The most important thing is to know your study thoroughly and have a full appreciation of all the sections of the dissertation. With this confidence , the rest follows. Remember its your study and no one knows it better than you.
Hi the first major challenge in the dissertation process lies in choosing a dissertation topic.
In selecting a research topic, we often sometimes use what Ray Martin (1980) called “dreaming in a vacuum.” However,
When you choose what to cover in your proposal you are choosing your battleground for the thesis defence, so the best strategy is to stick to the material you know best in your writing!
Make sure you have read through your complete thesis at least once before your defence, so you know what you have written about.
The oral defence is a crucial session where you almost always need to reconnect with some fundamental themes and claims in your work.
Such as what are the core methods chosen in your work and why did you choose this approach? In an ideal world, are there different techniques or other forms of data and evidence that you’d have liked to use?
What is the relevance of your topic in todays world and why does it make a difference
If you are conducting original research, use tools and/or surveys that have been previously validated. Rather than reinventing the wheel, do not be afraid to approach others who have gone before you. Ask permission to use their questionnaires and/or surveys, which are previously tested for validity and reliability.
Depending on your topic a thorough introduction and historical background are important.
For your oral defense--rehearse, rehearse, rehearse! Use pictures and a cartoon - laughter dispels the clouds that sometime hangs over the room.