...] because of x and y, but you would
need to do [...] in order to find out".
This shows that you have the ability to think as an academic.
13. Core content
Of course, there is some core content which you will be expected to
well, but this is set by you, not the examiner. To a large extent, the
content of the examination is determined by the content in your
thesis.When you choose what to cover in your thesis you are choosing
your battleground for the thesis defence, so the best strategy is to stick
to the material you know best in your writing! Make sure you have read
through your complete thesis at least once before your defence, so you
know what you have written about.
14. Dealing with nerves
You will be nervous before your examination. You will almost
certainly get an adrenaline rush, which can set your heart racing,
give you sweaty palms, make your stomach churn and make you
want to go to the toilet 10 times in 20 minutes. This is normal!
worst part is the waiting before you start because there isn't
you can do to use up all that nervous energy. But once the
starts, you can do some things to keep it under control
15. Slow down
One symptom of nerves is to talk really fast and to try to show how much you
know and speak in this kind of long stream of consciousness that diverges
from the question until you forget what the actual question was but then you
don't know how to get back to the point and so you just keep talking and that
makes you more nervous and how are you going to get off this train of
thought...
Try to slow down and give yourself time to breathe. Try to remember the
question* and come back to the point. Once you have answered, stop talking!
*If you forget the question, it's OK to say, "sorry, I got lost in my train of though
there, what was the question, again?"
16. The examiners expect you to be nervous
Remember that the examiners expect you to be a
nervous in your thesis defence, and they will help
you through if necessary. It is OK to ask them to
repeat or clarify a question. It is OK to pause to
think. It is OK to take a sip of water if you need to!
17. Ultimately...
Success or failure is determined mainly by the content of your
If your research is good, and you actually did the work, it is highly
unlikely that a nervous performance in your defence will lead to
failure. Generally speaking, once your thesis is submitted, there isn't
much you can do to affect the outcome (positively or negatively).
Read through your thesis, read up on one or two key points if
necessary, practice your presentation, and trust that whatever
happens you will be OK.
