How to structure your viva presentation (with examples)

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Most PhD vivas and PhD defences start with a short presentation by the candidate. The structure of these presentations is very important! There are several factors and approaches to consider when developing your viva presentation structure.

Factors to consider when developing a viva presentation structure

Structuring your viva presentation traditionally, structuring your viva presentation around key findings, structuring your viva presentation around key arguments, structuring your viva presentation around case studies, final thoughts on viva presentation structures.

A PhD viva or PhD defence is often one of the last steps that PhD students have to pass before receiving a doctorate. The viva or defence usually starts with a short presentation of the PhD candidate on the PhD thesis.

Presenting a whole PhD in a short amount of time is very challenging. After all, a PhD is often the result of several years of work!

It is simply impossible to include everything in a viva presentation.

Therefore, tough choices have to be made in terms of what to include, what to highlight, and what to exclude.

The structure of a viva presentation plays a crucial role in bringing across the key messages of your PhD.

Therefore, there are several factors to consider when developing a viva presentation structure:

  • Available presentation time : Viva presentations usually last between 10 and 20 minutes, but every university has different regulations. Developing a structure for a viva presentation that lasts 10 minutes is different from developing one for a presentation that lasts 20 minutes or more. Thus, find out how much time you are allowed to present!
  • The key contribution of your thesis: The structure of a viva presentation should reflect the content and key messages of the PhD thesis. For instance, if you have written a very theoretical PhD thesis, it makes no sense to structure your whole presentation around your data collection and analysis. Make sure that the viva presentation structure is in line with your main messages.
  • University standards: It is recommended to discuss your ideas and plans for your viva presentation structure with others, as each university may have may be different (and even unspoken) rules and standards. Ask your supervisors about their preferred viva presentation structure. And talk to your peers who defend their theses before you.
  • Clear storyline : Every presentation should have a logical structure which allows the audience to follow a crystal-clear storyline. This is also true for viva presentations. Thus, clarify your storyline and develop a presentation structure that supports it.

A very traditional viva presentation structure simply follows the structure of the PhD thesis.

This means that the viva presentation covers all parts of the thesis, including an introduction, the literature review, the methodology, results, conclusions, etcetera.

Example of a traditional viva presentation structure

The advantage of this rather traditional format is that it provides information on each thesis chapter. Furthermore, it is relatively easy to prepare.

The disadvantage of this traditional format is that it is very challenging to fit all the information in a – let’s say – 10-minute presentation.

Furthermore, it can result in a presentation that is quite boring for the examiners, who have read the thesis in preparation for the viva.

One interesting way is to structure a viva presentation around the key findings of the PhD research.

For instance, you can select your three main findings which you each connect to the existing literature, your unique research approach and your (new) empirical insights.

Example of a viva presentation structure around key findings

A viva presentation structure around key findings emphasises the unique contribution of a PhD thesis, particularly in empirical terms.

A challenge of this structure, however, is to narrow down the presentation to a handful of key findings.

Furthermore, it might be tricky to find enough time during the presentation to discuss your theoretical framework and embed your discussion in the existing literature when addressing complex issues.

A viva presentation structured around key arguments is very similar to one that is structured around key findings. However, while key findings place more emphasis on the empirical data, key arguments operate at a higher level:

Arguments are sets of reasons supporting an idea, which – in academia – often integrate theoretical and empirical insights.

Example of a viva presentation structure around key arguments

So, for example, your key argument 1 is your stance on an issue, combining your theoretical and empirical understanding of it. You use the existing theory to understand your empirical data, and your empirical data analysis to develop your theoretical understanding.

A viva presentation structure around key arguments is probably the most difficult viva presentation structure to choose.

However, if it is well done, it is probably the most academically strong and advanced way of defending your PhD.

Another common way to structure a viva presentation is around case studies or study contexts.

This structure is only applicable when the PhD thesis includes a comparative (case study) analysis, which is quite common in the social sciences and humanities.

A presentation can, for instance, first discuss the theoretical framework and research approach, then present Case 1, and then Case 2 or more if applicable.

Example of a viva presentation structure around case studies

A viva presentation structure around case studies can be easy to follow for the audience, and shed light on the similarities and differences of cases.

However, as always, you need to reflect on whether the structure supports your key message. If your key message does not centre around similarities and/or differences in cases, this is not the structure for you!

Every PhD thesis is unique, and therefore also every viva presentation structure should be unique.

The key to a good viva presentation is to choose a structure which reflects the key points of your PhD thesis that you want to convey to the examiners.

The example viva presentation structures discussed here intend to showcase variety and possibilities and to provide inspiration.

Never just copy a viva presentation structure that worked for others .

Always think about what fits best to your thesis, asking yourself the following questions:

  • What is the main message of my PhD that I want to share during my viva?
  • How do I develop a crystal clear storyline to bring this main message across?
  • How can I structure my viva presentation to support and facilitate this storyline?

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Introduce yourself in a PhD interview (4 simple steps + examples)

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Newsmoor.com is an educational website for online learning. It Provides information: on verbal and nonverbal communication elements, noise, models, and theories, print, broadcast, and online journalism, and feature article writing. It also includes business models, theories, plans, profile examples, advantages and disadvantages of several models, facts, research methodology, research proposal writing, assignment writing, a study abroad, including top public and private universities and educational consultants.

Introduce Myself or Yourself- Self Introduce in Interview Sample

Introduce Myself or Introducing Yourself, Self Introduce in Interview. Self-Introduction Sample For Job Interview. Also, How To Introduce Myself in Viva Voce and Job Interview in English or How to Introduce myself professionally in Viva Exam. Self-introduction for Viva. How to Introduce Yourself in a Viva Presentation.

Self-introduction Sample for Job Interview

Introduce myself.

Introduce Myself means describing myself with a brief introduction to let others know. It is an imperative sentence that indicates someone to introduce himself or herself. Therefore, it is also known as introducing yourself. Usually, interviewers ask this question to applicants in viva voce or interview. It is also known as explaining myself.  Introduce myself means self-introduction properly. It describes a person elaborately in a short time. To answer the question ” Introduce yourself”, the person needs to introduce himself entirely in a brief discussion. The need to explain their name, family background, where they stays, family background, level of education, strengths, etc.

Introducing yourself properly is an essential factor when you face a Viva exam or an interview and ask yourself to introduce yourself. Examine will assess your education, skills, capability, and intellectuality based on your introduction speech; therefore, you should present yourself perfectly.

Introduce Myself or Introducing Yourself, Self Introduce in Interview Sample

Common Questions to Ask “Introduce Myself”

For example, Tell me about yourself, Tell us about yourself, Please introduce yourself, Tell me something about yourself, Tell us something about yourself, or Talk about yourself.

Interview Question Sample

  • What are your positive aspects or strengths?
  • What are your negative aspects or weaknesses?
  • Why should we appoint or hire you in our company?
  • What is your most significant personal or professional achievement?
  • Why do you want to join this job?
  • What is your leadership or management style?
  • What do you know about this department or organization?

The STAR answer format is the most famous and easiest way to explain applicants’ strengths and professional achievements. STAR interview questions and answers method is the best way to share experiences that assist previous companies to achieve competitiveness.

Today the author shares 10  Introduce Myself or Introducing Yourself samples and examples for the interviewee. The introduction speeches have been shared thoroughly to obtain a better understanding.

Introduce Myself or Introducing Yourself in an Interview

How to introduce myself to viva, self introduce in interview- 1.

Firstly, I would like to thank u, sir, for introducing me in front of you and calling me for the interview. I am Md. Ashraf Ahmed, the son of Jamil Ahmed & Aklima Begum, is here to face the viva. I am from………I have completed my post-graduation and graduation from the University of Dhaka. My subject was Physics……. High School &……… Govt. College was my previous educational institution. Besides my academic background, I am very involved in a non-political social organization. I also have good intentions in creative writing. Now I am looking for a job. Thank You.

A professional Video Resume Script   Sample for Students

Introduce myself example- 2.

I am (Name). I am from (District Name). My father’s name is Md. X, a govt employee and mother’s name, is Most—Y Begum, a govt employee. I obtained my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Philosophy from (University Name) in 2009 and 2010. Before that, I passed SSC in 2003 from (School name) under (Board Name) and Passed HSC in 2005 from (College Name) under the same board. However, my aim in life is to be a BCS Cadre. Therefore, I am performing Viva Voce now. That’s all for the time being. ( You should say “my father’s name”, not “my Father’s name”.)

Introduce Myself Example- 3

Firstly, I would like to thank u, sir, for allowing me to describe myself in front of you. I’m Md. Maksudur Rashid son of Md. Harunur Rashid and Rehana Akter. I’m from Dhaka. Firstly I would like to describe my educational background. I have successfully passed my SSC and HSC from MGHS and BCIC colleges. Then I got admitted into JNU and completed my graduation and post-graduation. My father is a retired govt service holder, and my mother is a housewife. My hobby is playing and watching cricket. But, my aim in life is to be a magistrate. That’s all.

Introduce Myself Example- 4

I am Md. Monowar Hossain and my birthplace are Bagmara Upazilla of Rajshahi district. I have graduated from DU in Public Administration Department with CGPA X. (I think) the strongest side of my character is that I can work hard relentlessly. The weakest side is that I believe people so easily. So, I want to work in a part of the republic related to people from all spheres.

Introduce Myself Example- 5

Thank u, sir; it’s a great pleasure for me to introduce myself. Firstly, I am Tithi Rani Mondal from Naogaon & at present, I’m residing in Dhaka. I’ve completed my graduation & masters from the dept of Law, University of Dhaka, in my education journey. My parents both r govt service holder & I’m the only child of them. I like punctuality, sincerity & honesty. In my spare time, I like reading books & listening to music. My long-cherished dream is to join Bangladesh Civil Service. That’s all for me for the time being. Thank u very much for having patience.

Introduce Myself Example- 6

Firstly, I would like to thank u, sir, for allowing me to describe myself in front of you. I’m Maksudur Rahman. I hail from Patuakhali. I passed my SSC from Ideal School & College in 2003 & HSC in 2005 from Dhaka College. Then I got myself admitted into the University of Dhaka. I obtained my Honors and Masters from the dept of Physics in 2009 and 2010, respectively. My father is a retired bank officer, and my mother is a government service holder. However, I dream to be a bureaucrat, and I’m working heart and soul to make my dream true.

Introduce Myself Example- 7

Thank u, sir, for allowing me to say something about myself. This is Mahmuda Kulsum Moni, daughter of Mr………n Mrs…I have completed my graduation n post-graduation in Finance n Banking from the University of Rajshahi n passed my SSC n HSE from…… n ….. respectively…My father was an auditor in CGI, and my mother is a homemaker…I have 2 brothers and one sister..all of them r students. My favourite hobby is travelling, reading novels, watching movies. But, I am committed to serving the country and want to contribute to building a corruption-free Bangladesh…that’s all.

Introduce Myself Example- 8

This is Ayesha Akter, and I come from Comilla. My father’s name is Almas mean, he is a businessman. My mother’s name is Najma begum; she is working as a homemaker. We r two brothers and two sisters. I am the eldest son of my parents, my younger brothers, and my sisters, all of them are studying. Actually, I completed my post-graduation and graduation from govt—commerce college under national university in 2010 and 2011.

Although my passing year is 2011, actually, the exam physically happened in 2014. before that, having CGPA 4.30 and 4.00, I completed my HSC and SSC from Hajera Taju degree college and Rahmaniya high school in business studies, respectively. I want to be a BCS cadre; my family members always inspire me, especially my father, to go my way, that’s why I present there.

Introduce Myself Example- 9

I am Md. Moshiur Rahman. I have passed my BSc in Agriculture from Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University. There are four members in my family. My father is a businessman, and my mother is a homemaker. I have only one elder sister. I have born in Gangni, Meherpur, and my parents are also from Meherpur District under the Khulna division. It is my first BCS with a long-cherished dream to be a BCS cadre.

Introduce Myself Example- 10

I am F. M. Ashraful Awal Rana, the son of Md. Kamal Uddin Fakir and Mrs. Nazma Akter are facing this Viva Voce now. I was born on 23rd August 1988 in a respected Muslim family where my father was the philosopher for me to build up my childhood mind, and my mother was the initial teacher. In the year 2004, I have completed my SSC degree, and 2006 was my passing year of HSC. After that, I was so blessed to get admitted to the leading most University of Bangladesh, BUET, to pursue my B.Sc. in Civil Engineering degree. Finally, I completed my engineering degree in February 2013.

From my childhood, I have seen in myself that I can do very well: management. From the family tradition, helping people is another characteristic which is a countable point to describe me. Combining these two characteristics and strong analytical capability as I am an Engineer, I am pretty sure ‘Assistant Commissioner’ of the people’s republic of Bangladesh will be the right place for me to evaluate my potential for the betterment of myself and the country.

introduction for viva presentation

Author: M M Kobiruzzaman

M M Kobiruzzaman is a researcher, lecturer, and academic & creative content writer. He studied for a Master of Management By Research at the School of Business and Economics Faculty, Universiti Putra Malaysia. Previously, he graduated from the Department of Communication, Universiti Putra Malaysia. His research interests contained Journalism, Social Media Communication, Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and Corporate Communication. He has published several journal articles globally. He prefers to impart academic knowledge to other people through content writing.  View all posts by M M Kobiruzzaman

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PresentationLoad

Ace Your Viva Presentation: Tips and Tricks

The thought of an oral presentation can be a huge source of stress and anxiety for many students, while some just blossom in such situations. If you’re one of the former, though, don’t panic. With decent preparation and practice, you too can successfully master your viva presentation.

But first: what is a viva presentation?

Vortrag

Viva voce is a Latin phrase most often translated as “by word of mouth.”  In academic circles, a viva presentation is an oral exam in which you defend your thesis.

After the thesis is defended, it’s discussed by a small panel. Among those present are the examining professors, but there may also be research assistants, members of the relevant department or even fellow students.

The purpose of this defense is to show examiners how knowledgeable you are on your research topic, that you have internalized what you have learned and know how to apply it.  In effect, it shows that you are well prepared to enter into academic discussion.

In principle, the viva presentation won’t make an entire grade’s difference, but it can tip the proverbial scale in your favor. It does offer some major advantages: You can clear up any ambiguities, assuage any doubts your examiners may have, and show that your stand by your research.

Viva Presentations 2 1024x683 1

Preparation is key

After months or even years of hard work, the thesis is finished, the last formatting mistakes corrected, the bibliography painstakingly checked one last time and hooray, it’s finished! Time to celebrate! And then you get an invitation to the viva …

So, the wine bottle is re-corked and it’s back to the desk. But the good news is: you’ve actually already done most of the preparation. That’s what all the in-depth research you did to create your thesis was. You’re already an expert on your topic, so now you just need to explain it to your examiners clearly and calmly. That’s why it doesn’t make sense to start preparing for your viva before your thesis is finished and you’ve answered all your own questions.

Your supervisor should already know what to expect and the purpose of the viva is to present your results. Some people just hand in their thesis with huge relief and then put the whole thing out of their mind for a while.

This isn’t necessarily a problem but when the viva presentation is due, you really need to give yourself time to familiarize yourself with the topic again. Re-read your thesis a few times to get your results and methods fresh in your mind and you’ve already done much of the prep work for your viva.

Kolloquium Prasentation Vorbereitung

Organizational details

You need to check the examination regulations of your institution to find out what will be required of you during your viva presentation. How long should the presentation last? Who will be present? How will the discussion group be structured at the end? Studies have shown that anxiety is significantly lessened if you know exactly what to expect. Don’t ignore these details.

Make sure you have the right power supply for the projector and whether your slide format is compatible with the projector. An article on slide formats and the difference between 4:3 and 16:9 can be found here .

Know how long your presentation should be. This often depends on what type of work you’re presenting. Be sure to keep this in mind as you create your slides.

Also, think about whether or not you want to provide a handout. Even if it isn’t explicitly required, examiners will often use a handout as a guide when asking their questions, allowing you to better control the discussion that follows.

You can find helpful tips on handouts here .

Lastly, think about what you’re going to wear for your viva presentation. If you’re not sure, take a cue from your examiners. If they wear a suit or dress to other viva presentations, it’s safe to assume that the dress code for your viva will be on the formal side. It’s important to look neat and tidy, but you should also feel comfortable. The wrong shoes or clothing that is too tight can negatively impact the way you present. You can find more helpful tips on clothing here .

Viva-PowerPoint-Presentation

Technical details

The most popular tool for giving a viva presentation is PowerPoint. On the day of your presentation, get there early to make sure your devices are working. It also helps to be familiar with PowerPoint’s features, such as Presenter View. This fantastic tool will help you stay on track during your viva presentation. For more information on Presenter View, click here .

In general, the rule for viva presentations is: Keep It Simple . This is a defense of your academic research and your slides should express that. Keep it classic and factual. Use a uniform font and a neutral, preferably white, background. You can use backgrounds from PresentationLoad:

White bakckground 1

In principle, you should use as little text and as few key points as possible, but it’s also essential to document your research accurately. Room for interpretation can be very dangerous here.

Naturally, it depends on the preferences of the examiners, but a little more text than in normal presentations is definitely allowed. If the nature of your work allows, graphics, photos or flowcharts are a good way to offer some variety and to clearly present complex issues.

Screenshot 2022 05 30 110919

How to structure a successful viva presentation

bild kolloquium eng

Like your thesis, your viva PowerPoint presentation should follow a certain structure. It is advisable to follow the structure of your thesis. After all, you have already given it a lot of thought and made sure that everything is in a logical context.

This way you can save yourself additional work. But remember – the presentation is not about retelling your thesis word for word. Just give the most important and interesting aspects.

Follow these points to create a solid structure for any viva presentation:

1) Relevance

Your thesis dealt in depth with a particular question, a specific aspect of research. In the first part of your viva PowerPoint presentation you introduce it and explain why it is relevant. What is the benefit for academic understanding, the general public, a specific avenue? Why this question in particular?

This allows you to show your audience why you chose your topic and why they should pay attention to what you have to say. All this needs to be supported by a professional introduction. You can find tips on how to do this here .

2) Background

This is where you set out the background of your research question in more detail, i.e. the most important theories and approaches that already exist on the topic, or which prompted your question. This helps your listeners prepare for any complex interrelationships, and clarifies the basis on which you have built your work.

In this part you set out how you approached your work. Was your research qualitative or quantitative? Did you conduct interviews, analyze data, evaluate a particular body of literature? This is your chance to show your examiners how carefully you worked and explain why you chose this particular method.

4) Findings

Now to present the results of your research. Were there any surprises? If so, how did you deal with them? Are the results consistent, where did you encounter difficulties, and how did you solve them? Use this section to talk about your research in a transparent and honest way. It’s an opportunity to show that you have dealt with the topic seriously and in depth, rather than just choosing the easiest way.

5) Conclusion

At the end, summarize your work clearly and concisely, and answer the research question posed at the beginning. You can also express your personal opinion as to whether you have achieved the result you expected or whether your research has come to a surprising conclusion.

Finally, you will need a well-rounded conclusion to your viva presentation. You can read tips for the perfect presentation ending here .

Whether you have to present your sources at the end of your viva is something to discuss with your supervisor or read up in the regulations. If in doubt, however, it’s better to be on the safe side with a list of sources.

Viva-PPT-Presentation

Viva presentation: example

Since every viva is different, there is no one example of a great PowerPoint viva presentation. In our blog you will find numerous examples of how a well-structured and appealing PowerPoint presentation can look. For example, here . These should serve as a guide; it’s important to adapt the presentation to your personal requirements and your audience.

Make sure your narrative is clear and consistent throughout your presentation (as it was in your thesis).  It might be a good idea to ask your supervisor to show you good viva presentation example from previous years or to give you tips on where you should focus your attention.

Successful-Viva-Presentation

General tips for a successful presentation

Almost there! You’ve created and double-checked your PowerPoint viva presentation and you’re feeling confident about your research work. For many people, though, creating the content is the easy bit; it’s the thought of speaking in front of others that terrifies them. It’s just a fact that in order to defend a thesis, you first have to be attacked .

1. Be prepared for critical questions and comments. Think through what possible aspects of your work might attract criticism, and prepare your rebuttals in advance. It helps to let friends or family read your work and ask questions.

2. The same friends and family can be amazingly useful as a practice audience. Deliver your presentation a few times in front of others and in a relaxed environment. This will help you feel more confident when it comes time for your viva presentation. Your trial audience may discover inconsistencies you’d missed, and can often provide valuable feedback on how your slides look, your speaking style or your body language.

3. Body language is very important when you’re giving your presentation; it can affect your persuasiveness. Stand upright (or sit if you need to). A small amount of movement can emphasize your engagement with the subject, but try not to look restless.  Getting your words across means you mustn’t turn your face away from the audience. Small gestures can underline your words, but too much fidgeting will look like nerves. 

Practising giving your presentation will soon get your body language expressing ease and confidence. To learn how to best prepare for a presentation, read our blog article on the right body language

4. Many people tend to speak far too quickly in presentations, probably to get the whole thing over as quickly as possible. While this is understandable, it means the audience misses half your words! Try to breathe calmly and speak evenly.

Time can seem to speed up when you’re in a stressful situation, so speak more slowly than you think right. And taking a proper breath in between phrases will help ground you.  You can find tips on how to prepare your speaking voice for your viva presentation in this blog post .

Your test audience can give you very good feedback here. When you practice your presentation, use a stopwatch to make sure that you stay within the given limits. Once you know that you won’t overrun even when speaking calmly, you can avoid the temptation to rush during the official presentation.

5. Pro tip: Do you have to give your viva presentation online? If so, some things will of course be different, starting with what program you use to stream your presentation. You can find out what options you have in this blog post . Click here to read more about what to pay attention to when giving an online presentation.

powerpoint-summary

While knowing what you want to say is important, DON’T try to learn your entire presentation by heart. Even if you somehow did manage to, it would end up sounding artificial and you could be easily thrown off track if you miss a word or someone interrupts with a question. The best strategy is to memorize a few key points and speak freely.

Take a deep breath before you start and remember that you have no reason to be nervous. Nobody knows your work as well as you do; you’ve done all the research and can consider yourself an expert on your topic.

And if a mistake does happen, here are some tips on how to react to it with confidence.

If the examiners seem receptive to it, a little small talk before you start can help you to relax. And once you start, remember that you’ve practiced hard and are well prepared to give an impressive viva presentation. Good luck!

Any questions about this article or need help creating a viva presentation? Feel free to contact us at [email protected] for tips. We’d love to help.

We’ve already shared a lot of links with tips on how to improve your presentation . Here are some more that may interest you:

  • PowerPoint animations
  • PowerPoint Morph
  • Humor in presentations
  • Add images to your presentation with an app
  • PowerPoint slide master
  • The right presentation background
  • How to create flowcharts

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introduction for viva presentation

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How to Defend a Thesis: An Introduction to the PhD Viva

introduction for viva presentation

The prospect of defending your PhD work can be more than a little daunting. It represents the climax of many years of hard work, you’ll have to defend a thesis in front of experts in your field and the whole PhD viva process can seem cloaked in mystery.

Maybe you’ve seen a labmate go for their PhD viva to then emerge several hours later, relieved but perhaps slightly dazed. Often it’ll be the case that they’ll have forgotten the specifics by the time they’ve left the room. On top of that, horror stories of bad PhD viva experiences pass through many research groups which are enough to make even the most confident and positive PhD students shake in their boots.

Having had my own PhD viva earlier this year, in addition to discussing experiences with many other PhD graduates, I now want to help you through the process.

Before we begin, I want to offer some reassurance. For most people the PhD viva is not at all the horrible experience we occasionally hear about. Even so, it’s still useful to know what to expect. I’ve therefore put together a series to help others understand the PhD viva process and how to defend a thesis.

Defend a Thesis: Overview of the PhD Viva Series

This first post will be an introduction to the PhD viva process and how to defend a thesis. Upcoming posts will cover:

  • Viva Preparation: Common PhD Viva Questions
  • What is a PhD Viva Like? Sharing Graduates’ Experiences
  • How to Choose Your Examiners

If there is anything specific you’d like covered, please let me know! I’ll be sure to include it. If you’d like to subscribe to get notified of upcoming posts as they’re released you can do so here:

How is a PhD Assessed?

Typically the main output expected at the end of your PhD project is a thesis. You’ve put years of work into your PhD and the thesis details your contributions to your chosen research field. But how is the thesis “marked”? Who will decide if what you’ve written is actually any good?

This is where the PhD viva comes in!

The PhD viva involves you discussing and defending your work with experts in your field. The experts act as examiners to determine whether or not the university should award you a PhD based on your thesis and viva performance. The thesis is the written report submitted for a PhD, and the viva is a means of quality control to ensure that only suitable candidates are awarded a PhD by the university.

Although part of the purpose of a PhD viva is to ensure that the work is of a high quality, just as importantly it’s to check that you were the one who carried it out and that you understand what you were doing!

The PhD viva is therefore essentially an exam during which you’ll have to defend a thesis.

Here is the official “mark scheme” for a PhD at Imperial:

introduction for viva presentation

I recommend looking at the presentation which this screenshot came from: sadly I only came across it after my own PhD viva whilst putting together this post!

Steps to Completing a PhD

  • Submit your thesis for the examiners to read ahead of the viva.
  • Have the viva , where you’ll defend a thesis and discuss your research. The examiners will decide from a list of possible outcomes as detailed later in this post.
  • Make amendments to the thesis as necessary.
  • Optional celebration.
  • Have the thesis amendments approved by the examiners and/or your supervisor and confirmation sent to the university.
  • Upload the final copy of your thesis to the university.
  • Eagerly await notification that you’ve been awarded a PhD by the university!
  • Celebrate, Dr!

All celebrations except for the one after making changes to your thesis are mandatory!

PhD Viva vs PhD Defence

The words viva and defence are sometimes used interchangeably, but often are used to reference the different ways that the a PhD is concluded around the world.

A PhD viva (technically a viva voce ) is a formal examination of a PhD. It’s typical in the UK (amongst other countries) and it is a closed-event between yourself and some examiners.

Across much of Europe it is common instead to have a PhD defence . This still involves expert questioning but can be more of a ceremony and may even be open to the public. You can read about Siddartha’s experience , who completed his PhD in the Netherlands.

I went through a PhD viva and that’ll be the focus of this series. Nevertheless, there is overlap and you may still have difficult questions in a PhD defence, so the content in this series should still be useful no matter where you’re based.

In both a PhD viva and a PhD defence you’ll be expected to defend a thesis which represents the culmination of your work during the PhD.

Who is Present During the PhD Viva?

In the UK it is typical for the PhD viva to include:

  • One or more experts from your university ( internal examiner ).
  • One or more experts in your field from another institution to your own ( external examiner ).
  • And sometimes your supervisor, though in my experience this is quite rare unless you actively ask them to be there.

The main role of the internal examiner is to act as a moderator and ensure that the university’s protocols are upheld. They’ll usually still have some questions for you, but on top of that they’ll make sure that the external examiner(s) are reasonable. They will also take charge of documenting the viva.

Often the external examiner will be more specialised to your field than the internal examiner, so expect them to potentially ask more tricky and technical questions.

As mentioned in the previous section, for PhD defences in other countries the event may be less of an exam (viva) and more of a celebration of your work. These can be a lot more open, with access granted to your friends, family or anyone else who is interested in the topic. I quite like this idea, especially when the research has been publicly funded!

How the PhD Viva is Structured

The structure of the viva will vary but a typical format is shown below. The times in brackets are how long the sections for my own viva were, thankfully not all vivas are over five hours long!

  • Introductions (2 minutes) – greeting the examiners and they’ll usually quickly give an overview for how they want the viva to go.
  • Presentation (10 minutes) – Not all examiners will want you to give a presentation, it’s best to ask them in advance. I believe many examiners like asking for presentations: both to ease into the exam and also to see how you do at distilling years of work into a short presentation.
  • Discussion (Over 5 hours, yes, really!) – the long and potentially scary bit.
  • A short break (~10 minutes) . You’ll leave the room (or video call!) and the examiners will come to a decision for your PhD outcome.
  • Decision and final comments (10 minutes) – where the examiners will tell you what the outcome is of the viva – we’ll cover this in more depth in the next section.

The discussion in the middle of course is the main guts of the PhD viva, and the potentially scary bit. This is where you’ll get questioned about your work and thesis. What you get asked could vary considerably depending on your thesis and examiners.

I’ll save an in-depth discussion of my own viva for another post. In short, I received very few questions relating to the work or any fundamental underlying science. There were practically no questions to quiz my knowledge.

Rather than checking my understanding of the work, the viva was much more of a discussion of how best to present the work in the thesis. We spent roughly an hour going page by page through each chapter. This included suggestions for improvements to figures, changes in terminology and the like.

Possible PhD Viva Outcomes

At the end of the viva the examiners will give you feedback. This will include feedback on your performance in the viva. But as long as they’re satisfied that you carried out the work and that you knew what you’re doing, the bulk of the feedback will in fact revolve around your PhD thesis.

Technically there are lots of potential outcomes, as detailed here:

List of potential PhD outcomes from my own examiners' report. Satisfying these will allow you to successfully defend a thesis.

In reality here are the four main possible outcomes from the viva:

  • Pass with no amendments . The examiners didn’t want to make a single alteration to your thesis. Well done you just have to submit the finalised thesis to the university and you’ve finished your PhD! I know a few people who’ve had no revisions but it’s rare.
  • Pass with minor amendments Minor amendments include things such as correcting typos, rewording sentences and small alterations to data analysis and presentation. This is by far the most common outcome.
  • Referral for resubmission ( major amendments). More substantial changes to the thesis are required or further experimental work is required to fulfil the requirements of a PhD. The examiners will decide whether or not this means having another viva too.
  • Fail . Unless there are glaring issues or you didn’t actually do any of the research in your thesis yourself, you should be relieved to hear that practically no one ever fails. If you have failed, it usually points to systematic issues revolving around your supervisor: you shouldn’t have been allowed to get to this point. Usually the examiners would recommend that you be awarded a lower degree, such as a masters in research (MRes).

Slightly up the page is a screenshot from my own examiners’ report. You’ll see that I, like most people, passed with minor amendments.

2022 Update: Starting to prepare for your PhD viva? A set of viva preparation worksheets are now available in the resource library. Click the image below for free access!

introduction for viva presentation

Making Changes to Your PhD Thesis

Shortly after the viva you should receive the examiner’s report which includes a list of revisions for you to make.

If you’ve got through the viva with a pass, you can breathe a sigh of relief because the hard work is over! In a separate post I’ll be covering how the process to make my own minor amendments went.

No matter the outcome, it is possible that you’d like to make your own changes to the thesis since it’ll have been many weeks (or months) since submitting the draft copy for your viva. On reflection there may be things you’re not happy with. You are welcome to make changes to the document yourself.

After you’ve made changes, the final stage in getting awarded the PhD is submitting your finalised version of the thesis to the university. Shortly afterwards you’ll get the long-awaited notification that you’ve got your PhD!

Notification of my PhD

Should You Strive For No Amendments?

In my opinion it’s not worth the effort of trying to get no amendments.

I’d personally rather spend slightly less time up front, knowing that more than likely I would have to made some amendments. You can never put in enough work to ensure there will be nothing your examiners want changed!

You could spent hundreds of extra hours endlessly going through your thesis meticulously before submission but your examiners can always find something they want you to change. In comparison, my own minor amendments only took two days of work.

Sometimes you’ll see someone mention on their CV that they passed with no revisions but it doesn’t really have any bearing on your PhD. Unlike most other qualifications, there aren’t really grades for PhDs: you either have one or you don’t.

During an early PhD assessment my assessor made a poignant joke about medical degrees: “What do you call the person who graduates bottom of their class in medical school? A doctor!” And it’s essentially the same with PhDs!

If you’d like personalised help with preparing for your PhD viva I am now starting to offer a small number of one-to-one sessions. Please contact me to find out more or click here to book a call.

I hope this introduction to PhD vivas and how to defend a thesis has been useful. Let me know if you have any specific questions or concerns you’d like to see addressed in the following posts.

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How to create an Impactful PhD Viva-Voce Presentation

  • Posted On July 11, 2023

Introduction:

  • Creating well-organized slides and delivering a polished presentation within the allotted time is of utmost importance for a successful PhD viva-voce examination.
  • This aspect significantly impacts the impression made on the research scholar, supervisor, or mentor by the examiners or moderators.
  • Before designing the presentation slides, the scholar must carefully determine the content to include, taking into account what they should emphasize and what they can omit.
  • The challenge lies in selecting the most significant research findings and key contributions, considering the extensive amount of data accumulated over the course of the research program (typically spanning 4 to 5 years).
  • It is crucial for the scholar to exercise time management , ensuring that the presentation focuses on the essential aspects.

To assist in this endeavor, we have compiled a blog outlining simple yet valuable tips for preparing PhD viva-voce presentation slides.

PhD viva-voce examination

Example Structure for a Ph.D. Viva-Voce Presentation Slides:

1: Title Slide

2: Presentation Outline

3: Introduction

4: Identification of Research Gaps or Rationale for the Research Study

5: Problem Statement

6: Objectives of the Study

7: Methodology

8: Results and Discussion

9: Conclusion

10: Publications

11: References

12: Acknowledgements

13: Thank You Slide

Please note that you can modify this general structure according to the specific requirements of your Ph.D. viva-voce presentation.

Tips for Preparing an Effective Ph.D. Viva-Voce Presentation:

1. provide a concise introduction to the background of your study:.

  • Begin your presentation with a brief overview of the research topic, highlighting its significance and relevance in the field.
  • Present the background information in a concise manner, using bullet points instead of lengthy paragraphs.

2. Highlight research gaps and clearly state the problem statement:

  • Emphasize the research gaps or the need for your research study, demonstrating the gap in knowledge or existing limitations.
  • Clearly articulate your problem statement to establish the focus of your research.

3. Clearly outline the objectives and methodology of your study:

  • List the specific objectives of your study, outlining the goals you aimed to achieve.
  • Present the methodology you employed, using neat schematics or flowcharts to visually represent your research approach.

4. Present research findings and data effectively:

  • Present the important research findings and data from your thesis in a simple and concise manner, using bulleted points instead of paragraphs.
  • Reserve the detailed explanations and scientific evidence for your oral defense presentation, and use the slides to highlight key results.

5. Connect your findings with relevant literature and emphasize novelty:

  • Connect your research findings with existing literature, highlighting how your work contributes to the field and addresses the research gaps identified.
  • Emphasize the novelty and originality of your research, showcasing its unique aspects or approaches.

6. Utilize schematics, graphs, and tables for data representation:

  • Use visual aids such as schematics, graphs, and tables to present data and experimental conditions effectively.
  • Avoid using detailed statements and opt for visual representations that can convey information more efficiently.

7. Summarize research objectives and conclude with societal benefits:

  • Summarize the results of your research objectives, highlighting the key outcomes and their implications.
  • Conclude your presentation by emphasizing the broader societal benefits or potential applications of your research.

8. Use hyperlinks for presenting extensive data or references:

Incorporate hyperlinks at appropriate places in your presentation to provide easy access to extensive data, datasets, experimental procedures, or relevant literature.

9. Ensure high-quality and readable images:

Pay attention to the quality of images used in your presentation. Ensure they are clear, visually appealing, and easily readable for the audience.

10. Keep the number of slides limited and maintain flow and connectivity:

  • Limit the number of slides to around 50 to 55 to maintain a concise and focused presentation.
  • Ensure a smooth flow and logical connectivity between each slide, allowing the audience to follow your presentation effortlessly.

Conclusion:

In conclusion, a well-organized and polished presentation is crucial for a successful PhD viva-voce examination. The presentation has a lasting impact on the research scholar, supervisor, or mentor as observed by the examiners or moderators. When preparing the presentation slides, the scholar should carefully select the content, emphasizing the most significant research findings and key contributions while managing the extensive amount of data accumulated over several years.

To assist in this endeavor, we have provided a general structure for PhD viva-voce presentation slides that you can modify to meet specific requirements. Additionally, we have outlined valuable tips for preparing an effective presentation.

The tips include providing a concise introduction , highlighting research gaps, clearly stating the problem statement, outlining objectives and methodology, presenting research findings and data effectively, connecting findings with relevant literature, utilizing visual aids, summarizing research objectives, and concluding with societal benefits. It is also recommended to use hyperlinks for extensive data or references and ensure high-quality, readable images.

Furthermore, it is important to keep the number of slides limited and maintain flow and connectivity throughout the presentation. By following these guidelines, research scholars can create compelling presentations that effectively communicate their research and make a strong impression during their PhD viva-voce examination.

Frequently Asked Questions

How to create an impactful phd viva-voce presentation.

Creating well-organized slides and delivering a polished presentation within the allotted time is of utmost importance during the PhD viva-voce examination. For detailed guidance, you can read our article on Impactful PhD Viva-Voce Presentation .

What are the key steps in writing a successful PhD thesis?

Writing a successful PhD thesis involves careful planning, thorough research, clear organization, and effective writing. For detailed guidance on each step, you can read our article on Key Steps in Writing a Successful PhD Thesis .

How to manage research stress and stay motivated?

Managing research stress and staying motivated during your PhD journey is essential. We’ve compiled some helpful tips in our article on Managing Research Stress and Staying Motivated for PhD Students .

Introduction: To assist in this endeavor, we have compiled a blog outlining simple yet valuable tips for preparing PhD viva-voce presentation slides. Example Structure for a Ph.D. Viva-Voce Presentation Slides: 1: Title Slide 2: Presentation Outline 3: Introduction 4: Identification of Research Gaps or Rationale for the Research Study 5: Problem Statement 6: Objectives of…

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How to prepare for your viva: 8 useful tips

Agata frymus.

21 June 2018

1: Read your thesis

No matter how many times you have done it before, reading your thesis a week or two before the viva is always a good idea. Although I have proofread my thesis several times before the submission, this time my focus shifted : rather than looking for spelling mistakes, typos and missing references, I concentrated on the quality of my argument. What are the research questions posed in each chapter? What are the main findings? And, most importantly, how could this work be improved?

To make sure I actively engaged with the ideas developed by the thesis, I highlighted some parts of the texts and made notes. I also produced a rather short document in which I summarised each of my eight chapters (as well as the introduction and conclusion) according to the following criteria:

  • Key arguments and findings
  • Methodology and scholarship used

Thinking about my work in those fairly broad terms helped me to understand how to explain it to those who might not be familiar with the specificity of my subject. Additionally, it enabled me to reflect on the potential shortcomings of the research I conducted, which proved instructive during the viva discussion. Although this might sound like a laborious process, let me assure you that it was not. I have spent about a week (if not less) reading the thesis and making notes, and it wasn’t even the only thing I was occupied by (which brings me to my next point).

introduction for viva presentation

Part of the table/ document I produced as I was re-reading my thesis

2: Don’t over prepare 

How long is one supposed to spend on viva preparation? Given the importance of the examination, you might be tempted to think that the longer the better, right? Well…not exactly. After all, everyone I talked to (see point 4) admitted they regretted spending too much time on the prep. Even though I have heard stories of PhDs devoting a month – or more –  solely to viva-related study, I decided to be sensible and spend no longer than two weeks on preparations. Two weeks in which my mind won’t be occupied by anything else but the viva. When I shared my plan with my supervisor, he deemed it extravagant. ‘How long do you need to read something?’, he asked, and I’m glad he did. The thing is, as a PhD student you have spent at least three years researching your topic. At this point, you are the expert in your chosen field; it is probably fair to assume that you do not need weeks and weeks of additional study. You have already done the groundwork. Be confident in your knowledge.

3: Think about the potential questions

One of the best things you can do to maximize your chances of a confident viva performance is to consider the potential viva questions and the way in which you could approach them. There are plenty of websites that provide you with sample discussion points that are likely to be raised by your examiners and most of them are broad enough to be applicable to your thesis, regardless of the specificity of your topic. I used these and these as starting points. Considering the questions in advance will add to your confidence as you will be less likely to be taken by surprise. If you do, however, end up being mildly shocked by the question asked by the examiner, do not panic. It is perfectly fine to take some time to gather your thoughts, or even write main points down on a piece of paper if the question is more complex.

Some of the questions I have been asked at the beginning of my viva included:

  • Why have you chosen these particular stars as your case studies? What sparked your interest in them?
  • How did you go about conducting your research?
  • What are the differences between researching print copies of fan magazines and the online/ digitised versions?

Most of the questions, however, related to specific paragraphs and passages from my thesis. The worksheet I produced as part of the prep process (see point 1), enabled me to anticipate criticism and answer such questions without feeling like I’m losing my ground.

introduction for viva presentation

You don’t necessarily need to write your answers down either: one of my friends told me they went on long walks during which their pondered the potential discussion points and subsequent responses.

4: Talk to people who have passed their viva

The views expressed by those who have successfully passed their viva seemed to share a similar tone: it’s nothing to worry about, it’s nowhere as scary as you think it will be, it will be fine, and so on. This, in itself, is quite reassuring. Talking to friends and colleagues about their experiences , however, might give you some interesting insights too. I really dreaded questions relating to the critical choices I made in the process of compiling my thesis: why have I chosen this star/ fan magazine, and not a different one? How should I explain something that was, in many respects, not only an analytical, but also a personal choice? What I understood as a result of those conversations was that simple, honest answers (‘these specific fan magazines are easily available in the digital form and are searchable’/ ‘Pola Negri has something of a cult status in Poland, where I come from’) are often the best ones.

5: Arrange a mock viva

It’s a truism, I know, but confidence is key. Even if you have conducted high quality research, your points will not come across particularly strong if you mumble or are not able to express yourself clearly. Before presenting any paper or a lecture I always, always make sure I practice my presentation in front of friends, family members or anyone who is willing to listen. This gives me a better understanding of how I will behave under pressure , because a certain amount of stress is always there, no matter if I present in front of my boyfriend or an academic audience of 30.

Therefore, I think it is crucial to run a mock viva as part of one’s preparation. It will not always increase your confidence at the actual thing, but it will also give you some useful feedback regarding your answers and performance. For example, my mock viva – which I organised with a fellow PhD student and my supervisor as examiners – made me realise that I need to be more explicit when talking about my methodology, starting with more general terms. Although I have explained the importance of post-colonialism, critical race studies and feminism in structuring my approach, I failed to mention gender and film studies, which are much broader and probably more important categories. Secondly, the feedback I received as the result of this exercise boosted my confidence. Despite the fact my heart was racing/ my hands were shaking/ I felt very anxious, neither of my mock examiners noticed any of it. At the end, the mock examination turned out to be much more stressful than the real one!

Alternatively, you can arrange a mock viva with friends, or even video record your answers on your phone. Whilst watching yourself might sound painful, it could show you that you never come across as bad as you think you do. It’s scientifically proven.

6: Know your examiners

I find interviews/ examinations/ any form of discussion less threatening if I have met the person doing the questioning. This might not work as effectively for everyone, but somehow meeting one of the examiners in person beforehand – even if that meant simply knowing their tone of voice and general demeanour – made me feel much more confident in myself. If you feel the same way, I would suggest you try to meet your examiners in an informal setting. They will probably be fine with a coffee sometime before the viva, as long as you explain your reasoning and stay away from discussing your PhD and the viva itself.

My viva took place on Tuesday. I spent the last couple of days leading too it doing absolutely nothing in terms of preparation, assuming, rather correctly, that it will achieve little more than stress me out.  I went to see a friend over the weekend (we made vegan burritos) and stayed at another friends’ house the night before, watching First Dates. I know that people deal with stress differently, but for me, preparing earlier and then taking my mind off the viva was the best thing I could do. Have a bath/ go on a hike/ exercise the night before; whatever works.

introduction for viva presentation

Source: phdcomics.com

8: And finally… Enjoy it!

The viva is a rare opportunity to discuss your research with two people who not only have read your thesis in its entirety, but who are also likely to be specialists in your field . Make the most of the opportunity it offers, and enjoy yourself as you do; after all, you produced a valuable piece of work and there is no reason why you should not feel happy about it.

introduction for viva presentation

Agata Frymus  is a Marie Skłodowska Curie post-doctoral fellow at University of Ghent, Belgium, where she works on black cinemagoing in the 1920s and 1930s.​  Her main research interests include silent film, classical Hollywood and the history of gender and race representations in American culture. Agata’s work has been published in  Celebrity Studies Journal ,  Early Popular Visual Culture   and the ​ Historical Journal of  Radio, Film and Television .

Disclaimer: The IAMHIST Blog is a platform that offers individual scholars the opportunity to present their work and thoughts. They alone are responsible for the content, which does not represent the view of the IAMHIST council or other IAMHIST members.

What a timely email to land in my in-box: mine is on the 4th July!

Remember that your examiners will be wanting you to showcase your research in best possible light. Remember that you are the world’s expert in your thesis topic, and that the viva is a rare–maybe a once-in-a-lifetime–opportunity to discuss your work in the greatest depth with experts whom you respect. Remember that you have lived with and love your topic and will naturally be enthusiastic as well as highly knowledgeable about it.

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Tips to Prepare PhD viva-voce Presentation Slides

Best Ph.D. viva ppt slide preparation tips

Dr. Sowndarya Somasundaram

Tips to Prepare PhD viva-voce Presentation Slides

Table of contents

Sample ph.d. viva-voce presentation slides, tips to prepare ph.d. viva-voce presentation slides.

Preparation of neat PhD viva -voce presentation slides and presenting them in a perfect manner in the given time is very important for a PhD viva-voce examination as it going to give a good impression on both research scholar and supervisor or mentor by the examiners or moderators.

Before designing the presentation slides, the scholar has to decide what to include and what not to include in the slides. It is always a big deal for a scholar to include all the research findings, data in the presentation that was obtained during the research program (4 to 5 years).

The scholar has to remember that the presentation should include only the major research findings and key contributions as time management is important. Therefore, in this article, iLovePhD framed simple and useful tips to prepare Ph.D. viva-voce presentation slides.

The format of the presentation slides is presented below. This would give you an idea to prepare the slides.

phd viva presentation tips

  • Give brief introduction about the background of your study. Always present the points in a bulleted manner (4 to 5 points) rather than paragraph.
  • Highlight the research gaps or the need for the research study and present your problem statement clearly.
  • List the objectives and methodology of your study with neat schematics.
  • Present the important research findings and data presented in your thesis in a simple and bulleted manner. Don’t explain it as a paragraph in the slide rather you can give the detailed explanation with scientific evidences during your defence presentation.
  • Connect your findings with past relevant literatures and emphasis the novelty of your research.
  • Use schematics, graphs, and tables with experimental conditions rather than detailed statements.
  • Summarize the results of your research objectives and conclude the research outcomes with societal benefits.
  • Use hyperlinks at appropriate places for presenting huge and important data (Datasets, experimental procedures, literatures).
  • Ensure the quality of the images as it should be clear and readable.
  • Limit your presentation slides to 50 to 55 slides.
  • Check the flow and connectivity between each slide.

We hope this article would be very much useful for the Ph.D. research scholars who are preparing their defense presentation slides irrespective of their area of research. We wish you all the best!!!

Also Read: Top 38 Possible PhD Viva Questions

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Starting a presentation in english: methods and examples.

  • By Jake Pool

introduction for viva presentation

If you’re going to make it in the professional world, most likely you’ll have to give a presentation in English at some point. No reason to get nervous!

Most of the work involved lies in the introduction. You may or may not need an English presentation PPT file, your topic, audience, or time limit may vary, but a strong opening is a must no matter what! Everything that follows can build from the opening outline you present to your audience.

Let’s look at some guidelines for starting a presentation in English. If you can master this part, you’ll never have to worry about the rest!

Opening in a Presentation in English

While it’s important to have your entire presentation organized and outlined, planning and organization are especially important in the introduction. This is what will guide you through a clear and concise beginning. Let’s look at how to start a presentation with well-organized thoughts .

Introduction Outline

  • Introduce yourself and welcome everyone.
  • State the purpose of your presentation
  • Give a short overview of the presentation

As we say, it’s as easy as 1-2-3. (No need for a more detailed English presentation script!) Let’s examine the first step.

1. Introduce Yourself & Welcome Everyone

The self-introduction is your opportunity to make a good first impression. Be sure to open with a warm welcome and use language that is familiar and natural. Based on your audience, there are a few different expressions you can use to start your presentation.

If you’re presenting to coworkers who may already know you:

  • Hello, [name] here. I would like to thank you all for your time. As you may know, I [describe what you do/your job title] I look forward to discussing [topic] today.
  • Good morning/afternoon/evening everyone. Thank you for being here. For those who don’t know me, my name is [name], and for those who know me, hello again.

If you’re presenting to people you’ve never met:

  • Hello everyone, it’s nice to meet you all. My name is [name] and I am the [job/title].
  • Hello. Welcome to [event]. My name is [name] and I am the [job/title]. I’m glad you’re all here.

There are certainly more ways to make an introduction. However, it’s generally best to follow this format:

  • Start with a polite welcome and state your name.
  • Follow with your job title and/or the reason you’re qualified to speak on the topic being discussed.

2. State the Purpose of Your Presentation

Now that your audience knows who you are and your qualifications, you can state the purpose of your presentation. This is where you clarify to your audience what you’ll be talking about.

So, ask yourself, “ What do I want my audience to get from this presentation? ”

  • Do you want your audience to be informed?
  • Do you need something from your audience?
  • Do you want them to purchase a product?
  • Do you want them to do something for the community or your company?

With your goal in mind, you can create the next couple of lines of your presentation. Below are some examples of how to start.

  • Let me share with you…
  • I’d like to introduce you to [product or service]
  • Today I want to discuss…
  • I want to breakdown for you [topic]
  • Let’s discuss…
  • Today I will present the results of my research on [topic]
  • By the end of this presentation, you’ll understand [topic]
  • My goal is to explain…
  • As you know, we’ll be talking about…

When talking about the purpose of your presentation, stick to your goals. You purpose statement should be only one to three sentences. That way, you can give your audience a clear sense of purpose that sets them up for the rest of the presentation.

3. A Short Overview of the Presentation

The final step in starting your presentation is to give a short outline of what you’ll be presenting. People like a map of what to expect from a presentation.

It helps them organize their thoughts and gives a sense of order. Also, it lets the audience know why they’re listening to you. This is what you’ll use to grab their attention, and help them stay focused throughout the presentation.

Here are some examples of how you can outline your presentation:

  • Today, I’m going to cover… Then we’ll talk about… Lastly, I’ll close on…
  • We’re going to be covering some key information you need to know, including…
  • My aim with this presentation is to get you to… To do that we’ll be talking about…
  • I’ve divided my presentation into [number] sections… [List the sections]
  • Over the next [length of your presentation] I’m going to discuss…

That’s it! It’s as simple as 1-2-3. If you have a fear of public speaking or are not confident about presenting to a group of people, follow these three steps. It’s a simple structure that can get you off to a good start. With that in mind, there are other ways to bring your introduction to the next level too! Read on for bonus tips on how to really engage your audience, beyond the basics.

For a Strong Presentation in English, Engage your Audience

Presentations aren’t everyone’s strongest ability, and that’s OK. If you’re newer to presenting in English, the steps above are the basics to getting started. Once you’re more comfortable with presenting, though, you can go a step further with some extra tricks that can really wow your audience.

Mastering the skill of engaging an audience will take experience. Fortunately, there are many famous speakers out there you can model for capturing attention. Also, there are some common techniques that English-speakers use to gain an audience’s attention.

*How and when you use these techniques in your introduction is at your discretion, as long as you cover the 3 steps of the introduction outline that we discussed earlier.*

Do or say something shocking.

The purpose of shocking your audience is to immediately engage them. You can make a loud noise and somehow relate the noise to your presentation. Or, you can say, “ Did you know that… ” and follow with a shocking story or statistic. Either way, the objective is to create surprise to draw their attention.

Tell a story

Telling a story related to your presentation is a great way to get the audience listening to you.

You can start by saying, “ On my way to [location] the other day… ” or “ On my way here, I was reminded of… ” and then follow with a story. A good story can make your presentation memorable.

Ask your audience to take part

Sometimes a good introduction that captures attention will involve asking for help from the audience. You can ask the audience to play a quick game or solve a puzzle that’s related to your presentation. Also, you could engage the audience with a group exercise. This is a great way to get people involved in your presentation.

There are many more ways to engage the audience, so get creative and see what you can think up! Here are some resources that will help you get started.

Also, if you want to get better at public speaking (and help your English speaking too!), a great organization to know about is the Toastmasters . The organization is dedicated to helping you be a better speaker, and there are many local groups in America. They offer free lessons and events to help you master your English speaking, and also offer additional help to paying members.

The Takeaway

A presentation in English? No problem, as long as your introduction sets you up for success . Admittedly, this can be easier said than done. Native speakers and non-native speakers alike sometimes struggle with getting a good start on their English presentation. But the advice above can help you get the confidence you need to lay a good foundation for your next speech !

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From admission to dissertation. Tips on making the PhD journey happy, productive and successful

Viva Presentation tips

18 tips to pass your Viva presentation

Viva Presentation of your PhD thesis requires you to prepare thoroughly. Viva Voce defense could be a failure if you don’t present properly. Learn tips on how to do PhD viva dissertation defense that makes you pass in doctoral viva. Face Viva exam confidently with an impressive opening speech. Keep some sample PhD viva questions and answers readily.

  • Adjust voice as per the room size during the presentation of PhD viva.
  • Clear Audibility is the first step for viva Voce success.
  • Present Confidently viva thesis presentation.
  • Do not stammer while defending PhD viva voce.
  • Learn how to make an appropriate eye contact during PhD viva presentation.
  • Keep ready some ready-made sample PhD viva answers.
  • Know how to extend PhD viva validity.
  • Never say you don’t know about any question
  • Try to give your best from nothing during doctoral viva presentation.

Here are my detailed advanced tips on how to pass viva voce during your PhD studies. These viva tips will help you remain confident throughout your presentation

What is a Viva Voce?

A PhD scholar does not consider completing the thesis paper an accomplishment because they are still required to go through the viva voce process.

Although there are countries such as Australia that do not require one to do so, others like the United States necessitate the scholar to go through the process.

A viva voce is an oral examination whereby the researcher is required to stand before a panel of examiners to defend their dissertation .

This is why it is essential for the scholar to ensure that they have clearly mastered the field and the chosen topic by conducting the research on their own.

During the viva voce, the evaluators are at liberty to ask whatever question they feel is related to the topic and the candidate has the obligation of answering the question satisfactorily.

Simply put, a viva voce is an oral presentation that is aimed at proving that the researcher commands knowledge on the topic and has gained knowledge on the field of study.

When is PhD Viva voce examination conducted during PhD

A PhD viva voce examination is the last thing that comes in the PhD process whereby the researcher is required to present themselves before evaluators and answer any questions thrown at them regarding the thesis.

That said, the viva voce comes after the candidate has submitted their thesis to the faculty. Upon receiving the research paper, the evaluators may require the scholar to present themselves in person and required to exhibit what they have learned during the Ph.D. process.

Therefore, a viva voce comes after submission of the thesis and before the candidate earns the doctorate title.

How long is the PhD Viva Voce Presentation with example

Many Ph.D. candidates are concerned by the duration that a viva voce takes and we would like to point out that it all depends on how prepared one is for the same.

Traditionally, a viva voce is supposed to take ninety minutes with no hassles. However, it boils down to the examiners’ decision and if they feel that the time is not enough, then they can extend the process up to three hours.

The purpose of the process is to evaluate how much knowledge one has acquired during the Ph.D. and whether they are capable of answering questions related to their topic.

Therefore, it is true to state that the length of the viva voce will depend on the examiners. If the candidate does not satisfy their expectations, they are bound to ask more questions thus the process I likely to take more time

How many examiners will site in PhD Viva Examination

Many scholars are concerned about with the viva voce since it makes almost all candidates nervous as is the case of any situation where one has to stand before viva examiners and defend their work.

When one is deemed qualified to do a Ph.D., they are assigned a supervisor who ensures that the Ph.D. process is not marred by challenges through offering advice to the scholar.

The examiners are mostly two all of which should come from the university’s faculty. To ensure that the evaluation process is effective, they are mostly chosen from the same field as the candidate. Although it is not a must, there are occasions where the examining body may also comprise of external members.

This implies that the minimum number of examiners is two but they can be more according to the university’s decision.

Viva Preparation Questions

  • What is the new thing that one feels to read your PhD dissertation?
  • How do you prove this experiment can change the way others think?
  • Explain the validity of your proposition with some examples.
  • Give one strong why should we accept your thesis to be authoritative.
  • What influenced you to make your thesis stand out from others

Why is PhD Viva Presentation conducted

A thesis is nothing short of a research paper which means that the scholar is expected to have taken their time to conduct thorough research using advanced techniques.

The main reason why a viva voce is conducted is to give the researcher an opportunity to defend their work before they are graded whether they meet qualifications or not.

The first thing that the scholar should know is that they should be able to defend their thesis which means that they should be aware of everything that is in the research paper. The reason for this is because one can never know what the examiners will ask and from which section of the thesis they will derive their questions.

It is essential that the scholar must ensure that they are prepared adequately by going through their thesis and ensure that they are able to answer any question arising from the same.

There are candidates who may be tempted to have other people write their thesis and although it may be perfect, the viva voce reveals the truth depending on whether they can defend the thesis or not.

Be what you are in your PhD Viva Exam

According to many candidates, the viva voce is an impeachment whereby they feel like they are grilled, but in a real sense, it is designed to prove to themselves and others whether they are in a situation to defend their title as a doctor of philosophy in their field.

It is therefore important for the candidate to ensure that they do not fall prey to brown nosing. They should not direct their efforts to sweet-talk the examiners by trying to impress them. Instead, the scholar is advised to play their role and prove to the evaluators that they are capable of defending what they have written in the thesis.

It is recommended that the scholar should be calm, relaxed and confident in their thesis and have the courage to stand before the examiners and express themselves.

The candidate should recognize the importance of the thesis and this is partly the reason why they have the responsibility of choosing their own topic and doing the research.

Never give one-word answers during Viva Voce viva exam

A viva voce must not be confused with a multiple choice questionnaire thus the researcher must appreciate that it is intended to diminish curiosity.

This cannot be achieved by giving one-word answers because the scholar is required to explain themselves as reflected in the thesis. Important to note is that a person’s standing or view on a certain view cannot be explained in a short statement.

The reason for this is because when one is asked a question during the viva voce, they are expected to state their position on the matter. The statement is not enough because it only triggers more questions.

Therefore, it is necessary that the scholar must support their claim by giving explanations as to why they support their arguments. In fact, the primary purpose of the viva voce is to ensure that the scholar can defend what they advocate for thus they should be in a position to give explanations and proof of what they are saying.

Be confident throughout the session (not over confident) during doctoral viva

According to human nature, there are people that find it easy to stand before others and air their view but the viva voce does not recognize that. It is essential that the scholar must be in a position to present themselves and stand for what they have presented to the faculty and the world.

At this level of learning, it is expected that the scholar must be confident enough to ensure that they can speak in front of a crowd leave alone two or three examiners. Confidence is a virtue that must be acquired by all scholars to ensure that they can stand before others and teach them or address key concerns that affect society.

However, the candidate must take caution not to be overconfident and the main reason for this is that too much confidence is interpreted as arrogance.

The bad thing about this is that the examiners are likely to get the wrong impression about the scholar. This is true because among the virtues that a Ph.D. teaches the candidate is patience and respect for others.

Do not show that you are afraid of Viva Voce of dissertation

The human mind is designed in such a manner that it controls the entire body and command activities that the individual will like and those that they will not.

One of the reasons why most scholars fail the viva voce process is that they tend to develop a negative attitude towards the same even before they go through the process.

It is essential that the scholar must be confident and not only outwardly but also inwardly. We recommend the scholar to ensure that they take all necessary measures to ensure that they do not exhibit fear in front of the examiners.

It is understandable that anyone is capable of nervousness while in front of a panel of examiners. However, we recommend that the scholar must pay attention to two things to boost their confidence. The first element is that they should prepare adequately for the process.

The second is that they should develop a positive attitude towards the viva voce. Adhering to these two advises is bound to increase the scholar’s confidence in themselves and their thesis.

My top Viva advice is to practice before one month

In the scholar’s life, before they take the Ph.D. course, it is true to say that they have gone through many examinations and passed. It is not automatic to pass an examination and it requires a lot of dedication and sacrifice.

Although there are individuals that may be tempted to take a shortcut, there is only one recipe to passing. All examinations require a lot of preparation and a viva voce is not exceptional.

This implies that the scholar must take their time to prepare for the viva voce beforehand. It is recommended that the candidate should take at least one month to prepare themselves.

It may seem like a difficult thing to do but we remind the scholar that they have a supervisor who has knowledge about the viva voce and they can offer useful advice that can make the process easy for the candidate.

Dress proper and be neat and formal during thesis viva preparation

The short description of a viva voce is that it is an oral presentation and therefore it means that there must be physical appearance.

Appearance has a powerful effect in that it creates a lasting impression on the examiners and therefore, the way that one presents themselves before the evaluators automatically make them judge the candidate’s character. The scholar wants the evaluators to be on their side and therefore the first thing that should pop in the scholar’s mind is creating a good impression.

It is essential because it may affect the examiners’ judgment which implies that a good impression is likely to yield good results while a bad impression is likely to yield bad results.

It is crucial that the scholar must dress formally for the viva voce and they should be neat. The proper dressing makes the scholar look responsible and in a position to defend their thesis.

Read your thesis once and thrice and prepare sample PhD viva answers

The viva voce is an oral presentation of the thesis and therefore it is necessary that the scholar must ensure that they have a proper understanding of their thesis before they engage with the examiners.

It is purposeful for the scholar to have 100% knowledge of the thesis even though it is common to forget some points. To avoid mistakes arising from being unable to answer some examiners’ questions, we recommend the scholar to make a point of revising the thesis before and after submitting to the faculty.

Some scholars might consider reading the thesis twice sufficient but this is not the case.

Others may be overconfident and feel that they do not have to read the thesis again but this is usually a recipe to disaster. It is our recommendation that the scholar reads through the thesis at least three times to ensure that they are familiar with all the points discussed within.

Learn how to start your opening speech of PhD Viva

It may sound tricky to summarize a paper comprising of at least 50,000 words in as little as five minutes but it is possible and the scholar should practice doing so.

Essentially, the examiners expect the scholar to have mastered their thesis and therefore they should be able to point out the problem surrounding the topic as well as the causes and recommended solution briefly.

At the onset of the viva voce, the scholar must be in a position to introduce the dissertation to the examiners briefly. This involves presenting an overview of the research paper.

Among the different sections of the thesis is the abstract section which was explained as a summary of the research paper. While preparing for the viva voce, the candidate is advised to consider the abstract and use it as a guideline for the oral presentation.

Listen to what your examiner is asking clearly

The easiest way to fail in any examination is answering the wrong questions or failing to address what the examiner requires.

It is mandatory for the candidate to pay attention to what the examiner is asking and carefully analyze points that they require from the candidate.

By doing so, the scholar is in a position to give the right feedback with reference to the thesis. It means that it is important for the candidate to concentrate during the viva voce and they should ensure that they are not distracted by anything else. 100% concentration is a requirement for the viva voce process if the candidate is going to answer questions satisfactorily.

Do not argue under any circumstance (just defend)

It should be noted that a viva voce is not a form of a debate where two parties are engaged in arguing. The candidate should note that the examiners are already professors and they are not there to engage in a battle of wits.

What they require from the candidate is proof that they have learned during the research and that they are in a position to demonstrate that they command knowledge in their specific fields.

That said, rather than argue, the candidate must ensure that the presentation is based on defending the thesis and shows the validity of the scholar’s standing regarding the points presented in the dissertation.

Pass- short corrections-resubmit- Fail after Ph.D. Viva defense

After the oral presentation, the examiners make a point of presenting their results to the candidate which point out areas that were sufficiently answered and those that were not.

The candidate should look into areas where they gave wrong answers and make a point of researching and making the necessary changes.

The correct answers should be passed to the examiners. The candidate must ensure that the correct answers are written as briefly as possible.

Do not write stuff on your hands or hold slip while defending viva thesis

During the oral presentation, it is necessary that the scholar avoids writing points in their hands or slip. It is so because it acts as a way of showing that the scholar has not prepared sufficiently for the viva voce.

In addition, it creates the impression that the researcher is not fully aware of the content in the thesis. Using written points give the impression of someone who is presenting a speech that has been written for them.

The candidate does not want the examiners feeling that they have not done the research for themselves as this would automatically lead to a fail.

How to do viva presentation with an impressive eye contact

A good presentation is one that the candidate commands presence before the examiners as it shows that they are confident with their work. It also shows that the scholar has worked hard for the thesis and they have nothing to fear regarding the viva voce.

One way of showing the examiners that the candidate is prepared and has dedicated themselves to the research is by making constant eye contact with the examiners.

The researcher should also be careful not to give too much attention to one examiner and instead they should keep eye contact with all the researchers during the whole viva voce.

Plan some expected questions and your answers

Whichever situation that one finds that they are required to make a presentation before a panel or a group of people, the first thing that the person does is to prepare adequately.

It is useful for the candidate to expect some questions that are likely to be asked during the presentation and therefore the scholar should make a list of some of them and work on possible answers.

Although one cannot fully predict the type of questions, it is important for the candidate to conduct a research of previous viva voce that have been done on the same field. Also, the scholar must consult the supervisor who may have useful advice.

Be ready to explain the drawbacks of your thesis cleverly

There is no perfect research and all of them are liable to limitations which the candidate must make a point of acknowledging before they are asked.

The scholar must be prepared to mention the drawbacks and explain why they arise. Merely stating the drawbacks is not enough since it will only make the examiners curios and therefore the candidate must defend the thesis wit-fully taking care to show that the limitations could not be avoided.

Challenges encountered during the thesis should be noted since they might be helpful in explaining the limitations or drawbacks.

Make rehearsals before two days of your viva voce

It has been noted that the scholar must ensure that they are fully prepared for the viva voce before meeting the examiners. Apart from reading through the thesis at least three times, the candidate should ensure that they prepare for the presentation prior to the scheduled day of the meeting.

If possible, the candidate is advised to look for friends and prepare a mock viva voce whereby they act as the examiners and ask questions that the candidate feel could potentially be asked.

This process should be done at least two days before the presentation. A rehearsal is important because it assists the candidate to engage how much they know pertaining to their thesis and some areas that may not have been given adequate attention can be addressed.

Never say “I don’t know” Somehow defend PhD viva (Be it wrong its ok)

A research paper consists of a lot of content and it may not be possible to remember everything that is contained in the same. It is common for the examiners to ask questions that the candidate has not prepared themselves to answer but this should not deter them from answering.

In case the candidate encounters such questions, they should not hastily state that they do not have the answer. Instead, the candidate should take their time and reflect on the thesis and analyze the connection between the question and the thesis.

It is understandable if the answer is not correct but at least the candidate should try to answer the question.

Prepare some positive statements of English to use them during presentation of your viva

One way of preparing for the viva voce is to ensure that one has answers to the examiner’s questions. The main areas of concern are the main points and how they are relevant to the topic.

A presentation must have statements that can be defended at all times since they help the scholar to show the importance of the thesis to the community. Such statements must be positive in nature and exhibit backing up of the thesis.

They should be prepared in English since it is the universal language that is applicable to almost all job specifications in the job market.

How to present PhD viva presentation positively

Positive statements are one way of the researcher showing that they have confidence in themselves and the thesis. Throughout the viva voce, the candidate must ensure that they have a positive attitude which is essential because it draws the examiners on their side.

A positive attitude makes it possible to answer questions easily and there is a likelihood that the examiners may not ask questions that put the candidate in bad situations. It enables the scholar to be motivated and therefore they are able to answer questions freely without feeling tense.

Be audible and do not look shy during thesis viva presentation

It is understandable that some people may have difficulty in standing before people and speaking their minds. However, the scholar is advised to remember that this is their dissertation and the presentation is among the stakeholders that determine whether one will pass or fail.

To counter shyness, the candidate is advised to prepare themselves adequately before the viva voce process. It is important because it boosts the candidate’s moral and level of motivation.

A scholar that is prepared becomes confident in themselves and they also develop a positive attitude which makes it easier to face the examiners and answer any question hurled at them without fear.

If you have had any experience with public speaking skills, you can do this task very easily. But unfortunately, you might have been lazy not to learn these skills when your English Teacher taught you during your school days. You need to give your count now while doing your Ph.D. viva. These skills are very necessary to get through these oral sessions. The way you speak is what matters seriously for the examiners or the reviewers.

Once you are through enough to make it, you can become successful. This way you can become a lot more confident and you will pass this viva without any doubt. While presenting do remember that you have to make some preparation for the last two months. This preparation is the only backbone for your viva. If you do not prepare beforehand you will face trouble while presenting your Ph.D. viva oral

When you keep this in mind, there are some other tips, I want to give here. See how PhD candidates do their viva online. If you go on to youtube you will get many videos in real time. Learn from them how they are able to present during such stressful sessions. I suggest you watch at least one video about Ph.D. viva or any other sessions with respect to Viva. This will surely give you fuller knowledge and viva presentations presentation tips about viva

When you want to give Ph.D. viva, try to show respect who are around you. They may be irritating sometimes to face. But you must never lose temper if someone asks you an inappropriate question. These type of unrelated questions are very common while giving your Ph.D. viva oral examination.

Master all the techniques on how to face audience and PhD supervisor during your viva voce. The way you speak, the way you behave, the way you respond, the way you manage, the way you present. All such skills must be learned before going to viva session.

You cannot make yourself a bluff in front of others for simple questions. So in order to avoid this, you must take your viva seriously and make sufficient preparation.

Never lose heart rather increase your active participation in the viva. If someone corrects you, accept it humbly and proceed to the next defending minutes. So Ph.D. viva is not a big problem if you follow all these suggestions throughout the reading on how to do Ph.D. Viva Voce.phd viva tips

Syam Prasad Reddy T

Hello, My name is Syam, Asst. Professor of English and Mentor for Ph.D. students worldwide. I have worked years to give you these amazing tips to complete your Ph.D. successfully. Having put a lot of efforts means to make your Ph.D. journey easier. Thank you for visiting my Ph.D. blog.

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How to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation [with Examples]

How to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation with Examples

In this post, we are going to cover the best way, a very simple three-step process that will help you introduce yourself in a presentation. A summary of the steps is below.

  • Start with your name and company (or organization or school).
  • Tell your audience what problem you can solve for them.
  • Share some type of proof (social proof works best) that you can solve this problem.

I will break down each step into a simple-to-follow process. But first… a little background.

First, Identify What Your Audience Wants from Your Presentation

Create an Introduction for Yourself that Makes the Audience Care About the Topic

So, before you design your introduction, think about what your audience wants from your presentation. Why do they want to spend their valuable time listening to you? Are going to waste their time? Or, are you going to provide them with something valuable?

For instance, I have expertise in a number of different areas. I’m a public speaking coach, a keynote speaker, a best-selling author, a search engine optimization specialist, and a popular podcaster. However, if I delivered that sentence to any audience, the most likely reaction would be, “So what?” That sentence doesn’t answer any of the above questions. The statement is also really “me-focused” not “audience-focused.”

So, when I start to design my self-introduction, I want to focus just on the area of expertise related to my topic. I’m then going to answer the questions above about that particular topic. Once you have these answers, set them aside for a second. They will be important later.

How to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation in Class.

If Everyone Already Knows You DON'T Introduce Yourself

Instead, you probably want to add in a fun way to start a speech . For example, instead of introducing yourself in your class speech and starting in an awkward way, start with a startling statistic. Or start with a summary of your conclusion. Or, you could start the presentation with an inspirational quote.

Each of these presentation starters will help you lower your nervousness and decrease your awkwardness.

If you are delivering a speech in a speech competition or to an audience who doesn’t know you try this technique. Just introduce yourself by saying your name , the school you represent , and your topic . Make it easy. This way you get to your content more quickly and lower your nervousness.

Typically, after you get the first few sentences out of the way, your nervousness will drop dramatically. Since your name, school, and topic should be very easy to remember, this takes the pressure off you during the most nervous moments.

Obviously, follow the guidelines that your teacher or coach gives you. (The competition may have specific ways they want you to introduce yourself.)

How to Introduce Yourself in a Business Presentation — A Step-by-Step Guide.

How to Introduce Yourself in a Business Presentation-A Step-by-Step Guide

In a professional setting, when new people walk into a meeting and don’t know what to expect, they will feel uncomfortable. The easiest way to ease some of that tension is to chat with your audience as they come into the room.

By the way, if you are looking for a template for an Elevator Speech , make sure to click this link.

Step #1: Start with your name and company name (or organization).

This one is easy. Just tell your audience your name and the organization that you are representing. If your organization is not a well-known brand name, you might add a short clarifying description. For instance, most people outside of the training industry have never heard of The Leader’s Institute ®. So, my step #1 might sound something like…

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company…

Still short and sweet, but a little more clear to someone who has never heard of my company.

Should you give your job title? Well… Maybe and sometimes. Add your title into the introduction only if your title adds to your credibility.

For example, if you are delivering a financial presentation and you are the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of your company, you might mention that. Your title adds to your credibility. However, if the CFO is delivering a presentation about the value of joining a trade association, the CFO title adds little credibility. So, there is very little value in adding the title.

Step #2: Tell your audience what problem you can solve for them.

Identify the Problem You Solve for Your Audience

For instance, if my topic is how to deliver presentations, I have to determine why the audience would care. What problem will they have that I can help them with? For my audiences, the problem that I most often help people with is how to eliminate public speaking fear. Once I have the problem, I add that to my introduction by using the words, “I help people…”

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company, and I help people eliminate public speaking fear.

However, if my topic is How to Close a Higher Percentage of Sales Presentations , I’d likely want to alter my introduction a little. I might say something like…

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company, and I help people design more persuasive sales presentations.

I have expertise in both areas. However, I focus my introduction on just the expertise that is applicable to this audience. If I gave the first introduction to the second audience, they will likely respond by thinking, well, I don’t really get nervous speaking, so I guess I can tune out of this speech .

So, create a problem statement starting with, “I help people…” Make the statement apply to what your audience really wants.

Step #3: Share some type of proof (social proof works best) that you can solve this problem.

By the way, if you just do steps #1 and #2, your introduction will be better than most that you will hear. However, if you add Step #3, you will gain more respect (and attention) from your audience. Without adding some type of proof that you can solve this problem, you are just giving your opinion that you are an expert. However, if you can prove it, you are also proving that you are an expert.

This is the tricky part. For some reason, most people who get to this part feel like they haven’t accomplished great things, so they diminish the great accomplishments that they do have.

For instance, an easy way to offer proof is with a personal story of how you have solved that problem in the past.

A Few Examples of How to Introduce Yourself Before a Presentation.

For instance, one of my early clients was a young accountant. When I was working with him, he came up with the following introduction, “I’m Gary Gorman with Gorman and Associates CPA’s, and I help small businesses avoid IRS audits.” It was a great, audience-focused attention-getter. (No one wants to get audited.) However, as an accountant, it wasn’t like his company was getting a lot of five-star reviews on Yelp! So, he was kind of struggling with his social proof. So, I asked him a series of questions.

Me, “How many clients do you have?”

Gary, “Over 300.”

Me, “How many small business tax returns have you processed?”

Gary, “Well, at least a couple hundred a year for 15 years.”

Me, “So, at least 3000?” He nodded. “How many of your 300 clients have been audited since you have been representing them?”

He looked at me and said, “Well, none.”

So, we just added that piece of proof to his talk of introduction.

I’m Gary Gorman with Gorman and Associates CPA’s, and I help small businesses avoid IRS audits. In fact, in my career, I’ve helped clients complete over 3000 tax returns, and not a single one has ever been audited.

Here Is How I Adjust My Introduction Based on What I Want the Audience to Do.

For my proof, I have a number of options. Just like Gary, I have had a lot of clients who have had great successes. In addition, I have published two best-selling books about public speaking. I also have hundreds of thousands of people who listen to my podcast each week. So, I can pick my evidence based on what I want my audience to do.

For instance, if I’m speaking at a convention, and I want the audience to come by my booth to purchase my books, my introduction might sound like this.

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company, and I help people eliminate public speaking fear. One of the things that I’m most know for is being the author of two best-selling books, Fearless Presentations and Mastering Presentations.

However, if I’m leading a webinar, I may want the audience to purchase a seat in one of my classes. In that case, my introduction might sound like this.

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company, and I help people eliminate public speaking fear. For instance, for the last 20 years, I’ve taught public speaking classes to over 20,000 people, and I haven’t had a single person fail to reduce their nervousness significantly in just two days.

If my goal is to get the audience to subscribe to my podcast, my intro might sound like…

Hi, I’m Doug Staneart with The Leader’s Institute ®, an international leadership development company, and I help people eliminate public speaking fear. One of the ways that I do this is with my weekly podcast called, Fearless Presentations, which has over one million downloads, so far.

Use the Form Below to Organize How to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation.

The point is that you want to design your introduction in a way that makes people pause and think, “Really? That sounds pretty good.” You want to avoid introductions that make your audience think, “So what?”

If you have a speech coming up and need a good introduction, complete the form below. We will send you your answers via email!

Can You Replace Your Introduction with a PowerPoint Slide?

Is it okay to make your first slide (or second slide) in your presentation slides an introduction? Sure. A good public speaker will often add an introduction slide with a biography, portrait, and maybe even contact information. I sometimes do this myself.

However, I NEVER read the slide to my audience. I often just have it showing while I deliver the short introduction using the guide above. This is a great way to share more of your work experience without sounding like you are bragging.

For tips about how many powerpoint slides to use in a presentation , click here.

Remember that There Is a Big Difference Between Your Introduction in a Presentation and Your Presentation Starter.

When you introduce yourself in a presentation, you will often just use a single sentence to tell the audience who you are. You only use this intro if the audience doesn’t know who you are. Your presentation starter, though, is quite different. Your presentation starter should be a brief introduction with relevant details about what you will cover in your presentation.

For details, see Great Ways to Start a Presentation . In that post, we show ways to get the attention of the audience. We also give examples of how to use an interesting hook, personal stories, and how to use humor to start a presentation.

introduction for viva presentation

Podcasts , presentation skills

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Introduction to Viva Topics

Viva Topics is an add-on service in Microsoft Viva, an employee experience platform (EXP) for a unified knowledge and content experience across Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Search. Viva Topics can help your people learn in the flow with Microsoft 365 apps without manually mining disparate applications or repositories.

Learning objectives

When you finish with this module, you'll be able to:

  • Describe how AI interacts with Viva Topics
  • Identify the administrator scenarios for Viva Topics
  • Optimize your SharePoint environment to take advantage of Viva Topics
  • Sign up for a trial of Viva Topics
  • Create a Topic center & assign licenses
  • Change the name of the Topic center

Prerequisites

  • Familiar with Microsoft 365 apps and Microsoft Teams
  • Introduction min
  • How AI interacts with Viva Topics min
  • How to use Viva Topics for administrators min
  • Modernize SharePoint for Viva Topics min
  • Sign up for and configure a Viva Topics trial min
  • Create a Topic center & assign licenses min
  • Change the name of the Topic center min
  • Knowledge check min
  • Summary min

PM Proofreading

Tips and strategies to prepare for your oral viva voce presentation

How to present an effective and successful viva voce, how to structure and organize a research paper.

viva voce presentation

Table of Contents

What is a viva voce?

Viva voce is a Latin word that translates most often as “through word of mouth.” It is an oral examination in academic circles during which you defend your research.

Following the defense, the thesis is debated in a small circle. Naturally, the examining professors will be there, but they may be joined by research assistants, representatives of the appropriate department, or even other students.

The aim of this defense is to demonstrate to the examiners your familiarity with your study subject, your ability to absorb and apply what you have learnt. In effect, it demonstrates if you’re well equipped to engage in intellectual debate.

In theory, the viva will not determine an entire grade, but it may tip the scales if you are on the cusp. However, it has the benefit of resolving any ambiguities, assuaging any concerns your examiners may well have, and demonstrating that you stand by your study.

The crucial point is thorough preparation

Months, if not years, of diligent labor later, the thesis is completed, the last formatting errors fixed, the bibliography carefully reviewed one more time, and hurrah, it is complete! After hours spent hunched over a desk, night shifts, and unending discipline, it is time to rejoice! And then you are invited to the viva.

The good news is that you have already completed the most of the preparation. That was the purpose of the extensive study you conducted to develop your thesis. You are already a specialist on your subject; all you need to do now is communicate it properly and calmly to your examiners. That is why it makes no sense to make preparations for your viva until you have completed your thesis and addressed all of your own questions.

Your supervisor should be aware of what to anticipate – and the viva’s goal is to communicate your findings. Some individuals just hand in their dissertation with great relief and then forget about it for a time. This is not an issue, however when the viva is coming, you need to really refresh your memory on the subject. S right your dissertation a few times to refresh your memory on your findings and methodology, and you have already accomplished a significant portion of the work required for your viva!

Organization of the viva voce

You should carefully review your institution’s examination rules to determine what will be expected of you during your viva. How long must the talk be? Is there any information on the kind of presentation, who will be present, and the structure of the post-presentation discussion group? Research has shown that knowing precisely what to anticipate substantially reduces anxiety. This is an opportunity that you should seize.

Additionally, consider what you would want to wear on the day and if you would like to create a handout.

When there are no specific guidelines, the following are some pointers:

In terms of attire, you should be led by the topic and the manner in which your supervisor dresses. If they consistently wear suits, you may infer they value formal attire. In general, strive for a tidy look and attire that is neither too casual nor too dressy.

Even though it is not expressly necessary, a handout may sometimes be beneficial. It demonstrates to the examiners that you have considered their convenience and makes the framework of your presentation simpler to follow. It may also have an effect on the following discussion, since examiners may use your handouts as a guide for their questions.

Viva Slide show presentation – technical aspects

PowerPoint is the most often used format for viva presentations. Before you begin working on the material, it is critical to familiarize yourself by how PowerPoint works.

In terms of the PowerPoint presentation itself, it is critical to avoid unnecessary transitions, overly colored slides, and foreign typefaces. This is a professional presentation, and the slides should reflect that. Unnecessary and distracting items will detract from the gravity of your arguments. Utilize a consistent font style and a neutral (ideally white) backdrop color.

The basic guideline for these kind of presentations is: Keep Things Simple. Text-heavy slides irritate people and divert attention away from the essential points. While it is ideal to utilize as little language and as few important points as possible, it is also critical to properly record your accomplishments while presenting in a viva. Allowing for interpretation may be very hazardous in this case. Naturally, this depends on the examiners’ tastes, but a bit more text than is often included in presentations is absolutely acceptable. If your job requires it, graphics, photographs, or flowcharts are an excellent method to add diversity and effectively explain complicated problems.

Additionally, it is essential to verify that all technical equipment will function properly on-site on the day. Ascertain that you understand what to do if anything goes wrong, and create as many plan Bs as possible!

Related Articles

A Comprehensive Guide to Writing an Effective Academic Research Paper

A Comprehensive Guide to Writing an Effective Academic Research Paper

Some tips for editing and proofreading academic work

Some tips for editing and proofreading academic work

How to present an effective and successful viva voce

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introduction for viva presentation

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How to Organize Your Introduction for a Presentation [+ FREE Presentation Checklist]

May 1, 2018 | Business Professional English , Free Resource , Public Speaking & Presentations

How to Organize Your Introduction for a Presentation in English - Lesson

This lesson on how to organize your introduction for a presentation in English has been updated since its original posting in 2016 and a video has been added.

Getting ready to present in English? Here’s how to make sure your introduction for a presentation in English is successful.

But first… When you think about a presentation, I know you’re thinking about something like a TED video or a presentation at a conference. You’re thinking about a speech, with PowerPoint slides and a big audience.

But did you know we use the same skills when we share new information or ideas with our work colleagues? Or when we tell stories to our friends and family? The situation or speaking task may be different but we still use the same skills.

When presenting information or telling stories, we need to:

  • Capture a listener’s attention
  • Share information, ideas, or opinions
  • Give the important details
  • Make your information memorable
  • Get your audience (family, friends, colleagues or strangers) to agree, to take action, to change their mind, etc.

So today you’re going to learn how to take the first big step in your English presentation: how to start with a great introduction.

The introduction is the most important part of your presentation. It is the first impression you’ll make on your audience. It’s your first opportunity to get their attention. You want them to trust you and listen to you right away.

However, that first moment when you start to speak is often the hardest. Knowing how to best prepare and knowing what to say will help you feel confident and ready to say that first word and start your presentation in English.

Be sure to include these 5 things in your inroduction.

Lesson by Annemarie

How to Organize Your Introduction for a Presentation in English and Key Phrases to Use

Organize Your Introduction Correctly

Okay, first let’s focus on what you need to include in your English introduction. Think of this as your formula for a good introduction. Using this general outline for your introduction will help you prepare. It will also help your audience know who you are, why you’re an expert, and what to expect from your presentation.

Use this general outline for your next presentation:

  • Welcome your audience and introduce yourself
  • Capture their attention
  • Identify your number one goal or topic of presentation
  • Give a quick outline of your presentation
  • Provide instructions for how to ask questions (if appropriate for your situation)

Use Common Language to Make Your Introduction Easy to Understand

Great, now you have the general outline of an introduction for a speech or presentation in English. So let’s focus on some of the key expressions you can use for each step. This will help you think about what to say and how to say it so you can sound confident and prepared in your English presentation.

“The introduction is the most important part of your presentation. It is the first impression you’ll make on your audience. It’s your first opportunity to get their attention. You want them to trust you and listen to you right away.”

Welcome Your Audience & Introduction

It is polite to start with a warm welcome and to introduce yourself. Everyone in the audience will want to know who you are. Your introduction should include your name and job position or the reason you are an expert on your topic. The more the audience trusts you, the more they listen.

  • Welcome to [name of company or event]. My name is [name] and I am the [job title or background information].
  • Thank you for coming today. I’m [name] and I’m looking forward to talking with you today about [your topic].
  • Good morning/afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I’d like to quickly introduce myself. I am [name] from [company or position]. (formal)
  • On behalf of [name of company], I’d like to welcome you today. For those of you who don’t already know me, my name is [name] and I am [job title or background]. (formal)
  • Hi everyone. I’m [name and background]. I’m glad to be here with you today. Now let’s get started. (informal)

Capture Their Attention

For more information about how to best capture your audience’s attention and why, please see the next session below. However, here are a few good phrases to get you started.

  • Did you know that [insert an interesting fact or shocking statement]?
  • Have you ever heard that [insert interesting fact or shocking statement]?
  • Before I start, I’d like to share a quick story about [tell your story]…
  • I remember [tell your story, experience or memory]…
  • When I started preparing for this talk, I was reminded of [tell your story, share your quote or experience]…

Identify Your Goal or Topic of Presentation

At this stage, you want to be clear with your audience about your primary topic or goal. Do you want your audience to take action after your talk? Is it a topic everyone is curious about (or should be curious about)? This should be just one or two sentences and it should be very clear.

  • This morning I’d like to present our new [product or service].
  • Today I’d like to discuss…
  • Today I’d like to share with you…
  • What I want to share with you is…
  • My goal today is to help you understand…
  • During my talk this morning/afternoon, I’ll provide you with some background on [main topic] and why it is important to you.
  • I will present my findings on…
  • By the end of my presentation, I’d like for you to know…
  • I aim to prove to you / change your mind about…
  • I’d like to take this opportunity to talk about…
  • As you know, this morning/afternoon I’ll be discussing…

Outline Your Presentation

You may have heard this about presentations in English before:

First, tell me what you’re going to tell me. Then tell me. And finally, tell me what you told me.

It sounds crazy and weird, but it’s true. This is how we structure presentations in English. So today we’re focusing on the “First, tell me what you’re going to tell me” for your introduction. This means you should outline the key points or highlights of your topic.

This prepares your listens and helps to get their attention. It will also help them follow your presentation and stay focused. Here are some great phrases to help you do that.

  • First, I’m going to present… Then I’ll share with you… Finally, I’ll ask you to…
  • The next thing I’ll share with you is…
  • In the next section, I’ll show you…
  • Today I will be covering these 3 (or 5) key points…
  • In this presentation, we will discuss/evaluate…
  • By the end of this presentation, you’ll be able to…
  • My talk this morning is divided into [number] main sections… First, second, third… Finally…

On Asking Questions

You want to be sure to let you audience know when and how it is appropriate for them to ask you questions. For example, is the presentation informal and is it okay for someone to interrupt you with a question? Or do you prefer for everyone to wait until the end of the presentation to ask questions?

  • If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to interrupt me. I’m happy to answer any questions as we go along.
  • Feel free to ask any questions, however, I do ask that you wait until the end of the presentation to ask.
  • There will be plenty of time for questions at the end.
  • Are there any questions at this point? If not, we’ll keep going.
  • I would be happy to answer any questions you may have now.

Capture Your Audience’s Attention

Do you feel unsure about how to capture the attention of your audience? Don’t worry! Here are some common examples used in English-speaking culture for doing it perfectly!

Two of the most famous speakers in the English-speaking world are Steve Jobs and Oprah Winfrey. While Steve Jobs is no longer living, people still love to watch his speeches and presentations online. Oprah is so famous that no matter what she does, people are excited to see her and listen to her.

BUT, if you listen to a speech by Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey,  they still  work  to get your attention!

The don’t start with a list of numbers or data. They don’t begin with a common fact or with the title of the presentation. No – they do much more.

From the moment they start their speech, they want you to listen. And they find interesting ways to get your attention. In his most famous speeches, Steve Jobs often started with a personal story. And Oprah often starts with an inspiring quote, a motivational part of a poem, or a personal story.

These are all great ways to help your audience to listen to you immediately – whether your presentation is 3 minutes or 20 minutes.

Here’s how you can do it.

Like Steve Jobs or Oprah Winfrey, start with a:

  • Personal story or experience
  • Motivational quote or line from a poem or book
  • Joke (be careful with this – make sure it translates easily to everyone in the audience!)
  • Shocking, bold statement (Think of Steve Jobs’ quote: “ Stay hungry. Stay Foolish .”)
  • Rhetorical question ( =a question that you don’t want an answer to; the focus is to make someone think)

And finally, consider audience participation. Ask a question and get your audience to respond by raising hands.

Get the complete Presentations in English Series:

Part 1: How to Prepare for Your Presentation in English

Part 2: How to Start with a Great Introduction in Your Presentation

Part 3:  How to Organize Your Presentation in English

Part 4:  How to End Your Presentation Powerfully

As I mentioned in the video, I have two question for you today:

  • What is the best introduction you’ve ever heard? Have you watched a TED Talk or a presentation on YouTube with a great introduction? Tell me about it. What do you think was great about the introduction?
  • What frightens you the most about preparing your introduction in a presentation? Share your concerns with me so I can help you overcome any challenges you have.

Be sure to share in the comments below to get feedback from me and to learn from others in the Confident English Community.

Have a great week! ~ Annemarie

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guest

Thank you, Annemarie. thanks for the generosity of sharing useful and systemative information and content.

Dharitri karjee

This is really a very informative message thank you.. And it’s help me a lot

yami

hi thank you for this It was helpful. You used simple english that i understood well.

Gassimu Zoker

How to start with a great presentation on composition

Anshika Abhay Thakur

Thankyou for the information . It was much helpful . I will definitely use this information in my presentation 🤗

Thang Sok

Hi, I am Thang Sok Do you have a Sample presentation?

Khadija

This was helpful but can you please tell me how to start a presentation in college because this is for work in a company. My presentation is on laboratory skills and all that

Anum

Its informative

Yasin Hamid

Thank you for this video! I’ve learned quite a lot and will want to use all these knowledge in presenting my thesis proposal in 2 months. About your question no. 2, I’d just like to share that the mere fact of presenting in front of many respected professionals makes me already nervous and shaky even if i have studied everything about my presentation. What do you think should i do to deal with my concern?

martineromy940

Could you give me advise, how to start learning English for beginner.How to prepare presentation on any topic and how to make interesting..

Pratik

Thank u so much for valuable advice. Definitely I will used this in my presentation!!

Farangiz

Thank you very much for these kind of useful advice. I hope my first presentation will be exciting for the audience.Your video is helping me again thanks a lot 😊

yumna

hi, i’m B.COM student and I have to prepare presentation about identifying business opportunities. How to start and an attractive attention to my audience.. Please Help me…

Nancy Tandui

very nise and educative piece of information thank you nancy nairobi kenya

kanishka mishra

i am starting a video speech shooting in night about a famouse person how do i start my speech with a good intro.

Kate

Hi again how do you do a introduction goodbye

kate

Hi i do not know what you are talking about

Annemarie

Hi Kate, I’m sorry to hear you’re not sure about the content. I recommend reviewing the video carefully if you haven’t already. Is there something specific you have a question about?

Tooba

thanks a lot for guiding in such an easier way.

Amit

Your write-up on introduction helped a lot, thank you Annemarie. I work for cross-geography team and greetings get lengthy as timezones are different e.g. “Good evening to those joining from US office and good morning to colleagues from India office”. I replaced that with “Thank you everyone for joining”. Is it okay?

Hi Amit, I’m so glad it was helpful. As for your greeting, both of your options are perfectly appropriate and friendly.

znb

How to introduce group members in online presentation?

Great question! I’d love to use that for a future Confident English lesson.

zarsha

its amazing. i can’t explain in wording. this material helping me a lot. i am so happy after use this website . its make easy for me preparing my presentation more interesting. i am thankful too u.

jinah

thanks! i use your materials to teach my students(clinets) how to prepare a presentation. is it ok to use them on my materials?

Matangi

Hi! I am a student from the USP from Tuvaluan and i take CEE45 so our assessment 2 is to prepared a group presentation and we presented in school. so need your help for how to start an attractive introduction to my teacher and my fellow students, they already kwow me.

Zainab

Thank you.. very helpful

Moataz Saleh

Very useful

Taha

It was very use Gul for or presentations

Gaman Aryal

Hi. I am a 1st year BIT student and I have to prepare a presentation on 3D Printing. how to start an attractive introduction to my teachers, when they already know about me? Can you please help me out? Thank you.

Andrew

I just took 1st place for my paper that I presented at an international students conference. I used a lot of your techniques to improve my speech and I have no words to say how grateful I am to you. Keep up the good work!

😲WOW!! That’s awesome, Andrew. 🙌Congratulations on your presentation. What a wonderful response to your hard work. I’d love to know what you presentation was about. And thank you for sharing your new here. I’m thrilled to know that my techniques were helpful to you.

The title of the presentation was “Handling burnout: A study regarding the the influence of job stressors over military and civilian personel”. I can sent you my paper through email if you would like to see it.

Hi Andrew, what a fascinating topic. And it’s interesting because I just had a newspaper reporter interview me about burnout as a small business owner. Must be a hot topic. 🙂 And sure, I’d love to see it.

Mariya

🔥❤ too goodd

Helia

Hello Annemarie, Thank you so much for one of the best content on the English presentation, I’ve seen. I have a question: Is it impolite or informal to start the presentation without a greeting? I’m asking this question because I’ve seen a lot of TEDTalks and in only a few of them, they greet the audience and in most of it, they quickly go to the “CAPTURING the ATTENTION” with numbers and pictures. I would be so thankful if you could answer this question as soon as possible, my presentation is so close. Best regards, Helia

Hi Helia, What a great question. It has definitely become more common to skip the greeting and go straight to capturing the attention of the audience and you’re right that we often see this in TED talks. I would say it’s best to know your audience and what might be expected. For example, at more formal, traditional conferences or lecture, it might be more appropriate to start with a welcome. I prefer to welcome/thank my audience quickly at the start when I give presentations. A welcome can be very brief, just one sentence, and then you can quickly go into …  Read more »

Vivek Shukla

Hi Annemarie I would like to thank you for giving such types of presentation skills but I have a question can you give me some idea about vote of thinks.

I’m glad the lessons are helpful to you. Could you clarify what you mean by ‘vote of thinks?’ I’m not sure I understand that.

Bello

Please can you give me some idea about vote of thanks

Could you clarify what you’re asking for, Bello?

Amrit

Thanks a lot

Glad it was helpful!

tadla

it is agood i learn alot from this english class

Radha Mohan

Hello.i would like to thank you for giving these beautiful tips to start a presentation.This article helped me a lot.

That’s great, Radha. Glad to hear it.

Mithun Kumar

Thanks for your article. It’s simply for interpersonal skill development.

You’re welcome, Mithun. Glad to know it was helpful.

Swetha

Hi Annemarie . Thank you so much for giving such helpful guildelines it’s really gonna help me

I’m glad it’s helpful, Swetha! 🙂

dawharu boro

thank you for help me

You’re very welcome!

Tom

Hi Anne Marie, i ‘m from Catalonia and i came across with your site only by chance and i think it’gonna be so helpful for me to pass the next test for c1 level. Several weeks ago i did some rehersals with my presentation and i was so nervous and terrified about what was expected from me.

Some tips in your youtube channel are so cool !!! Thank you.

Hi Tom, I’m thrilled you’ve found this site in your preparations for your English exam and am glad to know it’s helpful! Best of luck as you continue to prepare.

Fatima

Hi Annemarie Thanks it’s so useful to develop presentation skill. Fatima

You’re very welcome, Fatima! I’m glad it was helpful.

Dzmitry

Awesome, especially this simple and clear motto: “First, tell me what you’re going to tell me. Then tell me. And finally, tell me what you told me.” This three sentences exactly explain the content you need to create a memorable presentation.

Hi Dzmitry,

Yes, I’ve always loved that simple motto on how to do a presentation. 🙂 It’s so easy to remember and tells you exactly what to do.

Mahbub

hello I need to introduce myself to language center. i am going to learn Danish Language and i want to introduce myself to them and i am little bit nervous because my grammar is not good at that level.so will you please guide me how to introduce myself to them with an example. i did go through your examples but that is for professionals and i am just a student (Graduate). I don’t have any experience . Please guide me how to do it.

Navin Shivram SS

I was in a confused state about starting a conversation and proceeding in it but when I read the guidelines you mentioned above I became confident. thank you for your innumerable ………….

Salma

Thank you so much…… it’s an excellent topic, and it helped me a lot

I’m so glad this was helpful to you! Thank you for sharing.

rebecca

hi annemarie i have a few questions about a speech i have to make a englishi speech of what i want to become can you help me?

Hi Rebecca,

Thank you for the question. I have several lessons on the topic of presentations in English . However, for personal assistance with English or presentations, I only do that through my one-on-one classes .

Shalini Tripathi

thank you so much…… it’s really helpful for me….

You’re very welcome, Shalini.

Mohammed Zaid ameen

Thanks its really nice to develop the presentation skills

Awesome. I’m glad it was helpful to you, Mohammed.

dinesh dhakar

I have to give a demo on one of your programs next week. I would like you to check my self introduction – Good afternoon everyone and thank you for all of your presence. Before we get into the session I would like to quickly introduce myself. My name is Dinesh . I am working as a Pharmaceutical sale and promotion of the brands for Arrient Healthcare. I am in this filed for the past ten years. Before becoming trainer I worked as a medical representatives for different pharma company . I am highly interested in learning from people and …  Read more »

Monica

Please ignore my previous comment. Yea the demo was a success. So hereafter I will say”I have been in this field for the past four years. Actually I worked for different consultancies so I didn’t include an article there.

Monica

I have to give a demo on one of your programs next week. I would like you to check my self introduction – Good afternoon everyone and thank you for all of your presence. Before we get into the session I would like to quickly introduce myself. My name is Monica. I am working as a Soft Skill Trainer at Synergy School of Business Skills. I am in this filed for the past four years. Before becoming trainer I worked as a Recruiter for different job consultancy. I am highly interested in learning from people and I think teaching/training is …  Read more »

Thank you for sharing your example! One note: “I am in this field for the past four years.” –> Don’t forget, when we’re talking about something that started in the past and continues to now, we use the present perfect. How might you change this sentence to fix the grammar?

Also, we want to add an article to, “… I worked as a recruiter for [a] different job consultancy.”

I wish you much success in your demo this week! Best, Annemarie

Yea the demo was a success! So hereafter I will say”I have been for the past four years. Actually I worked for different consultancies.

Fadia

I like it but I think capturing their attention is the most difficult part in preparing a presentation. From my little experience, I used to talk about something out of the scope of the presentation in order to grasp their attention. For example, I had a presentation about medical terminology and its parts (suffix, prefix —). So I provided example which is Ultra Violet then I talked about the ultraviolet in the sun and Vitamin D deficiency. They liked the talk because it is very important to them and by this topic I captured their attention more and more.

Hello Fadia, I’m sorry I’m so late in responding to your comment! I agree with you: capturing attention is very challenging to do. It requires understanding your audience, knowing what is important to them, and how to connect with them. In English-speaking culture, we often connect by telling a story or showing we understand a problem the audience has. I think you’re exactly right to talk about something that is maybe “off topic” or out of the scope of the presentation, as you said, to get their attention first. It sounds like you did a great job in your experience!! …  Read more »

sonam

hi there it was great going through your enlightening presentation skills however i would be even more delighted if you put some quotes for various PPT’s which will give us an instant ideas during the adhoc PPT like myself…just a suggestion.

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IMAGES

  1. How to structure your viva presentation (with examples)

    introduction for viva presentation

  2. Viva Presentation Template

    introduction for viva presentation

  3. How to prepare your viva opening speech

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  4. Viva (Presentation)

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  5. How to Prepare PhD Viva Presentation

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  6. Example Slide Presentation For Viva

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VIDEO

  1. I'm trying to make a good presentation vedio and to speak in English 😅I preparing Dressing Salad

  2. Viva La Vida

  3. My introduction 😍

  4. Enable a High Performance Workforce with Microsoft Viva

  5. Osteology Viva_Upper Limb by Ghanashyam Vaidya

  6. New intro with the nice view

COMMENTS

  1. How to structure your viva presentation (with examples)

    A very traditional viva presentation structure simply follows the structure of the PhD thesis. This means that the viva presentation covers all parts of the thesis, including an introduction, the literature review, the methodology, results, conclusions, etcetera. Example of a traditional viva presentation structure.

  2. Introduce Myself- Self Introduce in Interview Sample

    Self-introduction for Viva. How to Introduce Yourself in a Viva Presentation. Self-introduction Sample for Job Interview Introduce Myself. Introduce Myself means describing myself with a brief introduction to let others know. It is an imperative sentence that indicates someone to introduce himself or herself. Therefore, it is also known as ...

  3. Ace Your Viva Presentation: Helpful Tips & Tricks!

    The most popular tool for giving a viva presentation is PowerPoint. On the day of your presentation, get there early to make sure your devices are working. It also helps to be familiar with PowerPoint's features, such as Presenter View. ... All this needs to be supported by a professional introduction. You can find tips on how to do this here ...

  4. How to Prepare a Presentation for Your Viva

    Structure Your Presentation Effectively. A well-structured presentation is essential for conveying your research findings coherently and engaging your audience. Consider the following structure: Introduction: Provide an overview of your research topic, objectives, and methodology. Capture your audience's attention and establish the context ...

  5. How to Defend a Thesis: An Introduction to the PhD Viva

    Introductions (2 minutes) - greeting the examiners and they'll usually quickly give an overview for how they want the viva to go. Presentation (10 minutes) - Not all examiners will want you to give a presentation, it's best to ask them in advance. I believe many examiners like asking for presentations: both to ease into the exam and ...

  6. PDF A Guide for Viva Preparation

    The viva voce, shortened to viva, is an oral examination where you are expected to 'defend' your thesis, and the quality of your research will be assessed. The viva will take place usually within 3 months of submitting your thesis; it is a required examination in order to achieve a postgraduate research degree.

  7. How to structure your viva presentation (with examples)

    Most PhD vivas and PhD defences get with a little presentation by the candidate. An structure of these talking is very vital! There are several factors and approaches to view when developing your viva video structure. Contents Factors to consideration when developing a viva presentation structureStructuring your your presentation traditionallyStructuring our viva presentation around key

  8. How to create an Impactful PhD Viva-Voce Presentation

    Example Structure for a Ph.D. Viva-Voce Presentation Slides: 1: Title Slide 2: Presentation Outline 3: Introduction 4: Identification of Research Gaps or Rationale for the Research Study 5: Problem Statement 6: Objectives of…. Creating well-organized slides and delivering a polished presentation within the allotted time is of utmost, PhD viva ...

  9. How to structure your viva presentation (with examples)

    ADENINE very traditional viva how structure simply follows the structural of the PhD thesis. This means that the viva presentation covering any parts of the dissertation, including an introduction, which literature review, the methodology, results, conclude, etcetera. Example of a traditional your presentation structure.

  10. How to prepare for your viva: 8 useful tips

    Be confident in your knowledge. 3: Think about the potential questions. One of the best things you can do to maximize your chances of a confident viva performance is to consider the potential viva questions and the way in which you could approach them. There are plenty of websites that provide you with sample discussion points that are likely ...

  11. Chapter 8: PPT Slides and Viva Presentation

    Aim and Objecti v es. 8 CH 8: PPT Slides and Viva Presentation By: Dr Amer Jameel Shareef. Scope of This Stud y. • It refers to the boundaries, limitations & focus of a. particular study ...

  12. How to introduce yourself to the viva board

    This video is for experienced professional and it describes the formula of introducing oneself to the viva board. This is most common question for interview ...

  13. Introduction to Microsoft Viva, an Employee Experience Platform

    Tour Microsoft Viva, the new employee experience platform that brings together communications, knowledge, learning, resources, and insights. Viva is a unique set of curated and AI enriched experiences built on top of and integrated with the foundational services of Microsoft 365. Join Jeremy Chapman as he shares Viva's capabilities, the ...

  14. Tips to Prepare PhD viva-voce Presentation Slides

    Tips to prepare Ph.D. viva-voce presentation slides. Give brief introduction about the background of your study. Always present the points in a bulleted manner (4 to 5 points) rather than paragraph. Highlight the research gaps or the need for the research study and present your problem statement clearly. List the objectives and methodology of ...

  15. 7 Amazing Tips for Viva Self Introduction

    Body Language. Maintain positive body language and eye contact during the conversation to make the viva engaging. Dress properly and professionally. With a confident grin, greet him and ask if you may take the seat. Show respect and a positive attitude towards the panellists. Also Read: Self-Introduction for Students. 5.

  16. Starting a Presentation in English: Methods and Examples

    Start with a polite welcome and state your name. Follow with your job title and/or the reason you're qualified to speak on the topic being discussed. 2. State the Purpose of Your Presentation. Now that your audience knows who you are and your qualifications, you can state the purpose of your presentation.

  17. 18 tips to pass your Viva presentation

    Keep some sample PhD viva questions and answers readily. Adjust voice as per the room size during the presentation of PhD viva. Clear Audibility is the first step for viva Voce success. Present Confidently viva thesis presentation. Do not stammer while defending PhD viva voce.

  18. How to present an effective and successful viva voce

    The final part. The final part of the viva voce, after you have finished your presentation, is the question and answer session. This is the part when the examiners would ask you some detailed questions regarding your work. Here is where you really have to put in the effort to defend all aspects of your research.

  19. How to Introduce Yourself in a Presentation [with Examples]

    Step #2: Tell your audience what problem you can solve for them. This is where all of the pre-work comes into play. In this step, you will use the answers to one of those questions that you answered earlier. For instance, if my topic is how to deliver presentations, I have to determine why the audience would care.

  20. Introduction to Viva Topics

    Introduction to Viva Topics. Viva Topics is an add-on service in Microsoft Viva, an employee experience platform (EXP) for a unified knowledge and content experience across Microsoft 365 and Microsoft Search. Viva Topics can help your people learn in the flow with Microsoft 365 apps without manually mining disparate applications or repositories.

  21. Tips and strategies to prepare for your oral viva voce presentation

    Unnecessary and distracting items will detract from the gravity of your arguments. Utilize a consistent font style and a neutral (ideally white) backdrop color. The basic guideline for these kind of presentations is: Keep Things Simple. Text-heavy slides irritate people and divert attention away from the essential points.

  22. Organize Your Introduction for a Presentation [+ FREE Presentation

    Part 1: How to Prepare for Your Presentation in English. Part 2: How to Start with a Great Introduction in Your Presentation. Part 3: How to Organize Your Presentation in English. Part 4: How to End Your Presentation Powerfully. As I mentioned in the video, I have two question for you today: