To write a dissertation is not enough for the students because after writing a dissertation, it is also necessary for them to defend it before the dissertation committee members. The best and the most important tip to defend your dissertation is that you should have enough idea about the material of your dissertation.
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| The best and the most important tip to defend your dissertation is that you should have enough idea about the material of your dissertation. |
PhD Dissertation Defense Tips
After getting enough idea about the material of your dissertation, it is easy for you to respond to the questions of the committee members easily and promptly. The PhD thesis defense is divided into two parts. First of all, you will have
to prepare a PhD dissertation defense PowerPoint presentation. Secondly, you will have to prepare yourself to present it before the committee members.
Tips to prepare PowerPoint presentation
While preparing PowerPoint presentation slides, you should keep in mind that these slides should contain only the main points of your dissertation. With the help of these main points, you will get the possible cues to explain your point of view. Some essential tips to structure and prepare the content for the slides are given below;
1) Title page
On the title page of the PowerPoint slide, you should try to provide the information that you have provided on the title page of the hard copy.
2) Introduction
After the title page slide, you will have to prepare the introductory slide. With the help of an introductory slide, you should try to provide necessary information about your topic idea, main questions of your dissertation and the main objectives of your dissertation.
3) Literature review
In this slide, there is no need to provide all the information that you have added in the
literature review of your dissertation. You just try to highlight some essential points of your literature review like relevancy of the current research, different theories relevant to your topic idea and areas of weaknesses.
4) Methodology
In this slide, it is also necessary for you to provide some specific information relevant to your research
methodology chapter. Some essential points that are necessary to add in this slide are the type of study, the purpose of selecting this particular research methodology, details of the population and data analysis process.
5) Results
This slide should provide an overview of the committee members that what you have discovered while conducting effective research. Some essential points of add in this slide are the overall description of the data, results of your dissertation and significant of these results.
6) Discussion
With the help of this slide, you should try to explain the relation of your findings with your discipline program.
7) Conclusion
In this slide, you will have to provide an overview of the main points of your dissertation.
Tips during your oral defense
After preparing PowerPoint slides of your dissertation defense, you will have to defend it before the committee members. Some essential tips that are helpful to you during your oral defense are given below;
1) Review your material
The main aim of defending your dissertation is to provide an overview of your dissertation to the committee members. It is possible only if you have enough command on the material of your dissertation.
2) Rehearse Your Dissertation
If you are going to present your dissertation defense without rehearing, there is a possibility that you will forget some essential points of the dissertation. Moreover, there is also a possibility that you are not able to get the necessary confidence during the dissertation defense. Therefore, rehearsal is necessary before presenting the dissertation defense.
3) Narrow the Presentation of Ideas
It is almost impossible for you to explain all the points of your dissertation during the dissertation defense. Therefore, you should try to narrow down your focus and try to explain the main points and important details of your dissertation.
4) Prepare for the Unexpected Questions
It is a fact that during the dissertation defense, the committee members will ask some questions about your dissertation. Therefore, you should prepare the answers to these questions. For this reason, you can work with your adviser.
5) What to do When you Don’t Know the Answer?
As we know that a dissertation committee members are expert persons in their field. Therefore, if they ask such question that is unknown to you, there is no need to provide a baseless answer to this question. Its reason is that this baseless answer will last negative impression on the minds of the committee members. You should leave this question unanswered.
Conclusion
After preparing a monument of your dissertation, you will have to defend it before the committee members. A dissertation defense consists of two parts. First of all, you will have to prepare PowerPoint slides. You should try to add only key points and key ideas of your dissertation in these slides. After that, you will have to defend it before the committee members. Before presenting it, you should rehearse it and try to find out the possible answers to the unexpected questions.
