April 13, 2023 avidadmin

Thesis Defence

Your thesis defence or viva covers the What you researched? Why was it important? How did you carry out your research? and What did you find? It is a meticulous process that requires you to use the right language and keywords to ensure you are able to present your work convincingly to your panel.

Topics Covered

  1. Preparing Your Defence
    Your thesis defence / viva is a little different from your proposal defence. The biggest difference is, in your thesis defence, you are defending your methodology, findings and discussion. While in your proposal defence, you are defending the research you intend to carry out. Therefore, the preparation for a thesis defence requires more rigorous work and planning.
  1. Body of Your Presentation
    There are a number of vital information from your thesis that must go into your viva presentation. This includes your problem statement, objectives, methodology, results and discussion. Learn the technique of PechaKucha to effectively present the most important information to your panel.
  1. Delivery practice
    If English is not your first language, then you will require a lot of practice speaking in English before you are able to confidently defend your thesis. However, if time in not on your side, you need to master the most essential skills in delivering your presentation.
  1. Pronunciation drill
    English is a funny language where two words can be spelt the same but pronounced differently. These are known as homographs. For example, words like bow, tear, wind have two different pronunciations.
  1. Handling Questions
    One of the biggest and scariest tasks of a thesis defence is the Q&A section. This topic will cover tips on how to answer questions from the panel confidently. You want to be able to demonstrate your expertise in your research area without coming across as overly confident.

At the end, you’ll be able to…

  • Understand the true purpose of a thesis defence
  • Familiarise yourself with the defence process
  • Identify the different elements that MUST go into your defence slides
  • Handle Q&A sessions confidently