Tips For A Better Thesis/Research Oral Defense

I have witnessed a lot of thesis oral defenses in my years in the academe. As a matter of fact, I have been in both sides of the coin; I have been both a presenter and a panelist. I have also been a consultant, an adviser, and there were times that I was merely a part of the audience.

If you are about to embark on your first oral defense for your thesis or research project in school, then I have tips for you. I have listed the following points based on my experience, in order for you not to repeat the mistakes of those who crossed the bridge way before you will.

1. Name tags. Not everyone in the board of panelists know you by name. So please, don't make it hard for them to identify you or your group members. Or would you rather just be referred to as "guy with the nervous look and sweaty face". I didn't think so. In addition to that, make sure that when you do make a name tag, make sure the letters are clear and readable. DO NOT use fancy font types like wingdings, and DO NOT use multiple colors, you'd only look stupid (believe me, I have seen it). If a standard format for your name tag was given by your adviser, follow it. Your oral defense is something you should take seriously, so don't make a fool of yourself.
2. Practice your presentation. Most oral defenses would require you to present your study in a limited amount of time. Why do they do this? Because "time is gold". The panelists gave you a portion of their precious time in order for you to be able to defend your study and for them to be able to help you improve it. So DO NOT waste their time. Hence, it is of utmost importance that you practice your spiels for your presentation, so that if you were only given 10 minutes then you'd be able to finish within 10 minutes. If you're given 5 minutes to present, then prepare and practice a spiel that would last no more than 5 minutes.
3. Be polite. The members of the board of panelists in your oral defense were chosen for a reason. They were not just handpicked randomly from a bunch of names in a phone book. They are there because they are experts in their own fields of specialization. If they criticize your work. Take it positively. NEVER respond aggressively. Remember, they're there to help you. It is their job to point out your mistakes and to recommend steps that would help you improve your study.
4. Make sure you have a functional software/product (for tech-related studies). You can't possibly defend something that doesn't even work.
5. Evaluate. It doesn't matter as to what field your study belongs to, you have to be able to present data that validates your conclusions. This is one part that most researchers often forget to tackle, especially those who are doing tech-related studies. For most of them, coming up with a functional software/product is the end-game. But they're mistaken. As I have said, you have to have data that would validate your conclusions, otherwise the whole process doesn't mean anything. Therefore, have your software/product evaluated by all potential users and be able to interpret the ensuing results.
6. Be honest. When asked by any of the panelists, always be honest with your answers. Never try to manipulate the results of your tests/experiments. Doing so is bad science, very bad, which deems your study worthless. So if you think you have something that you'd like to contribute to the world's body of knowledge, then be honest.