Now that you’ve completed your PhD thesis on-time, it’s time for you to be prepared for the defense session. It is this step which determines the kind of score you’re going to attain after successful completion of your doctorate degree course. Defending your thesis is an emotionally challenging process which every doctoral student has to undergo in order to attain a doctorate degree. There’s no need for you to fret anymore because I’ve found you some quick and easy tips on preparing for your thesis defense session.
- Develop your confidence level – Being confident is necessary for facing all the questions that you’re being required to answer during the thesis defense session. Nobody except you can know the best what the thesis paper is about, so you need not feel uneasy.
- Never be in a hurry – Whenever you’re being asked a question about your thesis, do not rush to reply it. Listen to the question carefully and answer in an easy-to-understand manner. Oral answers given in a hurry often tend to get misinterpreted and review committee members get confused.
- Be prepared for the audience – A majority of universities allow a public to attend an open part of a thesis defense, so you got to be ready for a variety of questions coming your way. Prior to appearing for the defense session, don’t forget to practice your speech in front of the mirror.
- Prepare a presentation – Committee members love to hear a student who’s capable of presenting his/her work in a pictorial manner. Hence, do ensure to utilize visual aids such as charts and photographs in order to insure that you’ll not get lost/stuck anywhere in your speech.
- Prepare hard copy handouts and backups for unexpected situations – Remember that technology can fail anytime, so don’t forget to keep print outs of your defense speech. Doing this would keep you from unwanted embarrassments.
- Ensure an impressive conclusion of your speech – Make it a point to conclude your thesis by reinforcing your findings. Try proving the work you’ve done; segregating what has changed and what hasn’t changed about your research problem.
A successful oral defense of your thesis marks the completion of your PhD degree program. Getting questioned by a panel of professors can be daunting but with a prior preparation the same process can become convenient and stress-free. Impressing your review committee becomes critical when you’ve put in your best efforts towards drafting the thesis theme.
Chanakya Research is a research consultation services firm which is involved in providing high-end support to PhD students who’re experiencing sleepless nights before their PhD thesis defense. Thesis defense, being the final step in the long process of getting a PhD, should be embarked on after proper preparation. Since each department follows its rules and process, so as a doctoral student, you need to understand and follow your departmental guidelines concerning defense procedures carefully.
Thesis defense is an opportunity for you to explain the meaning of your work and not a quiz on specific facts. Hence, it is your responsibility to focus on responding to the questions in an easy-to-understand manner. Well answered questions can fetch you a high grade, while the others responded with even a slightest hindrance fail to impress the committee members. You should never be careless while answering questions during the defense session because the committee members scrutinize your behavior and give you scores on the same footing. Compromising on the efforts put in during defense preparation might hamper your academic score and affect your doctorate degree. Hence, do make it a point to get up well before appearing for your thesis defense session.