{"id":56625,"date":"2021-03-29T08:00:59","date_gmt":"2021-03-29T15:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/world.edu\/?p=56625"},"modified":"2021-03-29T12:41:17","modified_gmt":"2021-03-29T19:41:17","slug":"ten-playful-viva-preparation-activities","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/world.edu\/ten-playful-viva-preparation-activities\/","title":{"rendered":"Ten playful viva preparation activities"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Finished the thesis? Loud cheers. Now to get ready for the viva, or defence as it is called in some places. There\u2019s a lot of great advice about how to prepare for the viva \u2013 check out\u00a0Nathan Ryder\u2019s Viva Survivors blog podcast and workshops<\/a>,\u00a0VITAE\u2019s<\/a>\u00a0resource pages and\u00a0Eva Lantsoght\u2019s PhD talk series on PhD vivas around the world<\/a>.<\/p>\n

My particular interest in the viva is the work you have to do to get yourself into the \u201cexpert\u201d frame of mind. You\u2019ve had to write the thesis as if you were already doctored and the world\u2019s greatest authority on your particular bit of research. Now, in the viva, you have to act and talk like one too. You have to BE expert, even if you don\u2019t feel like one, when you have The Conversation With The Examiners.<\/p>\n

The most common way to shift into and inhabit the body of the expert is to do a mock viva. Other more \u201cperformance\u201d oriented opportunities to speak with authority often happen through three minute thesis competitions and public presentations.<\/p>\n

But I think there are probably some entertaining ways to get into the viva frame of mind and body. So I\u2019ve started to generate a few ideas. These are by no means a complete list and, if they seem simply silly to you, then just ignore this post. I\u2019m writing here for people who might like to indulge in a bit of lighthearted, but possibly serious, play. Something that interrupts the ongoing feelings of anxiety and\/or unease and\/or uncertainty. Here goes.<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Write a love letter to your Doctor self, listing all of the expert doctoral qualities and competencies they have. Write a break up letter to your student self, saying why you lived with them for so long, and explaining why it\u2019s now time to leave them behind.<\/li>\n
  2. Imagine that the key implication of your research has actually been implemented. Write the short new item that reports what has happened, the research on which it was based, and why this is important.<\/li>\n
  3. Turn your thesis into a picture \u2013 draw or collage it. Imagine that this is now a postcard. Choose three people to send your postcard to \u2013 write a message on the back of the postcard telling them why they need to take notice.<\/li>\n
  4. Sample five to ten key sentences from your thesis to make a poem which tells the story of your research.<\/li>\n
  5. Create a shoebox museum in which small objects tell the story of how your research was designed and carried out. Alternatively, make a shoebox museum of your journey from doctoral researcher to The Doctor.<\/li>\n
  6. Make a selfie of yourself as doctoral researcher. Now take a selfie of The Doctor (yes yes before the viva, not after, but you can do that too).<\/li>\n
  7. Write a very bossy memo to the examiners telling them what to look for in your thesis.<\/li>\n
  8. Make a small monument to a tricky moment in your research. Look it in the eye. Write a brief curatorial sign which explains.<\/li>\n
  9. Make the record cover of your research. Write its signature tune.<\/li>\n
  10. Design the party you would love to have to celebrate becoming The Doctor. What is its theme? Will there be a song? A new ritual? Costumes? Special food? A new dance? A wonderful game? Pilot your design when the viva is over.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Finished the thesis? Loud cheers. Now to get ready for the viva, or defence as it is called in some places. There\u2019s a lot of great advice about how to prepare for the viva \u2013 check out\u00a0Nathan Ryder\u2019s Viva Survivors blog podcast and workshops,\u00a0VITAE\u2019s\u00a0resource pages and\u00a0Eva Lantsoght\u2019s PhD talk series on PhD vivas around the […]\n… learn more→<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":56626,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[15645],"tags":[366276],"coauthors":[11733],"class_list":["post-56625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-education","tag-viva-preparation"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nTen playful viva preparation activities - World leading higher education information and services<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/world.edu\/ten-playful-viva-preparation-activities\/\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Ten playful viva preparation activities - World leading higher education information and services\" class=\"yoast-seo-meta-tag\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Finished the thesis? 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