How Not To Fail At Your Dissertation Defense: 5 Good Tips


Whenever the dissertation defense is but around the corner there are a number of things that students tend to get worried about. The most important fear for students is failure and this is one thing that if you are afraid of, there is a good chance that you will eventually end up failing in the long run. Think about it, there is so much that you need to consider in as far as defending your paper is concerned. That being said however, the following are 5 of the most important things that you should take into consideration all the time, and there will be a very good chance that you will ace this.

  • Be prepared
  • It is important for you to be more than prepared for this task. It does not matter that you know the professor or the teacher in the defense panel or not, what you need to do is to assume that they are all strangers to you, and for the same reason you need to do everything that you can to ensure that you get as much marks as possible without failing.

  • Be eloquent
  • When you are defending the thesis, you have to be eloquent when making the presentation. This is normally a sign of strength, something that shows the people in your audience that you really do know what you are talking about.

  • Know your facts
  • Do not make the mistake of getting to the defense panel without taking time to know your facts right. There are some times when you will be challenged, not with anything that is in your paper, but with normal facts that are associated even loosely with something that you have in your paper. Because of this reason therefore it is necessary for you to make sure that you come well prepared.

  • Defend your paper
  • This is pretty much tied to having your facts at hand. When you are here to defend your paper, make sure you do just that. You might be asked a few things here and there to throw you off your balance, but make sure that you do not lose sight of the ultimate goal.

  • Confidence
  • Be confident, do not even be cowed by the first sign of trouble. If you even show a hint of lack of confidence, there is a good chance that whoever is in the panel will doubt the legitimacy of your work.