How To Make A Good PhD Dissertation Defense Presentation?


Importance of PhD Dissertation Defense:

Writing endless hours for your PhD dissertation, can leave you high and dry. Most of the students consider the day of dissertation submission the most reliving day of their lives. But the defense presentation of your thesis is another crucial part without which, your PhD will not be completed. So prepare your presentation accordingly.

What The Committee Shall Be Looking For?

In defense ceremony, you need to speak for your work in front of the committee on three following grounds –

  • whether you have conducted a top most research on your own
  • whether you are capable of spearheading an independent research program and
  • whether you can communicate your results clearly

Five Tips to Make Solid PhD Dissertation Presentation:


  • Invest Time on Making The Slides
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    An engaging PowerPoint presentation is the heart of any defense ceremony. You need to take enough time on creating each slide and do make sure that their flow remains logical. You should also put few pertinent questions in-between to catch the audience’s attention. You must also restraint yourself from decorating your slides too much.

  • Practice How You Talk
    •

    Whether you practice in front of mirror or in a group, you should spend a considerable chunk of time practicing your oral defense before the presentation. Let your lab mates or co-scholars grill you will questions. You may also record your talk for further use.

  • Read Your Paper Thoroughly
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    The PhD committee can catch you off guard even on a tiny, unintentional error. The only way to save yourself from this would be- to read your thesis thoroughly time and again. You also need to take notes on relatively weaker grounds and make possible questions that you may have been asked on the actual day.

  • Leverage The Psychology Of The Committee
    •

    Guessing the psychology of the PhD committee can work in your favor. It can be done in multiple ways. You can meet them between the time of your thesis proposal and defense, for pleasantry or to know any of their concerns. You must also dress to impress them like a professional. Watch out for your body language and eye-contacts.

  • Take Care Of Yourself
    •

    The pre-defense days can be stressful. The only way out would be to take care yourself for reducing the anxiety level. Sleep sufficiently. Check your diet and do exercise regularly. Listening to motivational speeches and doing meditation will also help plenty.

Apart from all the above points, just visualizing yourself successfully defending the thesis will boost up your confidence. Follow these rules to make your presentation a hit.