Thread by @dr_gomez_lopez

Things I wish I had known before my thesis defence: A thread 🧵

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Take a few days to read your thesis carefully. After so many years it is natural that you will not remember all the details. You should know better than anyone what you have done and how, so thinking about it quietly can be very useful.

Write your speech, from the greetings to the farewell. Rehearse it as often as you can, so that on the day of the defence you are as fluent as possible.

The better you know your speech, the quieter you will be during your presentation. Don't leave room for improvisation whenever you can avoid it. You must control the process as much as possible.

Prepare a good slideshow with appealing but formal slides that do not contain too much text, just enough to guide you and the committee. Do not use a dark background, as this can make it difficult to visualise the text correctly. A white background is a good choice.

Prepare answers to possible questions. Think about the limitations of your work and what you would answer if the committee asked you about them.

Have the answer ready to the question
"What are the main contributions of your work and why is it relevant?" You have to convince the committee of the value of your research, and the clearer you are about its usefulness, the easier it will be to defend it.

Be well prepared on how you should address the committee when you have to do so, and be as formal and polite as you can. These matters are also important and need to be carefully considered.

Rehearse at least a couple of times in the room where you will be conducting the defence, this will help you to familiarise yourself with the venue and the devices, identify possible complications and anticipate them.

If possible, rehearse with an audience so that they can give you feedback on what you do well and what you need to improve. Allow them to ask you questions and try to answer them.

Ask your supervisors for advice. They know the process and can give you valuable tips on formal and informal aspects.

The day before, get as much rest as you can. You need to be alert, clear-headed and refreshed. Staying up all night revising is not as helpful as you think.

It is a special day. It is YOUR day. You are the star. Enjoy it. Try not to experience it as something negative. It is your moment, when you can talk about your hard work and effort. What you have done is very difficult, and you deserve the recognition and the limelight.

And finally, don't forget: no one knows more about your work than you do. You are ready. You've got it. You'll do great. Repeat that to yourself until you believe it. As Bandura taught us, the higher the perceived self-efficacy, the better the results.