It’s not a secret that the offer of courses and educational material is nowadays overwhelming. We are literally surrounded by video courses , webinars , residential courses and much more . Indeed many are good quality ones but there is a question you have to put yourself before spending time and money on a course . After 20 years of dentistry I realize this is the most important question on this topic and the question is : who is the speaker?
With this question I am not going to ask his Curriculum Vitae or where he got his degree but , very simply , what is his attitude , his approach to dentistry ? which kind of patients? office ?and how he is managing cases ?
These are the questions you have to answer if you want to spend your money in order to improve your real work.
I realized that , today , there are different styles and attitudes towards dentistry and there is a great chance you can attend a course from a great and famous speaker just to realize that his “style “ doesn’t fit with yours .
Of course it’s really interesting looking people in different scenarios but , in my opinion , these are the last courses you have to attend . These are the courses you attend when you already do a mature dentistry and you’re looking for getting some new fresh ideas to change something in your practice . These are the courses where the ration between what you spend and what you bring back home is the worst . Usually you spend money to live a nice experience and bring very few things back .
So the ability to choose a dental course that fits your needs and allows to bring back home a huge number of tip and tricks is of paramount importance , especially when you’r still struggling on many things in your office .
Who is the speaker?!?
There are speakers you will recognize cause they post only perfect cases . Their aim is excellence without compromises . Time is not an issue , money is not an issue . Number of appointments are not an issue . These are those able to spend 3 hours just for layering 2 central incisors and even a second appointment for further details.
There are speakers living in fancy places and working just on cosmetic cases with celebrities . Of course the idea of attending a course with them is attractive but , often , you will go back home dealing with a very different scenario .
There are dogmatic doctors with their own truth and ideas . Would you be comfortable attending a course with them with zero room for doubts ?
Or…If you live in a small village with low income , for example , you will find few solutions to your problems going to a famous doctor working in a capital like Milan on wealthy patients.
I went to such places , it was inspiring . Yet I went back home doing things exactly like I was already doing and struggling with the same problems .
And there is more about who is the speaker..is this speaker one who manages work in team or is he working alone ? this simple difference may give you more hints about the outcome of your choice.
Is the speaker one who loves indulging on complex procedures focusing on his own work or is the speaker one focused on simplifying procedures in order to delegate work to other associates in order to improve his time management and the productivity of his clinic.
You have to be honest with yourself asking who you are ? what is your approach , your needs , your patients, your struggles and at that point check if the speaker is a good fit .
Recently i was reading a discussion about the “Wim Hof method “. Wim Hof is a man famous for doing “ice “records like swimming in ice water , walking almost naked on the snow and so on . He is famous for a breathing technique that includes hyperventilation . I read several comments on this technique and his pro and cons till i did read the comment that enlightened my mind : “ Wim Hoo is an extreme athlete so he designed a technique focused on similar athletes , extreme ones . If you are not simply this kind or at least very fit, this method doesn’t apply very well to you “.
Who is the speaker ? What do you really need ?
I know perfectly that the idea of learning from the best is appealing but ,too many times , it doesn’t really bring you closer to your goal of managing better your office .
So before choosing your next course just ask yourself this question : Who is the speaker ?