phd defense title slide

How to Pull Off Your Thesis Defense With a Great Presentation

You’ve reached the home stretch in your journey toward your post-graduate degree. You’ve diligently studied, researched and performed for years, and all that’s left is your master thesis or doctorate dissertation.

“ All that’s left,” however, might be the understatement of the century. There’s nothing simple about orally defending your thesis, and this final stage often means the difference between a degree and a program that remains incomplete.

Even after you’ve dedicated months filled with blood, sweat and tears defining your argument, researching your support and writing your defense, you aren’t ready to address the academic panel. You still have to design an effective visual presentation, and the slide deck can make or break your entire thesis.

Unsure how to design a stellar slide deck to visually present your thesis or dissertation? Check out the following tips to pull off your master thesis defense with a great presentation:

1. Properly structure your slide deck

Every master thesis defense presentation is unique, but most effective slide decks will follow a similar structure, including:

Title - Just like a research paper, your thesis presentation must include a title slide. This should include the same information as any other title page: the title, your name, your academic institution, course name and the name of the academic advisor to your thesis or dissertation. That doesn’t mean your title slide needs to look like the start of any other Frankendeck . Instead, add your text atop a relative image, and adjust the brightness to ensure your text pops.
Introduction - Your thesis presentation should also include an introduction slide, which details the topic of your thesis, the question your research will seek to answer and any additional objectives to your research, as well as the answer or solution you will be defending.
Literature review - Following your thesis introduction, design one or more slides that review the literature you researched. This shouldn’t be a full bibliography (although that should be included in the accompanying written account of your research), but instead, the slides should list your most relevant research sources. If the information is featured on a slide, make sure you include its source.
Methodology - Your thesis presentation slide deck should also include a slide (or slides) detailing the methodology of your research and argument. Here you want to describe the type of study— whether it’s quantitative, qualitative or a combination of the two, as well as an explanation of why you chose the method or methods you used. If you conducted original research, you will want to detail the study population, sampling methods and other details pertinent to your studies, while you’ll also want to detail how you analyzed your data.
Results - No thesis presentation slide deck is complete without dedicating slides to illustrate the results of your research. Be sure to include a description of any data you collected through your research, as well as the results of your analysis of the data. What were your most significant findings?
Discussion - How do the results of your research support your overall thesis argument? Be sure to include slides that discuss your overall findings and how they relate to your original question.
Conclusion - Concluding slides should restate your original research questions, represent the results of your research, suggest future research and make any final recommendations.
Ending slide – Close your thesis presentation with a concluding slide that offers an interesting quote or trivia that makes your audience further ponder your topic, a GIF or animation that recaptures the audience’s attention or even a hypothetical question that opens additional discussion from the academic panel. This is your opportunity to make your presentation memorable.

Thesis Presentation vs. Dissertation

Thesis presentation and dissertation are two terms often used in academic settings related to upper education. While they are related, there are distinct differences between the two, which is important to understand as you begin to structure your thesis defense.

‍ A thesis presentation typically refers to the final oral presentation that a student gives to defend their thesis or research project. It is a formal presentation to explain their findings, methodology, and conclusions to a panel of faculty members or experts in the field. The purpose of a thesis defense presentation is to demonstrate the student's knowledge and understanding of the subject matter and to defend the validity of their research.

On the other hand, a dissertation refers to a lengthy and comprehensive research project that is typically required for the completion of a doctoral degree. It involves in-depth research, analysis, and the development of original ideas in a particular field of study. A dissertation is usually written over an extended period and is expected to contribute new knowledge or insights to the field. Unlike a thesis presentation, a dissertation is submitted in written form and is typically evaluated by a committee of faculty members or experts in the field.

2. Choose which ideas to illustrate

Unless you have an hour to fill with your master thesis defense or doctorate dissertation, you won’t be able to include every idea from your overall research documentation in your slide show. Choose the most important ideas to illustrate on slides, while also keeping in mind what aspects of your research you’ll be able to visually represent.

3. Define your presentation’s theme

A stellar thesis or dissertation presentation will be professional in appearance, and a cohesive design is an absolute must. Choose what types of typography and color schemes best support your topic.

Instead of adjusting these settings on each individual slide— a tedious task at best— choose a PowerPoint-alternative presentation software like Beautiful.ai that allows you to customize a theme for your entire slide deck. Choose your fonts and other typography, your color palette, margins, footers, logos, transitions and more, and the cloud-based tool will automatically apply those design specifications to every slide you add to the master thesis defense presentation.

4. Design simple and focused slides

You might have a lot of information to present, but when it comes to your thesis presentation— or almost any slide deck for that matter— less is more. Be sure every slide counts by focusing on your main points.

Then, whatever you do, keep your slides simple. Not even an academic panel is going to dedicate much time deciphering a cluttered slide with all too many details. Try to avoid presenting more than one or two ideas on each slide.

5. Include data visualizations

The whole point of your presentation is to illustrate the concepts included in your thesis. Humans are visual creatures and react strongly to imagery, and the panel evaluating your thesis or dissertation is no exception— regardless of how studious and formal the academics might seem. Illustrate the results of your research with colorful and engaging infographics . You don’t have to be a graphic designer to create them, either.

Beautiful.ai users can choose from a host of smart slide templates with data visualizations — including favorites like bar graphs and pie charts , as well as less common options like scattergraphs , flow charts and pictograms . Just input your data and watch as our special brand of artificial intelligence creates the infographic for you.

6. Practice makes perfect

After spending months researching your thesis or dissertation, writing about your findings and designing a stellar master thesis defense presentation, you would hate to see all your hard work be for naught. That’s still a distinct possibility, however, if you don’t also practice your delivery.

Practice, practice and practice some more until you know your master thesis defense like the back of your hand. No academic panel will be impressed by a graduate candidate who stumbles through their presentation or appears to be reading from their notes. Know the contents of every slide, as well as exactly what parts of your overall defense you want to deliver during its display.

Things to keep in mind to help you nail your presentation

The golden rule of any presentation is to keep your audience engaged. You can ensure a more engaging presentation by maintaining eye contact, using appropriate gestures, and speaking clearly. You can also choose to include the audience in your presentation with interactive questions, polls, and slides.

To help boost audience retention, utilize storytelling. Studies show that when facts are presented in the form of a story, people are 22 times more likely to remember them. Talk about powerful.

Last but not least, plan for questions— and not simply by allowing time for them. Watch other thesis defenses delivered at your institution, and consider what types of questions the academic panel might ask, so you can prepare the best possible answer.

Extra credit:

Get started with our PhD Defense Thesis presentation template here .

Samantha Pratt Lile

Samantha is an independent journalist, editor, blogger and content manager. Examples of her published work can be found at sites including the Huffington Post, Thrive Global, and Buzzfeed.

The Ultimate Guide to Preparing Your PhD Dissertation Defense Presentation

January 12, 2023

Chances are, you’ve been waiting years for this moment: preparing your PhD dissertation defense.

You’ve made it this far in your doctorate journey, so you’ll really want to nail the final thing standing between you and your PhD.

We’ll break down everything you need to know, from what the dissertation defense is to how to prepare and more importantly, succeed.

Here’s our ultimate guide for preparing for your PhD dissertation defense.

What Is a PhD Dissertation Defense Presentation?

A PhD dissertation defense is your chance to defend your work in front of the academics analyzing your research. You might also hear this called a “thesis defense.”

Although the thought of having experts critique you in a cross-examination setting, a dissertation defense is just an opportunity for you to show off your best work .

What Is a PhD Dissertation Committee?

A PhD dissertation committee is a group you assemble to guide you through the dissertation process, from preparation to the revision of your dissertation.

You choose the members of the committee after all the academic work is finalized. Usually, members will be trusted faculty — people you know well who you might consider a mentor.

How to Prepare for Your PhD Dissertation Defense Presentation

Preparing for your PhD dissertation defense doesn’t have to be stressful.

Try using Yoodli , an AI-powered speech coach that analyzes your speaking patterns and identifies areas in which you can improve. By practicing your dissertation defense presentation through Yoodli, you’ll be able to not only improve your speaking, but boost your confidence as well.

For example, you can take an in-depth look at the filler words you use, including which ones come up the most often and precisely how often they come up.

The Ultimate Guide for Preparing Your PhD Dissertation Defense Presentation

Here are three more tips for preparing your PhD dissertation defense.

1. Don’t wait around.

One of the best things you can do for yourself when preparing your PhD dissertation defense is to start the work early. You won’t regret starting “too early” like you would regret starting the preparation too late in the game.

Designing your presentation slides will take time and isn’t something you can slap together in a pinch. Right after your thesis is finalized, start on the slides. Your aim is to impress the committee with a thought-out, clear presentation that presents your work in a good light.

2. Practice, practice, practice.

It doesn’t matter how confident or comfortable you are with regard to your work and the actual PhD dissertation defense — you need to practice like your life depends on it.

Be sure to practice not only the presentation, but also your body language, like hand gestures . You don’t want to seem too stiff or anxious during your dissertation defense, and practicing all these elements at once gives you an idea of what you need to work on.

You’ll also want to work on your tone, to make sure you don’t come off as sounding monotonic . You want the committee members to feel interested and engaged.

Taking one of Yoodli’s free public speaking courses — such as the fundamentals of public speaking — can also build on your confidence and make you feel more comfortable during the dissertation defense.

Check out Yoodli’s 10-minute course here:

3. Check out other candidates’ presentations.

Sometimes, universities will offer open PhD dissertation defense presentations. If your university is one of them, it’s a great idea to attend a few . If your university doesn’t offer open dissertation presentations, check out other local universities that might offer these.

Watching other candidates’ presentations can help you not only get a firsthand look at how a presentation should (or shouldn’t!) go, but also to affirm that dissertation defense presentations aren’t as awful and scary as you might think they are. You might even get some insight or a few ideas for your own presentation while you’re at it.

The Bottom Line

Preparing for your PhD dissertation defense presentation doesn’t have to be overwhelming. After all, it’s all part of your doctorate journey . With preparation and practice, you can use this opportunity to shine and show off your best work.

Start practicing with Yoodli.

Getting better at speaking is getting easier. Record or upload a speech and let our AI Speech Coach analyze your speaking and give you feedback.

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The Ultimate Guide to Delivering an Outstanding Master's or PhD Thesis Dissertation Defense Presentation (Over 20 Templates Included)

“Congratulations, Dr. (Your Name)”

These words can be music to the ears of a research scholar at the end of their master’s dissertation defense presentation. All those years of hard work ( and the occasional partying ) on an A-list university campus boil down to you earning the title of a doctorate. Your blood, sweat and tears ( mostly tears ) invested in the doctoral subject of your choice just to hear the committee assign you that title rest on one (not so) simple thing: your dissertation defense.

However, to ensure that you, indeed, achieve your goal of earning that title, you have to ace your dissertation defense. You want to impress the committee. You want to ignite their minds. And more so, you want to be prepared for all the hard-hitting questions they are going to pose when you click through your dissertation defense presentation slides and explain what all you grasped in your years of research at the university.

Nerve-wracking may be an understatement, wouldn’t it?

Accomplishing that PhD with a well-presented dissertation defense can be an uphill battle for those who get the jitters while facing an audience. Plus, anticipation of top-level questions from experts in your field can leave you hot under the collar. You want to ace that dissertation defense, no matter what.

Fear not! This blog will break it down for you. Read on to find out how to make your master's or PhD thesis dissertation defense an outstanding medium to charm the thesis committee with ease.

The preparation

Now, before the dissertation defense, you have to prepare for it well in advance. Just organize your thoughts and prepare your thesis in a well-structured manner before you hand it over to the thesis committee. When you have studied a particular topic at length, you are able to devise a strategy for presenting it to the experts as well. Doctoral research gives you extensive knowledge about a topic which you can see yourself working with in your future prospects. Mostly university programs are inclined to the analyzing how the research has been fruitful with your endeavors. Here, you must note some important points to prepare well.

Know thy audience

When you have your dissertation defense to prepare, it bodes well for you if you try to get to know your audience, i.e. the members of the thesis committee. Before you make the final submission to the committee chair, make a checklist of what all you have included in the dissertation report. In fact, submit the report at least a month in advance so that the chair is ready to capture what your point of contention will be. You do not have to just brush things off with the normal two-week-prior submission. You have to give yourself a chance to prepare for what the committee members can ask you as per their expertise.

While you can ask your adviser or guide to take in the subject, it will also work well if you meet the chair in person for advice on the general thought process of the committee members. So instead of going into the meeting room unarmed, you will have a bit of a groundwork laid for yourself. It is all in the mind, but it is also all in a bit of a control.

Watch, ask and learn

Your research adviser or guide is your biggest asset when it comes to earning that doctoral degree. Since a dissertation is based on what you have explored and found out during the university course based on an original research, you can get the best advice from your guide. Ask them what kind of presentation methodology you need to adhere to. You can also take reference from the university’s scholar resources.

More so, since the dissertation defense presentations are open in most of the universities, you can attend these to get an idea of the procedure involved. Watch closely how the committee dwells on the key aspect of a scholar’s research. Also, see how the scholar handles the questions, the tough ones. Is that a straight “No I don’t know.” or something refined like “I speculate that…”? Ask the previous scholars who have presented their dissertation in front of the committee members you have. The more similar the subject, the better your chances of nailing that presentation.

Accustom yourself

Yes. Everybody has thrown this one at you before an exam (or a date). Practice makes perfect. When we talk of laying the groundwork, it involves booking the meeting room and the committee members’ schedule for your final dissertation defense well in advance to avoid any lapses. University research experts and thesis committee members have busy schedules around which you need to plan your dissertation defense. Planning in advance can keep you from having the last-minute anxieties.

A secret to giving an outstanding dissertation defense presentation is to present in front of your colleagues or friends. It will be a bonus if this practice audience is a mix of scholars from your field and different fields as well. The idea is to influence the minds of the listeners as analogous to those of the committee members. Use notes and feedback from this audience to plan out what you will say on the day of the presentation.
Another secret to being well-prepared is to keep the chosen committee members in loop with your research process after you have submitted a dissertation proposal. You can ask them for reviews and incorporate the changes they suggest. These changes can then give you an indication on what could be the basis of the questions the committee will ask. Since the experts are aligned to pose such questions as interest their mind for exploration, you can keep a track of the reviews you have subjected your dissertation to. If the committee members suggest some major changes and you make them, keeping them in the loop will help avoid any last-minute surprises, and therefore, blunders.
Since university doctoral research has to be published online and even distributed as written text, it is important to take some guidance from your adviser and teachers about formatting standards. It makes it easy if you get it formatted well enough before submitting the manuscript to the committee members for final notes and revision suggestions. Each institute may have their own standards for devising a dissertation manuscript. So know the process to avoid careless mistakes. Your research matters not only to you, but to the university as well.
Ask your adviser how much time is allotted to each part of your dissertation defense presentation. This way you can plan as much material as you should for your presentation. Time slots will keep you structured throughout your presentation. You can focus on the key issues and give time to each topic as per the structure as follows.

Make your presentation right

Your dissertation defense presentation is your masterpiece. It can sway the committee members in your favor. Designing a good dissertation ppt presentation that implores the audience to say that much-wanted YES is an art. Once you get the basics right, you will start off with a bang. The basic setup which you should employ while putting together your presentation is as follows:

The very first slide of the presentation is going to be your title slide. It should include the name of your thesis and your name. Mention the university’s name in a prominent manner as well. A catchy title slide can keep your audience visually stimulated before the presentation.

#2 Introduction

You have a well-defined slot within which you introduce the subject of your doctoral research. You have to cover broad points by focusing on the pain point first. You can take an example of how that pain point is leading to an issue that needs attention. The introduction has to enlist what objectives your research has tried to achieve to address these pain points. Here the key point is to show that you have tried to solve a problem with your research. You can give the scope of the research too. Starting off with an anecdote may also help get the committee members interested in your topic up front. Make sure you include these points in your introduction slide.

#3 Literature review

Often one of the common mistakes that scholars do while dissertation defense is getting too much into the literature review. If you have studied and included the findings of a particular research to support your thesis, you do not have to dwell on it. Simply create a crisp outline of the research literature that relates to your thesis. You can include how the literature is relevant or brings out any weak points that you may have addressed in your research.

#4 Methodology

You have covered the what of your thesis. On this slide, you will cover the how of it. On this slide, you need to explain what you did to address the pain points listed in the introduction. Did you conduct a survey of a considerable sample size to apply your research to? What were the subjects of the survey categorized into? How did you organize and process the data? This slide (or slides) can show the committee members the tools at your disposal and how you used them to support your claims.

#5 Findings

You used the collected data in every decipherable manner you could. But what you found through processing and extrapolating that data as per your thesis goes on this slide. You can use simple infographics to draw comparison or to highlight the specific results that you want the committee members to take note of. The trick here is to make the information as captivating yet concise as possible. Make sure you put the spotlight on the findings that address the pain points or at least enhance the committee’s discretion regarding your thesis.

#6 Deliberation

On this slide for discussion, you have to enlighten the committee on how the findings have a bearing on your research. What it means for the issues that you listed as worthy of being addressed? You can elaborate how using your findings you have come up with some innovative solution to a problem.

#7 Conclusion

You have started well. So end well too. On the conclusion slide, just keep it short and sweet on how your research addresses the scope of the subject. You can also impress the committee with giving how your processed data can serve as the foundation stone of many more research projects in your field (if there is any).

Know your subject inside out. Take time to review what your thesis proposal tries to encompass. Enlist all the possible questions that you have found out to be of the committee’s interest.
Also, enlist the questions that you fear the committee may ask. These are trick questions for which you should have an answer ready.
You have to organize your thesis precisely. Take your time arranging your thoughts well.
Take a closer look at the already published manuscripts to have an idea of what content to dabble with while preparing for your dissertation defense.
Prepare handouts in accordance with your presentation. You can take printouts of the presentation slides and put them together so that the committee can follow along.
A quick proofread of all the material you prepare or print won’t hurt either.
Do not fret or be nervous about the presentation.
Do not clutter the presentation slides with content. Just keep it crisp enough so that the committee stays engaged with you while taking cues from the slides or handouts.
Do not forget to analyze the accuracy of the data sets and the projections. Your findings are your foundation. Accuracy and precision are key.

The dissertation defense

Had a good night sleep the day before the defense presentation? Good! Because a relaxed mind is paramount for an effective dissertation defense. The meeting is nothing short of a mental roller coaster. Before the presentation, hand out the printed slides to the committee so that they can follow along. During the dissertation defense, the committee will ask you questions on topics that pique their interest. So be ready to not lose focus no matter what.

Generally, the questions will mostly come at the discussion phase of the presentation so you must have a cohesive idea of how your research connects the dots. Mostly these questions will be based on why your dissertation matters, and how does it support future researches. The committee will also deliberate on the relevance of your findings to your career trajectory, besides any scope of future contributions. Here it is crucial that you have such information on your fingertips (although don’t fret if you do not know the answer at the ready).

Know your material inside out.
Check the meeting room arrangements an hour before the defense.
Greet the committee members. Make eye contact with each of them.
The committee is not there to torture you. They just want to examine the significance of your project for the university.
Give handouts to the panel before starting the presentation so that any incoherence can be avoided.
Pause before explaining each meticulous point of interest. Often the pressure gets the best of the most skilled orators too.
Always, and always, take notes when the committee asks questions.
Do not overburden your mind with data. Just know enough of important figures and you are good to go.
Avoid getting distracted by the presentation. Just keep small notes to help the committee stay up to speed.
Do not fall into the trap of “umm and uhhhh” during questioning. It is okay if you do not know the answer. Do not turn it into a fumbled description. You can try saying something encouraging like “I have not explored that asset to that extent, but would like to add that…” This shows your drive to learn and communicate well.
Do not panic if there is a glitch in your presentation or a power outage. Conduct the dissertation defense with confidence. That is what handouts are for.
Steer clear of speaking hurriedly to answer a question. Time slots can be a concern but the more you stay focused and calm, the easier you are able to handle the occasional bumps in the road.

For remote presentation

Incidentally, Covid-19 has changed the way academic presentations are conducted, though remote presentations were a thing in the past. In instances where you have to present your dissertation defense from a remote location, you must ensure proper testing of the video output that the committee members can see. Ask a friend to check it. Better yet, practice with an audience. Internet lapses can throw you off your track. So make sure you have checked each and every provision for the meeting. Last-minute obscurity of the slides may not be a good head start.

Now, for some people, employing the cyberspace to present their dissertation defense may not be ideal. Also, dissertation committee members may take part from different countries, so you have to be prepared. Make sure you email them the handouts or rather short notes so that it is easy for them to understand. Keep in touch with them digitally as and when feasible. The more you prepare in advance, the better.

After the presentation

If you have followed the steps given above, chances are that the committee has had a consensus on awarding you that YES based on your dissertation defense presentation. You have indeed earned that by being an expert in your field. But what to do after the presentation?

First and foremost, you have to officially thank all the committee members for their time and guidance. Take notes on whatever the members advise you regarding your research. Rather solicit feedback after you are done with the dissertation defense. You can also ask them to email their suggestions to you. It will help pave the way to your future courses of action. Be on the same page with your committee chairperson for what to do next. If the committee has deliberated on suggesting some revisions, you can incorporate them in your final manuscript.

Also since your research has been scrutinized well according to the university standards, you must get on with making copies of your manuscript once approved and signed by the committee members. Later on you can submit it to the university database in the library. You can also submit the final revised manuscript to your colleagues.

And then what? It is time to celebrate, of course. Circumstances and university guidelines permitting, you can have a nice celebratory function with the committee members and your family and friends to mark an important milestone in your career.

Ace that dissertation defense with these PPT templates

Since so much rests on your presentation before the committee, it is imperative that you make a mark with a well-designed presentation. You want to make a good impression with your dissertation defense. So, do it with bespoke professionally-designed dissertation defense PowerPoint presentation templates listed here. Read the highlights and choose the template that will speak for you.

As discussed above, your dissertation defense has to be your instrument of research during your master’s or PhD course. And good professional design in this template is the element you can harness. Plus the biggest beneficial factor is that you get to edit the slides in it as per your wish. In fact, when you prepare your key notes, you can just put them on the slides and present it with ease.

Download this template

We understand that every university may have a different requirement when it comes to presenting a well-researched thesis dissertation defense. So we have curated simple template designs that fulfill your needs. Take advantage of this completely editable deck to organize your thoughts and dissertation material to impress the thesis community from the get go. No matter what topic you have chosen to secure a master’s degree in, you will never go wrong with this template. Present with conviction. Present with confidence.

Meticulous is the mantra when presenting your dissertation defense with passion. It is your subject of expertise. So you must make a good impression when preparing your presentation. Take notes regarding the key points you have gotten in guidance from your adviser. Use this template with attractive infographic slides to put forward your points with credence.

When you need that zeal to support your dissertation defense, you have to present with well-represented facts and figures. This template offers fully editable design that you can mould as per your convenience. If you have fallen short of time, use this template to get bespoke design that amalgamates seamlessly with your dissertation defense content. This comes handy especially when you want the committee’s focus to be on your findings. That way, they will get straight to the point and ask questions that your research an answer.

Sure you have got some time on your hands to prepare a dissertation defense. But why spend hours and hours on figuring out the design and theme of your presentation? Do it quick with this uniform and comprehensive dissertation defense presentation template that will represent your thoughts in a much organized manner. The best part about this template is that it will come in handy in situations of time crunch when preparing for the defense has consumed much of your schedule. Smart work can make the dream work too.

Another template that will be a blessing for your readiness is this one. Herein you get a simple design that will structure your dissertation defense as per the university standards of professionalism. Usually, simplifying concepts for your audience takes a lot of studying and research, which may not leave you much time to prepare a cohesive presentation. The solution lies in this template. Just place your text onto the slides wherever applicable and remove the stuff you do not need. Present and win.

Some universities give preference to a more vibrant dissertation defense presentation. While the design requirement stays professional, a simple white theme with a smart color pattern can also magnetize the committee’s focus to your presentation. The more the retention of focus, the better are the chances of the committee understanding your subject and giving better feedback. You can leverage this recipe to success with the following template. Just edit in minutes and present with caliber.

If you want to project your ideas of research with an offbeat theme, try this template. The colors are easy on the eye and you can easily ace your dissertation defense. Plus the data charts for your findings can be used with easy to understand description. You must check with your university guidelines on drafting a presentation though. If it sticks by the rules, you have your perfect presentation at the ready.

Speaking of themes that appeal to the eye, this template has what it takes to get you that YES. No beating around the bush. Just cutting straight to the point, the template follows a procedural approach with design. Point after point, you can capture the essence of your PhD thesis in a structured manner. You can also rearrange the elements on the lucid slide to fit your requirements. Once you edit the slides, you can take printouts to give to your thesis committee for easy understanding.

Template 10

Explaining the pain points that your research is addressing takes a lot of well-structured analysis. Thereafter, aligning these points to a PowerPoint presentation that you have to make from scratch is not an easy task. Time is of the essence. And so is this thesis presentation ppt template. Edit the required text in 5 minutes with this efficient and user-friendly design. Believe in yourself and present an exquisite dissertation defense.

Template 11

The more you fidget about your presentation, the less confidence you will have. So you must concentrate on getting yourself better prepared instead of rummaging through old-school templates. Time management gets simplified when you use this template. With catchy design and highlights, this template will fit well with the professional dimensions of your dissertation defense. Get it now and get started with a bang.

Template 12

Talk of starting with a bang! To a layman, a dissertation defense may seem like an extremely scientific discussion full of jargon. But in reality it is a tool for a researcher to break down the most complex concepts and put a spotlight on their utility and admissibility through the lens of experts in the field. To tell your story the right way, use this professionally-designed template. This will be useful in those situations where you have a larger audience than just the committee.

Template 13

You know what can help you hit the bull’s eye? A good infographic. And this template has it, and much more. In fact, the infographics and icons follow a common theme to give your dissertation defense that professional edge. Just make sure you remove the dummy text wherever needed and input the text you have summarized in the abstract of your thesis. You can also use the data charts in the slides that follow to convince the committee members regarding your finding.

Template 14

Often students of master’s program ignore the importance of presenting a crisp methodology for their research in front of the thesis committee. With this template, you can use a timeline infographic to trace the projection of your research. Explain the methodology with crisp information for your audience. The template also has the bibliography slide to mention the sources of your data and project collateral. You can download the completely editable presentation and use it to sway the committee in your favor without a doubt.

Template 15

A key precaution that you ought to take while designing the perfect dissertation defense presentation is not to clutter the slides with too much text. Just keep everything crisp. In fact, to get the committee members more engaged with your slides and the corresponding handouts, use this template with minimal text. Just resize the font so that it is legible on the projection board. Clearer text with simple imagery can drive home the point that you came prepared with convincing figures.

Template 16

Icons sure are better than boring bullet points. They also add to the readability of your presentation. With this template, you can leverage an exceptional form of visual communication. You can keep as many icons as you like as per the cohesive theme that the template is designed on. Moreover, quicker presentation preparation will give you time to focus on organizing your thoughts for the dissertation defense. You can also tabulate your findings in the consecutive slides to give the committee more clarity.

Template 17

Definitive research warrants a well-structured dissertation defense. Elaborate your thoughts and ideas with this template. With this template you can offer in-depth analysis about your thesis while keeping the presentation well within the time frame as stipulated by the university guidelines. Make sure you are using the data charts and infographics the right way to represent the corresponding information. You can practice the presentation with ease through this template.

Template 18

It is all in what appeals to the eye; and in your case, the committee’s eyes. Each committee member can pose tricky questions about your study. Why is it relevant? What could be an alternative approach? Explain all that with simple points on this template that has visually appealing theme that grabs attention in an instant. You can make do without the extra slides at the back if you want to keep the presentation short. Just make sure you highlight each point of interest on every suitable slide.

Template 19

Since your thesis can catapult your prospects to successful heights, you might need a presentation that can make an impact even after you have gotten the approval of the committee and got your research published. For example, with the help of this template, you will have something that you can use for a business research proposal as well. Your dissertation proposal will be your USP for potential recruiters as well. So having this precisely designed and well-structured template will help you get the opportunity and projects you want.

Template 20

When it comes to a business setup, researchers are expected to come up with new ideas and proposals. Research is needed for sales expansion, marketing strategy and business growth. So when you get into that professional ecosystem, you must leverage your learning in the master’s program to devise well-structured research proposals as well. This template will help you put together every element of your research and project your vision for the company in an appealing manner. Present and convince the stakeholders within minutes.

Template 21

The best part about fully customizable slides in our collection is that we make it a point to elevate your presentation quotient with our designs. As far as a dissertation defense is concerned, you can easily achieve flexibility during the Q&A with the committee by keeping it short and sweet with this template. Mostly the committee is interested in how you handle the questions related to future implications of your research. You can include the points you are absolutely confident about in this template, so that the committee’s attention stays focused on these ideas. Edit this template as per your liking and let it speak for yourself.

Template 22

Every year, scholars after scholars submit their thesis and perform to their highest capacities in dissertation defense to get that coveted doctorate. Since universities expect them to adhere to the most significant levels of professionalism and structure, it is important for them to be outstanding. And outstanding comes from an outstanding template like this. It is the perfect blend of icons, visual appeal and flow. Use this template to present the most complex concepts in a simple manner.

So in conclusion, your dissertation defense has to go just perfectly for you to accomplish your academic and professional goals. And perfect comes from a perfect presentation. Follow this guide and choose from any of the listed templates to express your thoughts. If you need a little boost to that seat of success, let our design team handle the ride . Cheers to your bright future!

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Swath and Dive: A pattern for PhD defense presentations

In recent times I’m having the fortune of seeing several of my own doctoral students approach the end of the doctoral journey (yes, it does end!). As they submit the dissertation and prepare for their defense, there is one piece of advice I find myself giving again and again, about how to tackle the impossible task of presenting multiple years of research work in less than one hour. In this post, I describe a “presentation design pattern” for thesis defenses, which builds upon classic conceptualization exercises advocated in the blog. I also illustrate it with an example from my own thesis defense presentation, more than ten years ago (gasp!).

I still vividly remember when I had to prepare my defense presentation, how I tried to shoehorn tons of concepts into an impossibly small number of slides… which still were too many for the 45-minute talk I was supposed to give at the defense. After several rehearsals (with an audience!) and lots of feedback from my colleagues and advisors, I finally stumbled upon a solution. Later on, I have found that a similar structure was also helpful to other doctoral students preparing their defenses.

The rest of the post takes the form of a presentation design pattern , i.e., a description of “a problem that occurs over and over again in our environment, and […] the core of the solution to that problem, in such a way that you can use this solution a million times over, without ever doing it the same way twice." 1 (a concept originally proposed in architecture, and later used in software engineering, pedagogy and many other fields). I have called this pattern Swath and Dive (for reasons that will become obvious in a minute).

The context: when is this pattern applicable?

When you have to prepare an oral presentation for a doctoral dissertation defense. This pattern is especially helpful if the research is a bit complicated (e.g., composed of multiple contributions , multiple studies, or using multiple research methods) and it is not obvious what contents to include/exclude from the presentation.

What is the problem? What forces are at play?

The main problem this pattern tries to solve is the seeming impossibility of showing 3+ years of research work in less than one hour. While time restrictions and structure for the defense are different in different countries, typically 25-60 minutes are allocated for the presentation. This limited time is a key force at play, but there are others as well:

The sheer volume of a thesis dissertation’s contents (typically, a 100-500 pages document), which itself is a condensation of years of hard research work.
Defending PhD students need to prove to the jury that they are now competent, independent researchers (i.e., they master the literature of their topic, are able to apply a research methodology and think critically about the results ).
The varying levels of expertise and familiarity of the jury members with the concrete thesis topic.
The varying levels of knowledge that jury members have of the dissertation materials (i.e., did they read the dissertation document in full? with what level of attention?). While all members are supposed to have read the document, in practice there is a lot of heterogeneity in compliance.

The typical end product of these forces is what I call the “skimming” approach to the defense presentation (see picture below): The presentation provides only a very high level overview of the main elements of the dissertation document (sort of like a table of contents). More often than not, too much time is spent in the introductory and related literature parts of the presentation (which are somehow “safe”, less likely to be criticized – another instance of avoidance at work in the PhD ), and time runs out when the student is getting to the really interesting part for the jury (the student’s own work). This approach of course has the critical flaw of not showcasing enough of the student’s own abilities and research outcomes.

Skimming: picking just a shallow top layer, increasingly shallow as time runs out

Skimming: A typical approach to selecting thesis defense content

How to avoid “skimming” your dissertation? Enter Swath and Dive .

The solution: Swath and Dive

What I propose in this pattern is to structure the presentation in a different way, a way that tries to balance the need for an overview of the dissertation and (at least some of) the richness of the investigation and the hard work the student has put behind it. The proposed structure goes like this:

A swath is “a long broad strip or belt” of grass, often left by a scythe or a lawnmower. In the context of a dissertation defense presentation, this is where the student gives the overview of the main elements of the thesis: key related scientific literature , main research questions , contributions to knowledge the dissertation makes, etc. Long-time readers of the blog will recognize these key elements as the components of the CQOCE diagram , one of the key reflection exercises in the “Happy PhD Toolkit” to (iteratively) understand and discuss with supervisors the overall view of the thesis. Aside from those key elements, probably some notes about the research methodology followed (which are not part of the canonical CQOCE diagram exercise) will also be needed.

In a sense, the Swath is not so different from the typical “skimming” mentioned above. There are several crucial differences, however: 1) when developing the Swath , we need to keep in mind that this is only a part (say, 50%) of the presentation time/length/slides; 2) the Swath should give equal importance to all its key elements (e.g., avoiding too much time on the literature context of the thesis, and making the necessary time for the student’s own research questions, contributions and studies); and 3) the Swath does not need to follow the chapter structure of the dissertation manuscript, rather focusing on the aforementioned key elements (although scattering pointers to the relevant chapters will help orient the jury members who read the dissertation).

Then, within this high-level Swath describing the dissertation, when we mention a particular contribution or study, it is time to do…

This part of the presentation is where the student selects one study or finding of the thesis and zooms in to describe the nitty-gritty details of the evidence the student gathered and analyzed (if it is empirical research), how that was done, and what findings came out of such analysis. The goal here is to help the audience trace at least one of those high-level, abstract elements, all the way down to (some) particular pieces of the raw data, the evidence used to form them.

How to select which part to Dive into? That is a bit up to the student and the particular dissertation. The student can select the main contribution of the dissertation, the most surprising finding, the largest or most impressive study within the work, or the coolest, most novel, or most difficult research method that was used during the dissertation process (e.g., to showcase how skillfully and systematically it was used). The student should give all the steps of the logic leading from low-level evidence to high-level elements – or as much as possible within the time constraints of the presentation (say, 30% of the total length/time/slides).

An essential coda: Limitations and Future Work

Although this didn’t make it to the title of the pattern, I believe it is crucially important to keep in mind another element in any good defense presentation: the limitations of the student’s research work, and the new avenues for research that the dissertation opens. These two areas are often neglected in crafting the defense presentation, maybe with a single slide just copy-pasting a few ideas from the dissertation manuscript (which were themselves hastily written when the student was exhausted and rushing to finish the whole thing). Yet, if the student convinced the jury of her basic research competence and knowledge during the Swath and Dive part, a big part of the jury questions and discussion will focus on these apparently trivial sections.

When doing the limitations, the student should gloss over the obvious (e.g., sample could have been bigger, there are questions about the generalizability of results) and think a bit deeper about alternative explanations that cannot be entirely ruled out, debatable aspects of the methodology followed… squeeze your brain (and ask your supervisors/colleagues) to brainstorm as many ideas as possible, and select the most juicy ones. For future work, also go beyond the obvious and think big : if someone gave you one million dollars (or 10 million!), what cool new studies could continue the path you opened? what new methods could be applied? what experts would you bring from other disciplines to understand the phenomenon from a different perspective? what other phenomena could be studied in the same way as you did this one? Try to close the presentation with a vision of the brighter future that this research might unleash upon the world.

Give a high level overview of the key elements of the dissertation and a deep dive into at least one interesting finding

Swath and Dive: a different way of structuring your defense presentation

To understand how this pattern could look like, I can point you to my own thesis defense presentation, which is still available online . This is not because the presentation is perfect in any way, or even a good example (viewing it today I find it overcomplicated, and people complained of motion sickness due to its fast pace and Prezi’s presentation metaphor of moving along an infinite canvas)… but at least it will give you a concrete idea of what I described in abstract terms above.

If you play the presentation , you will notice that the first few slides (frames 1-6) just lay out the main construct the dissertation focuses on (“orchestration”), the structure of the presentation and its mapping to dissertation chapters. Then, the bulk of the presentation (frames 7-117) goes over the main elements of the dissertation according to the CQOCE diagram , i.e., the Swath part of the pattern. Within this high-level view of the dissertation, I inserted a short detour on the research methodology followed (frames 25-28) and, more importantly, several Dives into specific findings and the evidence behind them (frames 43-48, 66-72, and 99-112). Then, frames 118-136 provide the conclusive coda that includes the future work (but not the limitations, which were peppered through the Swath part of the presentation – a dubious choice, if you ask me today).

Variations and related patterns

As you can see from the example above, one does not need to follow the canonical version of Swath and Dive (mine is rather Swath and Three Dives ). Yet, paraphrasing Alexander, that is the point of the pattern: to have the core of the idea, which you can use to produce a million different solutions, tailored to your particular context and subject matter.

It is also important to realize that this structuring pattern for thesis defense presentations does not invalidate (rather, complements) other advice on preparing scientific presentations 2 , 3 , 4 and thesis defenses more specifically 5 . It is all very sound advice! For instance, once you have the structure of your Swath and Dive defense presentation, you could use the NABC technique to ensure that the Need, Approach, Benefits and Competition of each of your knowledge contributions are adequately emphasized. And you can rehearse intensively, and with an audience able to come up with nasty questions. And so on…

May you defend your thesis broadly and deeply!

Do you know other defense presentation structures that work really well in your discipline? Have you used Swath and Dive in your own defense successfully? Let us know (and share your examples) in the comments area below! (or leave a voice message)

Header image by DALL-E

Alexander, C., Ishikawa, S., & Silverstein, M. (1977). A Pattern Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction (Vol. 2). Oxford University Press. ↩︎

Carter, M. (2013). Designing science presentations: A visual guide to figures, papers, slides, posters, and more (First edition). Elsevier/Academic Press. ↩︎

Anholt, R. R. H. (2009). Dazzle ’Em with Style: The Art of Oral Scientific Presentation (2nd ed). Elsevier, Ebsco Publishing [distributor]. ↩︎

Alley, M. (2013). The craft of scientific presentations: Critical steps to succeed and critical errors to avoid (Second edition). Springer. ↩︎

Davis, M., Davis, K. J., & Dunagan, M. M. (2012). Scientific papers and presentations (Third edition). Elsevier/Academic Press. ↩︎

Dissertation
Communication

Luis P. Prieto

Luis P. is a Ramón y Cajal research fellow at the University of Valladolid (Spain), investigating learning technologies, especially learning analytics. He is also an avid learner about doctoral education and supervision, and he's the main author at the A Happy PhD blog.

Google Scholar profile

Reference management. Clean and simple.

How to prepare an excellent thesis defense

What is a thesis defense?

How long is a thesis defense, what happens at a thesis defense, your presentation, questions from the committee, 6 tips to help you prepare for your thesis defense, 1. anticipate questions and prepare for them, 2. dress for success, 3. ask for help, as needed, 4. have a backup plan, 5. prepare for the possibility that you might not know an answer, 6. de-stress before, during, and after, frequently asked questions about preparing an excellent thesis defense, related articles.

If you're about to complete, or have ever completed a graduate degree, you have most likely come across the term "thesis defense." In many countries, to finish a graduate degree, you have to write a thesis .

A thesis is a large paper, or multi-chapter work, based on a topic relating to your field of study.

Once you hand in your thesis, you will be assigned a date to defend your work. Your thesis defense meeting usually consists of you and a committee of two or more professors working in your program. It may also include other people, like professionals from other colleges or those who are working in your field.

During your thesis defense, you will be asked questions about your work. The main purpose of your thesis defense is for the committee to make sure that you actually understand your field and focus area.

The questions are usually open-ended and require the student to think critically about their work. By the time of your thesis defense, your paper has already been evaluated. The questions asked are not designed so that you actually have to aggressively "defend" your work; often, your thesis defense is more of a formality required so that you can get your degree.

Check with your department about requirements and timing.
Re-read your thesis.
Anticipate questions and prepare for them.
Create a back-up plan to deal with technology hiccups.
Plan de-stressing activities both before, and after, your defense.

How long your oral thesis defense is depends largely on the institution and requirements of your degree. It is best to consult your department or institution about this. In general, a thesis defense may take only 20 minutes, but it may also take two hours or more. The length also depends on how much time is allocated to the presentation and questioning part.

Tip: Check with your department or institution as soon as possible to determine the approved length for a thesis defense.

First of all, be aware that a thesis defense varies from country to country. This is just a general overview, but a thesis defense can take many different formats. Some are closed, others are public defenses. Some take place with two committee members, some with more examiners.

The same goes for the length of your thesis defense, as mentioned above. The most important first step for you is to clarify with your department what the structure of your thesis defense will look like. In general, your thesis defense will include:

your presentation of around 20-30 minutes
questions from the committee
questions from the audience (if the defense is public and the department allows it)

You might have to give a presentation, often with Powerpoint, Google slides, or Keynote slides. Make sure to prepare an appropriate amount of slides. A general rule is to use about 10 slides for a 20-minute presentation.

But that also depends on your specific topic and the way you present. The good news is that there will be plenty of time ahead of your thesis defense to prepare your slides and practice your presentation alone and in front of friends or family.

Tip: Practice delivering your thesis presentation in front of family, friends, or colleagues.

You can prepare your slides by using information from your thesis' first chapter (the overview of your thesis) as a framework or outline. Substantive information in your thesis should correspond with your slides.

Make sure your slides are of good quality— both in terms of the integrity of the information and the appearance. If you need more help with how to prepare your presentation slides, both the ASQ Higher Education Brief and James Hayton have good guidelines on the topic.

The committee will ask questions about your work after you finish your presentation. The questions will most likely be about the core content of your thesis, such as what you learned from the study you conducted. They may also ask you to summarize certain findings and to discuss how your work will contribute to the existing body of knowledge.

Tip: Read your entire thesis in preparation of the questions, so you have a refreshed perspective on your work.

While you are preparing, you can create a list of possible questions and try to answer them. You can foresee many of the questions you will get by simply spending some time rereading your thesis.

Here are a few tips on how to prepare for your thesis defense:

You can absolutely prepare for most of the questions you will be asked. Read through your thesis and while you're reading it, create a list of possible questions. In addition, since you will know who will be on the committee, look at the academic expertise of the committee members. In what areas would they most likely be focused?

If possible, sit at other thesis defenses with these committee members to get a feel for how they ask and what they ask. As a graduate student, you should generally be adept at anticipating test questions, so use this advantage to gather as much information as possible before your thesis defense meeting.

Your thesis defense is a formal event, often the entire department or university is invited to participate. It signals a critical rite of passage for graduate students and faculty who have supported them throughout a long and challenging process.

While most universities don't have specific rules on how to dress for that event, do regard it with dignity and respect. This one might be a no-brainer, but know that you should dress as if you were on a job interview or delivering a paper at a conference.

It might help you deal with your stress before your thesis defense to entrust someone with the smaller but important responsibilities of your defense well ahead of schedule. This trusted person could be responsible for:

preparing the room of the day of defense
setting up equipment for the presentation
preparing and distributing handouts

Technology is unpredictable. Life is too. There are no guarantees that your Powerpoint presentation will work at all or look the way it is supposed to on the big screen. We've all been there. Make sure to have a plan B for these situations. Handouts can help when technology fails, and an additional clean shirt can save the day if you have a spill.

One of the scariest aspects of the defense is the possibility of being asked a question you can't answer. While you can prepare for some questions, you can never know exactly what the committee will ask.

There will always be gaps in your knowledge. But your thesis defense is not about being perfect and knowing everything, it's about how you deal with challenging situations. You are not expected to know everything.

James Hayton writes on his blog that examiners will sometimes even ask questions they don't know the answer to, out of curiosity, or because they want to see how you think. While it is ok sometimes to just say "I don't know", he advises to try something like "I don't know, but I would think [...] because of x and y, but you would need to do [...] in order to find out.” This shows that you have the ability to think as an academic.

You will be nervous. But your examiners will expect you to be nervous. Being well prepared can help minimize your stress, but do know that your examiners have seen this many times before and are willing to help, by repeating questions, for example. Dora Farkas at finishyourthesis.com notes that it’s a myth that thesis committees are out to get you.

Two common symptoms of being nervous are talking really fast and nervous laughs. Try to slow yourself down and take a deep breath. Remember what feels like hours to you are just a few seconds in real life.

Try meditational breathing right before your defense.
Get plenty of exercise and sleep in the weeks prior to your defense.
Have your clothes or other items you need ready to go the night before.
During your defense, allow yourself to process each question before answering.
Go to dinner with friends and family, or to a fun activity like mini-golf, after your defense.

Allow yourself to process each question, respond to it, and stop talking once you have responded. While a smile can often help dissolve a difficult situation, remember that nervous laughs can be irritating for your audience.

We all make mistakes and your thesis defense will not be perfect. However, careful preparation, mindfulness, and confidence can help you feel less stressful both before, and during, your defense.

Finally, consider planning something fun that you can look forward to after your defense.

It is completely normal to be nervous. Being well prepared can help minimize your stress, but do know that your examiners have seen this many times before and are willing to help, by repeating questions for example if needed. Slow yourself down, and take a deep breath.

Your thesis defense is not about being perfect and knowing everything, it's about how you deal with challenging situations. James Hayton writes on his blog that it is ok sometimes to just say "I don't know", but he advises to try something like "I don't know, but I would think [...] because of x and y, you would need to do [...] in order to find out".

Your Powerpoint presentation can get stuck or not look the way it is supposed to do on the big screen. It can happen and your supervisors know it. In general, handouts can always save the day when technology fails.

Dress for success.
Ask for help setting up.
Have a backup plan (in case technology fails you).
Deal with your nerves.

Slidesgo School
Presentation Tips

How to Start a Thesis Defense Presentation

After months and years of hard work, the moment to wrap things all up is finally here—your thesis defense presentation.

Whether you’re pursuing a master’s degree or doctorate, it’s the final step to that much-deserved achievement.

A thesis defense requires a lot of prior research and preparation. And as important as its content is, so is how you present it because a stunning design with clear data and text hierarchy plays an immense role in comprehension.

In this article, we’ll explore how you make your thesis defense .

The organization is the key to success. Establishing some previous steps before any project or work is essential for the result to be very positive. And the defense of a thesis could not be less.

Below, we will develop all the necessary steps to make a thesis defense presentation and we will give you some tips on how to carry them out.

How to Make an Amazing Presentation

Defining the concept of your thesis presentation, structuring your thesis defense presentation, how do you welcome the audience, tell them why you did this thesis, go into the content by explaining your thesis part by part, how to end the defense of the thesis.

After a long time of research and study, the content of your thesis is ready. Now, you have to find the best way to reflect all that effort behind your work. The information comes across more clearly if you use a visual format, as it attracts the attention of the audience. To present your thesis information in a clear, concise, and ultimately amazing way, you can use one of our unique thesis defense templates , available at Slidesgo.

As an example, in this article, we are going to use the Ecology Thesis template . With it, we will show you what to include in your presentation and how to make an attractive design.

After choosing the Google Slides and PowerPoint template that best suits the needs and subject matter of your thesis, it is time to define an overarching concept.

This is the main theme on which your designs are based. It must be relevant to your thesis as its purpose is to guide your selection of colors, typography, images, style, etc.

These must be portrayed in a way that supports the main message of your slides and should be aligned with your concept both visually and sociologically.

Once you have defined the concept, you will have to move on to the next step: structuring the content of your thesis. A good structure will show that there is a good organization behind the work, but most importantly: it will highlight your content.

In this article, we are going to show you a structure that could be a good example of how to structure a thesis, but you can adapt it to what your specific content requires.

Before you begin your thesis defense, you should welcome your audience. A good presentation will make you connect with your audience, which will result in more general interest in your work.

Use an appropriate language register (avoid informal language), but be approachable and natural.

"Welcome to the thesis defense on [the title of your thesis]". Next, introduce yourself with your name and give a short description of your background and occupation.

Don't forget to say “thank you for attending!”

To continue establishing that connection with your audience, explain the reasons that led you to do this thesis. Tell the professional reasons, and you can even say some personal ones, which will denote closeness, and your audience will appreciate it.

Now it's time to go into the content of the thesis ! After these preliminary steps, which are just as important as the thesis itself, it is time to explain part by part the structure (which you had previously established). We are going to propose a structure for your project, but the final decision is always yours!

First impressions are very important. Because your title page is the very first thing viewers see, it must be striking and impactful. It also sets the stage for the rest of your slides.

In one glance, the following should be established:

Thesis defense topic
Design style

For instance, the ecology thesis’s title page uses illustrations of a natural landscape to represent the topic of nature and a striking shade of blue to set the tone.

The sans serif font used depicts clean-cut typography and style and the thesis topic is written in large and bold typography, which draws attention to it immediately.

Right after your title page, include an introduction slide to provide more details about your topic.

This means explaining what you hope to answer with your research, its importance to your field, and why you chose it.

Continue to incorporate design elements relevant to your concept. This example has done just that by using a different natural landscape and including animals. For coherence, stick to the same typography and style throughout your presentation.

The aim of the literature review slide is to illustrate your knowledge of your thesis topic and any relevant theories.

Walls of text kill a design. For clarity, we recommend presenting this with bullet points. Each one should be short and sweet and only touch on the basics; you can elaborate on them in your speech.

Don’t forget to be consistent with your design. In our example, we’ve maintained the tone of blue chosen and added illustrations of leaves in the far corners of the slide.

Also, address similar research that has been done. This is to showcase your topic’s originality and, if relevant, how it’s different and/or an improvement from previously done research.

This is one of the most important parts of a thesis defense presentation.

It allows your viewers to assess the rationality and validity of your approach and consequently, the accuracy of your results.

A great methodology slide explains the what , how, and why :

What method did you use for your research
Why did you choose it
How did you conduct it

Because this part of your thesis will be rather technical, the most effective way to aid understanding is by using graphics like charts and tables.

Keep text to a minimum to avoid drawing attention away from the graphics. If there is a text that must absolutely be included, consider using bullet points and keep them short.

Don’t forget to maintain color, style, and typography coherence.

The results slides are easily the most quantitative part of a thesis defense.

Here, your aim is to simply introduce your findings. Select the most impactful data and highlight them here.

Just as with methodology, use graphics like charts, tables, and graphs to portray the data in a clear way. And, once again, try not to write too much text. Let the visual content do the talking .

After you’ve introduced your data, the next step would be to help your audience make sense of it. That means understanding what it means in the context of your thesis research topic and your discipline.

Simply put, you should answer the question: What do the numbers mean?

The best way to approach this would be to do it as if you were creating an infographic .

Illustrations like icons are a quick and simple way to represent your message. It also reduces the amount of text on your slide, which makes the information much more digestible.

For a balanced thesis presentation, you should also address any outliers and anomalies.

To quote bestselling author Robin Sharma, “Starting strong is good. Finishing strong is epic.”

That’s exactly what to aim for in your conclusion.

Provide an overview of your thesis topic and remind your audience what you set out to answer with your research. In our example, we’ve used three icons accompanied by a short title and text.

Following that, reiterate the important points of your research results you want your audience to take away from your thesis defense presentation.

You can do so by expanding the next slide to have more icons and points, for example.

Don’t forget to address any shortcomings and limitations in your approach and extra points for suggesting possible improvements for future research.

We are going to give you a little tip to make your thesis defense a success. You can combine your defense with good public speaking techniques. Take a look at our article "How to become a great speaker" .

We hope this article has been of great help, have you already seen our templates to make the presentation of your thesis ? Choose the one that best suits your needs, we are sure that one of them will go perfectly with your thesis presentation!

Good luck from Slidesgo.

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10 Tips To Prepare PhD Thesis Defense Presentation

“ PhD thesis defense presentation is prepared at the terminal of the degree to show the research work in the form of a PowerPoint Presentation. Students often fail miserably because they lack knowledge of presentation. Here are some tips to help them.”

Firstly, congratulate yourself. You have gone through all the pains, problems, and stress and that’s come to over. PhD is a difficult task, indeed. So have done fantastic work, If you are on the way to preparing your PhD defense presentation.

But my friend, the game is yet not over. You are now at the critical phase and now chances of errors are less. For that 1-hour discussion session, everything should be nearly perfect. From your presentation (with a number of slides) to how you will present.

You have to care about every single point starting from the number of slides, text, visuals, content quantity, and audience attention to the final conclusion. Everything must be in your control.

But unfortunately, it’s not a story for many. Students fail to give a good presentation, even though their work is great. And advised for re-viva. There are so many reasons for that. Three major points that fail a presentation are– presentation preparation, delivery and audience engagement.

What is a thesis defense?

The thesis defense is a process to justify your work with logical arguments with the referees. To know more read this article: Defending a PhD thesis like a boss!- an in-depth Guide .

In this article, I will give you 10 tips– proven, practical and actionable to give an amazing PhD thesis defense presentation. Stay tuned.

10 Tips for PhD Thesis Defense Presentation

1. plan your presentation .

PhD is all about planning– I mean, proper planning. So, you also have to plan for your presentation. Remember, you are at the last stage of getting the honor hence things must be nearly perfect and in your favor.

Make a rough outline of the points you will discuss in the presentation. Don’t forget to include major and important points. Moreover, give a strong introduction by keeping in mind that the audience is totally unaware of the topic.

Plan how much text you will use, and the thing about how the evaluator understands and interprets it. Accordingly, prepare your answers. Last, constrain the content in the number of slides recommended by the university.

Organize each point in a logical sequence and around your research topic only. Don’t give too much information.

2. Text to the visual ratio

Your success in the presentation depends on the attention and retention time on each slide. So you should have to balance every slide with texts and visuals. Texts should create curiosity which visuals satisfy and vice versa.

If your text-to-visual ratio is good, people will give more attention to your talk. However, I strongly recommend not using visuals on every slide. Use when and only it’s needed. After all, it’s a professional demonstration.

Don’t fill too much text in a slide and the visuals too. Don’t use every image you captured for your results. Use it in the form of one master image, table or chart to show results. Visuals are great for the eyes– the next point explains.

3. Use visuals

Imagine there are two types of information on the slide, one written in the form of long text and another in the form of visuals, charts, bars, images and tables, where do you focus? What attracts you more?

Obviously the second one!

Summarize your ideas, findings and results in the form of a chart, bar, image, table or anything that looks good. Visual helps your audience to engage and at the same time makes things easier to understand.

Nonetheless, do care about the ratio. Don’t use too many visuals on every slide.

4. Number of slides

If I ask you, what is the main goal to present your work? To engage an audience and deliver your work. But your research work would only be delivered if people will engage with it. There is a psychology behind numbers.

People don’t want more if it isn’t understandable. So if at the beginning of the presentation, they know that you have 50 to 60 slides, they naturally feel bored. Try using fewer slides. It creates curiosity. Give more time to explain your point.

Ideally, I recommend using 20 to 22 slides.

5. Practice to present

Practice makes everyone perfect.

What is more important– Giving more time to prepare the presentation or on how to deliver it? As I aforementioned, planning is the key to success even though you know everything about your research.

Give more time for preparation. Know which slide contains which point, what is more important, and which slide would take more time. Where to stay and explain, and where to go in a rush. You should have to know everything in order to control the entire session.

Practice becoming more comfortable with the content you prepared. Record or observe your delivery scheme. Adjust your tone, speech, pace and body language accordingly.

6. Engage people

People will only admire your work only if they engage. So first, follow the previous point– focus on how you will deliver your presentation. In addition, create curiosity, ask questions, and give some amazing information timely, encourage them to ask questions.

Also, engage people psychologically— keep a small smile, look confident, and see in their eyes while explaining your point. Dress decently to attract. Use different hand gestures and styles to gain their focus.

7. Language

You should have a strong grip on the language. If not, work on it, at least for your presentation. Do use transition words to control the flow and engage people. Use emotions with each transition. Use can use words like— furthermore, in addition, however, unfortunately, fortunately, nonetheless, etc.

Do learn which transition work to use when, why and how, and accordingly use the exact emotion to use it. This increases the overall attention on your presentation.

8. Strong conclusion

All’s well that ends well.

Give a strong conclusion. To end your presentation, give a quick summary– verbally and conclude your point or research in a sentence that best describes it. Create a positive impact by explaining how it would help society or mankind.

Show a strong emotion to depict the conclusion. Your conclusion should satisfy the audience and inspire them to learn more and ask questions.

9. Be prepared for discussion

Now once your session ends, it’s now open for discussion. Encourage or confidently tell the audience to ask their queries. Answer each question to the point and logically. Explain concepts rather than points.

Admire them for asking questions, and say thank you for their involvement. In case you don’t know the answer, accept it and convince them that you will find the answer.

10. Technical considerations

The first slide should have your research title, name, guide name and all other credentials necessary.
The title should be large enough to read and bold.
Every slide should have titles and each must be readable enough.
Every slide should have a slide number.
The fond style for presentation is “Times New Roman”.
There are no guidelines for font size but every font should be readable enough.
Visuals are clear enough and have high quality.
Use bold, underline, and highlight when needed.
Use at least 1.5 spacing between lines.
The presentation file must be in ‘.ppt’.

Wrapping up

Our students have amazing experience delivering their presentations because we have a huge experience on how to prepare it, deliver it and play with the audience’s mind. Our students prepare well, follow our guidelines and know what questions the referee or audience will ask.

The reason is their preparation and control over their presentation. If you want to make your presentation amazing you can contact us. I will personally guide you in a 1-hour class. Nonetheless, by keeping these points in mind you can make a difference with your ppt.

I hope this information and tips will help you to deliver an amazing PhD thesis defense presentation.

Dr. Tushar Chauhan is a Scientist, Blogger and Scientific-writer. He has completed PhD in Genetics. Dr. Chauhan is a PhD coach and tutor.

About The Author

Dr Tushar Chauhan

10 Practical Tips for PhD in Biology + Life Sciences

10 Basic Computational Skills For PhD Students

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What is the best "last slide" in a thesis presentation?

There are some possible options as the last slide of a typical thesis presentation. I've heard of some possibilities:

A question-mark image (as the time to be slaughtered by the referees!),

A Thank You declaration (There are some negative viewpoints about these two options.),

A slide including summary of the presented ideas,

A slide reflecting the presenter's contact info (I think it does not really make sense for a thesis presenter.),

A slide including a quote (I really doubt it's the best way.),

What is the best practice to arrange the last slide, then?!

presentation

8 There are probably also cultural differences to consider. In France it's customary not to thank the audience at the end of the defense -- you only thank everyone once the jury has decided to award the degree to you (or not, if they don't...). So option #2 would not be doable in France, for example. – user9646 Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 8:59
3 I'd finish on a one-liner that summarises what the audience should take away. Or the biggest lesson that you have learnt. – user2768 Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 14:13
8 Don't make it the last slide, stop at the summary, but have additional slides afterwards giving any figures or data that might be useful in answering the questions that follow. You might not need them, but they are there just in case you do. – Dikran Marsupial Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 18:40
55 Clearly this – David Z Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 19:34
3 Why Not Zoidberg? ;) Seriously though, probably a good choice is the conclusions slide... I used one on my slides that you can see here . – Andrea Lazzarotto Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 16:24

14 Answers 14

The last slide will typically be seen for some minutes after you finished talking – until you jump to some other slide for addressing a question. This is something that you should use. If you ended your talk with a summary (which is a good thing in most cases), leaving that slide gives the audience opportunity to reflect on your talk, remember what they wanted to ask a question about, or just let your central messages sink in. If they do not want to do this, but focus on the questions, they are not distracted by anything new that you didn’t talk about.

The main exception is if you find it difficult to orally convey that the talk has finished – in that case a thank you slide or an any questions? slide may be the lesser evil and save you from a few seconds of awkward silence that everybody needs to realise your talk is over. Note that you can use such a slide as a backup behind your summary slide – if you manage to finish your talk on the summary slide, the audience never gets to see it. If you botch it, you can quickly jump to the summary slide.

In most situations, however, I consider thank you slides and any questions? slides pointless, as they do not tell the audience anything new and are things that you or the chair have to say. A quote would distract the audience from the questions – unless you are going to read it, but then the quote has to really fit the occasion. Your contact information does not need an entire slide and can usually be fitted on the bottom of the summary slide.

Finally note that on some rare occasions, the following order of slides may work:

main talk with main results
summary and outlook
one or two appetiser slides illustrating first steps into what you just announced as future work, e.g., to show that you paved the way for something interesting.

In this case, you can either jump back to the summary slide or stay on your last appetizer slide – depending on what is more attractive.

8 +1 - for everything in this (particularly noting that the 'thank you' or 'any questions' slides seem pointless unless speaker has a hard time 'closing' a talk. (And then, just flash it and get back to the summary slide so you don't leave non-content fluff up in front of audience for longer than any other slide in the talk while waiting for questions, etc. – Carol Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 14:18
34 @Carol I find your comment deeply unsettling . (I do fully agree with it though.) ;) – Martin Ender Commented Apr 16, 2017 at 22:22
6 The "any questions" slide is not only useless - it's rude. The presenter is usually not the host of a meeting - it's chair's responsibility to decide whether there is time for questions, and when it's appropriate to open the discussion. – BartoszKP Commented Apr 19, 2017 at 18:38
8 @BartoszKP I strongly disagree that it's rude. Even if the host has absolute authority over the structure of the meeting (which seems strange to me, especially at a defense, since presumably the speaker knows the schedule and can see the clock), the speaker is merely signaling that they are ready to take questions. – JeffE Commented Aug 18, 2017 at 2:55
2 @JeffE You're right, that the intent can be clear, and be a simple signal that they are ready for questions, but it looks rude, regardless of the intent. It looks like "taking over" the meeting, intruding into the position of a host. Especially at a defense, which usually is a quite formal occasion, with quite strictly defined structure and quite strictly defined rules of behaviour. – BartoszKP Commented Aug 18, 2017 at 10:00

Another alternative I have tried recently is putting thumbnails of all the previous slides on it:

It's just a recent experiment, though; I don't have enough data to tell if it's the best last slide. Apart from the eye-candy, I think it can be useful as a pseudo-summary if your slides are sufficiently recognizable (for instance, if they have pictures).

For sure it helps solving the problem mentioned in another answer: "You had this formula on one slide. Can you go back? ... No not that one, before that ... Ahh yes that one."

It's kind-of tricky to do automatically in beamer, though. You can always do it manually by copying the output file somewhere else and specifying the page numbers manually, which is how I achieved it:

20 Interesting touch... but don't you think it might not transfer any meaningful idea to the audience? Especially when there is a multitude of slides. So, the thumbnails will be very small and unreadable. – user41207 Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 6:36
14 @Roboticist Depends on your goal... If you want to transfer meaningful ideas with your last slide, this works definitely worse than a summary but definitely better than a big question mark. :) The thing I wanted to do is trying to remind the audience of the content of your talk by appealing to visual memory. Just a random thing I am trying, anyway, it's not like I have research on its effectiveness. :) If there are too many slides, you can choose to include only the "most important" ones. – Federico Poloni Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 6:43
11 This is great! As a bonus it provides incentive to keep presentations within a reasonable number of slides. – user1717828 Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 12:17
25 And if it a computer science course you should include this last slide in the thumbnails, recursively, all the way down. – Dithermaster Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 14:32
12 “It's just a recent experiment, though; I don't have enough data to tell if it's the best last slide” Now we are all wondering how many thesis defenses you are going to do in order to test this approach with enough data. :D – Andrea Lazzarotto Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 16:26

If I were on your thesis committee I would be most happy with your slides if they were your original work and represented your own personal tastes and sensibilities. Therefore I would be more impressed with even a goofy or weird last slide that I knew you actually came up with yourself and made sense to you, than one that was proposed to you by people on academia.se, even if it were ostensibly more professional looking or slick.

In other words, the "best last slide" is, by definition, whatever you decide it is.

And yes, I realize this is a bit of a smartass answer. I am trying to make a point here about the value of original thought, and hope that some people will find this perspective helpful or thought provoking. But to anyone who doesn't get it or thinks I am barking up the wrong tree, feel free to downvote this answer.

2 I actually think it's a good sensible answer. – Nobody Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 8:33
3 Knowing when to learn from Academia.SE is important. I'd say "designing the last slide" is one of the cases where one can learn and not reinvent the wheel. – svavil Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 23:43
12 @svavil if OP had framed the question as "what are some good ideas for the last slide" then I would agree that that's a reasonable thing to get advice on here. But the question is framed in a way that assumes there's a unique "best last slide", which I find off-putting. In general, many questions here seek advice on optimizing every little nuance of academic life. At some point I think it makes sense to encourage people to think for themselves. And as I said, I am more impressed by people who put personal/creative touches into their work even if the result is quirky and a little less slick. – Dan Romik Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 23:51
@DanRomik thanks, the last comment makes your stance clearer. – svavil Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 23:52
3 This. My last slide was a picture of the beach I was planning to spend the next month on, trying to recover from the ordeal of writing the damn thing. It got a laugh from the audience and helped me have something to look forward to while answering the questions :) – terdon Commented Apr 17, 2017 at 21:56

In my opinion, the best last slide is a short summary of your presentation. It should contain the question you researched and what your result was. This has several advantages:

Your audience can recapitulate your talk. This allows them to better place what you told them in your conclusion and why what you did is awesome. Following the scheme "Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them what you told them." makes your topic easier to understand. Since it is a graduate thesis, chances are your topic is rather complex and merits recapitulation.

This is the last slide your audience is going to see and should be the "take home message". So it can be a condensed version of what you presented, now that you explained all they need to know. This is going to fortify what the audience remembers from your talk.

A recapitulation also offers the referees prime material for slaughtering you (in the positive sense). You can keep all your used variable names, concepts, definitions, etc. on this slide so that the referees remember them. This makes asking questions so much easier and prevents question of the style: "You had this formula on one slide. Can you go back? ... No not that one, before that ... Ahh yes that one." If this is out of the way, you can directly jump to the interesting questions.

It's not anything particular to a thesis presentation, but I've found that an acknowledgement slide is a solid last slide for the presentation. It's a choice that I've found rather common from experienced presenters (e.g. visiting professors when giving seminar talks.)

I agree with others in saying that slides with just "Any Questions" or "Thank You" isn't the best. They're rather content free, and such sentiments can be handled verbally. (Also, depending on how things are handled, your advisor or committee chair may be the one to open the floor for questions and select who asks the next question, in which case it may be slightly awkward if you've already opened the floor for questions.)

Instead, you can take the opportunity at the very end of your talk to thank and acknowledge the people who have helped you out. Generally this takes the form of a photo of your advisor's group, often with a list of names of others in your group, along with several columns of names pointing out any collaborators. It's also nice to point out in a corner any funding sources, if you received any grants or scholarships which supported the work. If you put their names up in writing you don't necessarily need to read out everyones name, but it is good to point out some of the key people and potentially mention their specific contribution.

One caution is to keep the amount of talking you do on your acknowledgment slide brief. I'd recommend a minute or so at most. Spend too long - particularly with a bland recitation of 20+ names - and you'll bore the audience. If you're going to name names, pick out just a few key people whose help you'd like to highlight. Err on the side of being too brief rather than too effusive. If you have individual names up, you can acknowledge in groups ("my collaborators in the Smith Group") rather than individually.

With an acknowledgement slide you have a rather "neutral" slide that clearly signals the end of the presentation, but contains a non-trivial amount of content in itself.

Note: You didn't mention which field you were in, so I gave an answer from my experience in biochemistry. Do keep in mind that presentation styles do vary somewhat from field to field. If it's not common in your field for experienced people giving seminars to present an acknowledgement slide, please ignore my answer and pick something that's more common to your field.

3 While this is certainly laudable, it's also likely that this will bore at least a part of the audience. In that respect, presentations are quite a bit like movies - when the credits (that producers are ethically, and possibly even legally, obliged to show) start rolling, almost the entire audience stops watching and leaves. – O. R. Mapper Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 17:19
@O.R.Mapper Oh, certainly. Spending too long on an acknowledgment slide is indeed terribly boring. I added in more mention of keeping it brief. -- Even then, I agree some people will "zone out". If you're lucky, they'll take the "free" time to formulate the question they want to ask you. – R.M. Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 17:36
5 I second @O.R.Mapper here: Any form of acknowledgement at the end of the talk is lethal to attention, enthusiasm, and flow. The only thing I consider bearable is if you just show the acknowledgement slide but do not talk about it – but then it still steals the attention of your audience. If your talk has “coäuthors”, list them on the title slide. If specific parts have collaborators, mention them on the respective slides (but only in writing). Funders can also be acknowledged on the title slide. – Wrzlprmft ♦ Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 19:19
3 I prefer acknowledgements up front as part of the settling-in phase. – The Nate Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 2:45

Most people won't remember where they had questions without some help. So if you want questions from the audience, end with a summary slide. And if you don't want questions, just write: "Thank you! Any Questions?"

That's how my thesis tutor described it, great advice!

Wouldn't that be the other way around? Remind them if you want questions, and don't remind them if you don't? – timuzhti Commented Apr 17, 2017 at 6:53
1 @Alpha3031: That's the point, that explicitly inviting questions is not as effective as laying the groundwork for questions. – Ben Voigt Commented Apr 17, 2017 at 17:02

What I was advised to do and have seen done several times, and it worked rather well was to highlight 3-4 main pertinent points, specifically:

brief reiteration of the research problem
reiteration of a main aspect of the method
a statement or 2 of the main result/outcome of the results

Underneath, I included my email address and any other main researchers - with a statement that if they wished to receive a copy of the presentation to contact by email - but check to see if this is allowed first.

(The slides before had the acknowledgements and references)

This way, while questions and/or discussion was occurring, a clear and concise summary of the presentation remained projected.

Having gone through many variations myself, more recently I settled on putting a brief bibliography on the last page. I think it is more meaningful than a "thank you" or "questions?" page (certainly more meaningful than some "inspirational" quote!), and perhaps more appropriate than contact details. Of course it does not prevent me from having a summary (if applicable) on the next-to-last page.

The bibliography need not be long; it may include references to your prior research relevant to the current presentation, or other key pieces of literature that anyone in the audience who became interested in the topic of your presentation might benefit from. (A couple of times I went overboard and had two dense bibliography pages; I don't think that was a good idea.)

I have not yet had to prepare and present a thesis but I have done a lot of presentations for my studies.

I usually use a dark background for my first slide, with the title in a light coloured font and use a light background with dark text for the presentation so my solution is to have a blank last slide with a dark background.

I usually thank the jury for their attention verbally, as a sign the presentation is finished so I do not need to thank them "in text" which feels awkward.

I also avoid the "Any questions ?" slide, especially if it is going to stay on display. I rather say something close to "If you have any question feel free to ask them I/we will do my/our best to answer them".

The reason I don't leave the summary visible too long is that I find I tend to read it over and over again when watching a presentation rather than listening to other peoples questions. If I'm like that I'm sure, or at least I hope, other are as well.

Would the downvoter explain what's wrong with this answer? – Nobody Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 8:08
3 I did not downvote, but the answer is a bit unclear. Is the proposed solution simply a blank last slide? – user21264 Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 9:26
Yes that's it. I could maybe edit my answer to make it more obious. It should be noted though that I usually have a very simple summary of the key points and/or conclusions before that blank slide. – Valentin Pearce Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 9:30
Also, it should fit in your presentation's overall appearance, to show that it is, in a way, part of it and not just a white slide. – Valentin Pearce Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 9:32

US Military typically employs option 3 as the penultimate slide, followed by a slide asking for questions, followed by the statement or a slide "This concludes my brief" or presentation.

For the presentation of a thesis, option 3 is always good for a penultimate slide at which you can ask for questions. I'd follow that with a thank you slide to conclude.

Interesting and practical response, thank you! – user70612 Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 15:04
1 @Saturnus Thanks. This is my first post on the site. I think a summary should always be included in any good conclusion, like most of us are taught in grade school. – user26439 Commented Apr 15, 2017 at 15:12

I've been at a Master thesis defence, where professor N., known for his inspiring and engaged teaching style, and admired by many students, was present. At the end of the presentation, the last slide said

Thank you for your attention!

The chairman asked whether there are questions, and as usual, there was one from N. The student answered, and then clicked to the next slide, saying

Thank you for your attention, professor N.!

This will depend largely on what happens after your presentation. If the last slide will stay on screen during discussions between the thesis committee and you, a picture representing your work (e.g. your thesis cover) might be a good choice.

How about combining option 2 and 3

Since I sometimes find it hard to round-off a presentation without creating an awkward silence, but do not like having a slide saying only "Thank you", let me offer one more alternative.

Have a last slide with a summary/conclusion of your main results, and possibly some future work. Also end the talk by quickly reiterating your main result(s). Then at the end, let the words "Thank you" (or "Questions?" or whatever you want to end the presentation with) appear at the bottom of this slide. I usually use a slightly larger font and different color, such that it stands out.

This allows you to smoothly end your presentation, yet keeps the useful summary slide on screen during the discussion.

Best way to end your presentation is to give an overview of whole things you described in earlier slides. you can also request for feedbacks for your presentation to improve according to audience point of view.

10 And would should be on the last slide then? – FuzzyLeapfrog Commented Apr 14, 2017 at 16:59

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What’s a thesis defense presentation?

As you approach the end of grad or postgrad studies, you’ll probably be required to deliver a thesis defense presentation. This takes place during the final semester and involves speaking about your thesis or dissertation in front of a committee of professors.

The word “defend” might sound intimidating, but it simply means answering questions about your work. Examiners want to see how knowledgeable you are about your field and if you can back up your arguments with solid and original research. Some departments invite students to a pre-defense, which is like a dress rehearsal for the main event.

If you’re defending your doctoral thesis or dissertation, the event will be more formal than at Master’s level. In some universities, this is called a PhD viva, which comes from the Latin viva voce, meaning “by live voice”. Basically, it’s time to speak about the 80 thousand words you’ve written! As well as your supervisor, the panel will usually include visiting academics from other institutions. If it’s an “open defense” it will be open to other students and members of the public.

The format varies between different universities, but a thesis defense usually starts with the candidate delivering a short presentation accompanied by slides. This is followed by a question and answer session with the panel.

How do I design slides for my thesis defense?

The secret to a good thesis defense presentation is a well-designed slide deck. This will act as a visual aid and starting point for the conversation. Structuring your points and illustrating them on the screen will help you present more confidently.

If the prospect of creating a thesis presentation from scratch is daunting, check out Genially’s free thesis defense templates. Each design has been created by professional graphic designers in collaboration with students and academic experts.

Choose from hundreds of examples with preset color palettes and easy-to-edit slides. In a few minutes you can outline the content of your thesis in an impressive visual format. No artistic skills required!

How should I structure a thesis presentation?

When you create a thesis defense presentation, the first thing to remember is that it should be short and concise. There’s no need to rewrite your thesis on the slides. Members of the committee will already be familiar with your work, having read the document prior to the event.

A thesis defense is a conversational, person-to-person event. Examiners don’t want to read large blocks of text on the screen. They want to hear you talking about your research with passion and insight.

With this in mind, your presentation should serve as a starting point or prompt for discussion. Think of your slides as cue cards: use short titles and keywords to remind you of what you want to say.

Make a good first impression by using a professional thesis defense presentation template with a consistent theme and attractive visuals. Go for a calm color palette and neutral style. The aim is to illustrate your points while keeping the committee focused on what you’re saying.

A thesis defense usually begins with an introductory presentation lasting 15 to 20 minutes, followed by discussion time. For a 20 minute presentation we recommend a series of about 10 slides.

Make sure to include an introduction slide or title page that lays out what you’re going to talk about. Next, move on to each part of your thesis. Outline the problem, background and literature review, your research question, methodology and objectives, findings, conclusions, and areas for future research.

A great thesis presentation should provide the panel with a summary of your research. For that reason, try to avoid dumping too much data or information onto your slides. Use Genially’s interactive infographics, diagrams and charts to highlight the most important points in an eye-catching visual format.

When it comes to the big day and defending your thesis, try to keep calm. Take a deep breath, introduce yourself to the committee and let your slides guide you. Your examiners will come armed with a list of questions, so the formal presentation will flow naturally into a Q&A.

How do I make a good final year project presentation?

If you’re an undergrad, you might be required to deliver a final year project presentation or dissertation presentation. It’s less formal than a graduate degree thesis defense, but the format is similar. You will be asked to present your research findings to faculty and peers with the help of slides. Your performance may count towards your final grade when you’re awarded your Bachelor’s degree.

A good presentation for a final year project should start with a title slide. At this point you should introduce your research question and explain why you chose the topic. If it’s a collaborative project, include a slide that introduces your teammates.

The core part of your presentation should cover your methodology, findings, conclusions, and scope for future research. Wrap things up by thanking your contributors and invite your audience to ask questions.

If you’re not sure how to make a final year project presentation, check out Genially’s free presentation slides for students. Choose from hundreds of professional templates that can be customized to any undergraduate or graduate project. With animated graphics and beautiful data visualizations, you can make standout slides in a matter of minutes.

If you’re submitting your presentation to your professor, try including interactive elements. Genially’s presentation builder allows you to embed online data, videos, audio, maps, PDFs, and hyperlinks in your slides. This can be a useful way to provide supporting evidence, sources, and additional documentation.

Templates for everything under the sun ☀️

How to prepare for your PhD thesis defence

by James Hayton, PhD
August 13th, 2021

Need help? Book a free introductory session

The 3 habits that saved my phd, how to design figures for your phd thesis.

What’s the best way to prepare for your PhD thesis defence? The tips below will help you in the final few weeks before the exam, but the real preparation begins as soon as you start your PhD . Talking to people and discussing your work regularly over a long period of time is the best preparation, so don’t let your thesis defence be the first time you get feedback on your work!

Know the format of your PhD thesis defence

The format of a PhD thesis defence varies from country to country. Having studied in the UK, my viva-voce defence was essentially an interview with one internal and one external examiner. In other countries, it’s common to have public examinations with a whole panel of examiners and an audience of colleagues, family and friends. The first and most obvious tip, then, is to make sure you know what the format of your exam will be; whether you will have to prepare a presentation and so on.

Prepare and practice your presentation

If you have to give a presentation, check any time restrictions so you can prepare accordingly. You don’t want to show up with 100 slides for a 15-minute presentation, nor do you want to show up with 3 slides for a 1-hour presentation.

The most important thing to do for any presentation is to practice so that;

You know the material inside out
You know how long it takes
You can refine the presentation

You can practice on your own or with an audience, and you should do both if possible. Practicing on your own and speaking out loud to an empty room may feel silly, but overcoming that discomfort is good preparation for the discomfort of facing an actual audience. Practicing with an audience of peers is then a good way of getting feedback and finding out what questions people ask.

See also: How to design outstanding PowerPoint slides

The dreaded “awkward question”

A common fear is being asked a question you can’t answer. It’s tempting to try to read a ton of literature to prepare for this, but since it’s very difficult to predict what the examiners will ask and it’s impossible to read everything, this approach isn’t always effective or reassuring (it might just make you realise how much you don’t know).

You aren’t expected to know everything. Sometimes, an examiner will ask a question they don’t know the answer to, either out of interest (since you are the expert in your research) or because they want to see how you think. While it is OK, sometimes, to just say “I don’t know”, you could also say something like,

‍ “I don’t know, but I would think that […] because of x and y , but you would need to do […] in order to find out” .

This shows that you have the ability to think as an academic.

Core content

Of course, there is some core content which you will be expected to know well, but this is set by you, not the examiner. To a large extent, the content of the examination is determined by the content in your thesis.

When you choose what to cover in your thesis you are choosing your battleground for the thesis defence. The best strategy, then, is to stick to the material you know best in your writing!

Dealing with nerves in your thesis defence

You will be nervous before your examination. You will almost certainly get an adrenaline rush, which can set your heart racing, give you sweaty palms, make your stomach churn and make you want to go to the toilet 10 times in 20 minutes. This is normal!

The worst part is waiting to start because there isn’t much you can do to use up your nervous energy. But once the defence starts, you can do some things to keep it under control.

One symptom of nerves is to talk really fast and to try to show how much you know and speak in this kind of long stream of consciousness that diverges away from the question until you forget what the actual question was but then you don’t know how to get back to the point and so you just keep talking and that makes you more nervous and how are you going to get off this train of thought…

Try to slow down and give yourself time to breathe. Try to remember the question* and come back to the point. Once you have answered, stop talking!

*If you forget the question, it’s OK to say, “sorry, I got lost in my train of though there, what was the question, again?”

The examiners expect you to be nervous

Remember that the examiners expect you to be nervous, and they will help you through if necessary. It’s OK to ask them to repeat or clarify a question, to pause to think, or to take a sip of water if you need to!

Ultimately…

Success or failure is determined mainly by the content of your thesis. If your research is good, and you actually did the work, it’s unlikely that a nervous performance in your defence will lead to failure. Generally speaking, once your thesis is submitted, there isn’t much you can do to affect the outcome (positively or negatively). Read through your thesis, read up on one or two key points if necessary, practice your presentation, and trust that whatever happens you will be OK.

An easy way to update your literature review

How to write a thesis you can defend easily

Your final PhD year: Moving towards completion

An easy way to update your literature review quickly

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PhD: An uncommon guide to research, writing & PhD life

By james hayton (2015).

PhD: an uncommon guide to research, writing & PhD life is your essential guide to the basic principles every PhD student needs to know.

Applicable to virtually any field of study, it covers everything from finding a research topic, getting to grips with the literature, planning and executing research and coping with the inevitable problems that arise, through to writing, submitting and successfully defending your thesis.

Useful links

About james hayton, phd, latest phd tips, academic writing coaching.

AI-free zone

All the text on this site (and every word of every video script) is written by me, personally, because I enjoy writing. I enjoy the challenges of thinking deeply and finding the right words to express my ideas. I do not advocate for the use of AI in academic research and writing, except for very limited use cases.

Why you shouldn't rely on AI for PhD research and writing

The false promise of AI for PhD research

DAVID STUTZ

Phd defense slides and lessons learned.

In July this year I finally defended my PhD which mainly focused on (adversarial) robustness and uncertainty estimation in deep learning. In my case, the defense consisted of a (public) 30 minute talk about my work, followed by questions from the thesis committee and audience. In this article, I want to share the slides and some lessons learned in preparing for my defense.

My PhD defense marks the successdful end of a four year journey in machine learning and computer vision research. While defense vary widely across institutions and universities, I had to prepare a 30 minute talk that is followed by questions from the committee and audience. In addition to the difficulty of squeezing several papers into a 30 minute polished talk, there was also a significant delay between submitting and defending my PhD — roughly 4 months. While I can't share the final thesis yet, you can find my defense slides below, followed by some lessons learned in preparing for my defense.

The slides include some GIFs, so with 27MB the download might take a second. Also, make sure to view them in a PDF viewer supporting animations:

Lessons Learned

Preparing for my defense took significantly longer than I initially estimated. I thought it could not be too hard to put together slides of all my projects, given that I already gave a few talks and had slides for most of my papers ready. However, preparing a polished talk that highlights achievements, giving a good high-level intuition while at the same time demonstrating technical knowledge, was incredibly difficult and took multiple iterations. Besides, I wanted to talk to steer the committee's questions to some extent and make sure I will stick to the 30 minute limit. Here are some lessons I learned surrounding the preparation:

Start preparing early enough: Even though I thought the preparation to take less time, I took some long weekends roughly one and a half months before the defense to start preparing the slides. Looking back, this was a great decision as I ended up working on my slides until the last couple of days before the defense.
Schedule a practice talk: In my case, a practice talk really made a huge difference. Initially, I included too much content in my slides and it was good to get objective feedback on what to focus on, where more details and time is required and which topics can be covered with less details. I had the practice talk two weeks before the defense and I really used these two weeks to improve my presentation.
Practice: Before the practice talk, I practiced the talk and timed it to the minute. This really came in handy in the end because it reduced stress as I knew exactly how to start or get back into the talk on each slide. During the talk this was also helpful as interruptions didn't break the flow of my presentation.
Backup slides: Even though I did not end up using most of my backup slides, preparing them helped me to think about potential questions that the committee might ask.
Test the setup: A day before the defense, I tested the technical setup. As my defense was hybrid, there was a lot that could go wrong — the virtual meeting room, the microphone etc. It really reduced stress to have it tested once before the defense. Some things that are important to keep in mind is that the setup should also take into account discussion and questions of the committee/audience which are sometimes difficult to handle in a hybrid setting.

Regarding the content of the talk, I found the following to work well — and I found a similar scheme can be found in many other defenses, as well:

Fuse motivation with the outline: I ended up putting a lot of effort into a good motivation of my talk that also happened to reflect the outline of my talk. This really helped to tell a consistent high-level story throughout the talk.
Highligh achievements: I feel that it was important to highlight the papers that I have published over the years — even those not included in the talk.
Technical detail: For two projects, I decided to go into technical detail. While I did not have many technical questions, I got the impression that this was expected by the commitee. Of course, it was tricky to decide which projects to highlight in detail as this usually means that all other projects can only be covered on a higher level.
Ignore some projects: In order to go into technical detail for few projects, I decided to not talk about three of my papers. I just mentioned this line of work in my conclusion and the introduction. Initially, I found it difficult to let go of these parts, but it helped to improve the focus of the talk.
Have some slides on future work: An easy way to steer the discussion/questions after the defense talk are future work topics. Also, I found that these slides can be used to end the talk on a positive note by expressing your excitement about future research — note that I had these slides after the conclusion.

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PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Additional Resources

Tips for designing the slides
Presentation checklist
Example slides
Additional Resources

Video resources

Presentation Skills - CMU GCC
Design Effective PowerPoint Slides - Part I
Design Effective PowerPoint Slides - Part II
THE “SNAKE FIGHT” PORTION OF YOUR THESIS DEFENSE
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Last Updated: Jan 9, 2024 11:18 AM
URL: https://guides.library.cmu.edu/c.php?g=883178

COMMENTS

PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Start
This Guide was created to help Ph.D. students in engineering fields to design dissertation defense presentations. The Guide provides 1) tips on how to effectively communicate research, and 2) full presentation examples from Ph.D. graduates. The tips on designing effective slides are not restricted to dissertation defense presentations; they can ...
PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Example slides
PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Example slides. Start; Tips for designing the slides; Presentation checklist; ... If you are interested in sharing your slides, please contact Julie Chen ([email protected]). Civil and Environmental Engineering. Carl Malings (2017) Irem Velibeyoglu (2018) Chelsea Kolb (2018) I. Daniel Posen (2016 ...
PhD Defense Template
Your PhD defense presentation is a critical step in your academic journey - one that requires a smart and sophisticated format, layout, and story flow. That's why our template includes everything you need to create an effective presentation. Tailoring this defense template to your unique PhD thesis is simple.
Tips for designing the slides
Example 1: slide with notes - exact words to say (C. Mailings 2017) Example 2: slide with notes - bullet points (I. D. Posen 2016) Be smart about the title of each slide Use descriptive language to summarize the key point of the slide, and avoid using vague terms or the same title for several slides that have different contents.
How to Pull Off Your Thesis Defense With a Great Presentation
Check out the following tips to pull off your master thesis defense with a great presentation: 1. Properly structure your slide deck. Every master thesis defense presentation is unique, but most effective slide decks will follow a similar structure, including: Title - Just like a research paper, your thesis presentation must include a title ...
The Ultimate Guide to Preparing Your PhD Dissertation Defense ...
Here are three more tips for preparing your PhD dissertation defense. 1. Don't wait around. One of the best things you can do for yourself when preparing your PhD dissertation defense is to start the work early. You won't regret starting "too early" like you would regret starting the preparation too late in the game.
The Ultimate Guide to Delivering an Outstanding Dissertation Defense
Template 1. As discussed above, your dissertation defense has to be your instrument of research during your master's or PhD course. And good professional design in this template is the element you can harness. Plus the biggest beneficial factor is that you get to edit the slides in it as per your wish.
Swath and Dive: A pattern for PhD defense presentations
There are several crucial differences, however: 1) when developing the Swath, we need to keep in mind that this is only a part (say, 50%) of the presentation time/length/slides; 2) the Swath should give equal importance to all its key elements (e.g., avoiding too much time on the literature context of the thesis, and making the necessary time ...
PDF Final Dissertation Defense PowerPoint Template
Final Dissertation Defense PowerPoint Template. The primary purpose of this defense is to present the findings, conclusions, and implications from your dissertation study. This document was created for educational purposes. Students are encouraged to discuss the expectations for the defense presentation with the EdD Dissertation Committee.
How to prepare an excellent thesis defense
questions from the audience (if the defense is public and the department allows it) Your presentation. You might have to give a presentation, often with Powerpoint, Google slides, or Keynote slides. Make sure to prepare an appropriate amount of slides. A general rule is to use about 10 slides for a 20-minute presentation.
How to Start a Thesis Defense Presentation
Use an appropriate language register (avoid informal language), but be approachable and natural. "Welcome to the thesis defense on [the title of your thesis]". Next, introduce yourself with your name and give a short description of your background and occupation. Don't forget to say "thank you for attending!".
10 Tips To Prepare PhD Thesis Defense Presentation
1. Plan your presentation. PhD is all about planning- I mean, proper planning. So, you also have to plan for your presentation. Remember, you are at the last stage of getting the honor hence things must be nearly perfect and in your favor. Make a rough outline of the points you will discuss in the presentation.
PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Presentation checklist
PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Presentation checklist. Start; Tips for designing the slides; Presentation checklist; Example slides; Additional Resources; Technical checklist. 1. Did you add page numbers? 2. Did you test animation and videos? 3. Did you check if the font sizes are too small, especially in tables and figures?
What is the best "last slide" in a thesis presentation?
There are some possible options as the last slide of a typical thesis presentation. I've heard of some possibilities: A question-mark image (as the time to be slaughtered by the referees!), A Thank You declaration (There are some negative viewpoints about these two options.), A slide including summary of the presented ideas,
Free thesis defense presentation templates
A thesis defense usually begins with an introductory presentation lasting 15 to 20 minutes, followed by discussion time. For a 20 minute presentation we recommend a series of about 10 slides. Make sure to include an introduction slide or title page that lays out what you're going to talk about. Next, move on to each part of your thesis.
How to prepare for your PhD thesis defence
The most important thing to do for any presentation is to practice so that; You can practice on your own or with an audience, and you should do both if possible. Practicing on your own and speaking out loud to an empty room may feel silly, but overcoming that discomfort is good preparation for the discomfort of facing an actual audience ...
PhD Defense Slides and Lessons Learned • David Stutz
In this article, I want to share the slides and some lessons learned in preparing for my defense. My PhD defense marks the successdful end of a four year journey in machine learning and computer vision research. While defense vary widely across institutions and universities, I had to prepare a 30 minute talk that is followed by questions from ...
PDF Ph.D. Thesis Oral Defense
compact summaries of high-level insights into a domain — can significantly reduce the search space — often easier to enforce than to model. relevant to unsupervised learning (less rope to hang self) — in general, steer at the "right" regularities in data — linguistic structure underdetermined by raw text.
227th Motorised Rifle Division
227th Motorised Rifle Division. 227-я мотострелковая дивизия. Military Unit: 31626. Activated 1978 in Omsk (Svetlyy), Omsk Oblast, as a mobilisation division. The division was unmanned, except for some pre-assigned officers, serving with the parent division (56th Training Motorised Rifle Division). Organisation 1987:
PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Additional Resources
CMU LibGuides: PhD Dissertation Defense Slides Design: Additional Resources
List of rural localities in Omsk Oblast
Map of Russia with Omsk Oblast highlighted. This is a list of rural localities in Omsk Oblast.Omsk Oblast (Russian: О́мская о́бласть, Omskaya oblast) is a federal subject of Russia (an oblast), located in southwestern Siberia.The oblast has an area of 139,700 square kilometers (53,900 sq mi). Its population is 1,977,665 (2010 Census) with the majority, 1.15 million, living in ...
261st Reserve Motorised Rifle Division
261st Reserve Motorised Rifle Division. 261-я запасная мотострелковая дивизия. Activated 1980 in Omsk, Omsk Oblast, as a mobilisation division. Disbanded 1987. The division was maintained as a Mobilisation Division (US terms: Mobilisation Division) - manning was 0%. Equipment set present, older types, substantial ...
Omsk Region
Regional flags and emblems. PROFILE. Established 7 December 1934 Capital Omsk The Omsk Region is part of the Siberian Federal District. Area 141,100 sq km Population 1 818 300 (2024) Ethnic groups

How to Pull Off Your Thesis Defense With a Great Presentation

1. Properly structure your slide deck

Thesis Presentation vs. Dissertation

2. Choose which ideas to illustrate

3. Define your presentation’s theme

4. Design simple and focused slides

5. Include data visualizations

6. Practice makes perfect

Things to keep in mind to help you nail your presentation

Samantha Pratt Lile

Recommended Articles

The Ultimate Guide to Preparing Your PhD Dissertation Defense Presentation

What Is a PhD Dissertation Defense Presentation?

What Is a PhD Dissertation Committee?

How to Prepare for Your PhD Dissertation Defense Presentation

1. Don’t wait around.

2. Practice, practice, practice.

3. Check out other candidates’ presentations.

The Bottom Line

Start practicing with Yoodli.

The Ultimate Guide to Delivering an Outstanding Master's or PhD Thesis Dissertation Defense Presentation (Over 20 Templates Included)

The preparation

Know thy audience

Watch, ask and learn

Accustom yourself

Make your presentation right

#2 Introduction

#3 Literature review

#4 Methodology

#5 Findings

#6 Deliberation

#7 Conclusion

The dissertation defense

For remote presentation

After the presentation

Ace that dissertation defense with these PPT templates

Template 10

Template 11

Template 12

Template 13

Template 14

Template 15

Template 16

Template 17

Template 18

Template 19

Template 20

Template 21

Template 22

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Swath and Dive: A pattern for PhD defense presentations

The context: when is this pattern applicable?

What is the problem? What forces are at play?

The solution: Swath and Dive

An essential coda: Limitations and Future Work

Variations and related patterns

Luis P. Prieto

How to prepare an excellent thesis defense

What is a thesis defense?

How to Start a Thesis Defense Presentation

How to Make an Amazing Presentation

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