Preparing for the disputation

Before booking a workshop, please make sure that you can attend for the entire duration.

 

Participation

For doctoral researchers who will soon be handing in their doctoral thesis or have just submitted it.

 

Objectives

The workshop provides information about the formal procedure, the requirements, the social setting of a doctoral examination and the do’s and don’ts of a doctoral examination. In this seminar we will use video recording as a tool to enable the participants to capitalize on their strengths and to improve their performance. This workshop places particular emphasis on preparing strategically one’s position in the lead up to the viva defense and dealing with the questions & answers session in the second part of the viva defense. On the first day, participants attend the workshop all together as a single group. On the second day, the participants join the trainer for a series of one-to-one sessions characterised by a dedicated tailor-made approach.

 

Content

• Selecting a committee: what should I take into account?

• The dos and don’ts in oral doctoral examinations.

• How do I stay my ground during the questions and answers session (Q&A)?

• How do I deal with stage fright?

• How do I structure the preparation phase most effectively?

 

 

Further Information

If there are free spots, we also allow postdocs to participate.

 

For workshops held online, participation is allowed under the following conditions: a working camera that is turned on and a microphone to allow active participation in discussions and group work. Headphones must also be used to protect other participants from office eavesdroppers. In this context, we would also like to refer to the rules for digital courses at Freie Universität Berlin (Code of Conduct).