In my USA Today bestseller book Speak Goodr, I share some of the wildest, wackiest, and most unexpected stories from my time on stage. A few of them happened in dental settings, because, yes, sometimes continuing education (CE) courses take a turn no one sees coming. But as I've spoken at nearly a thousand events across countless industries, I wanted to add an official chapter -- an addendum, if you will -- specifically for the world of dental CE.
Because let's be honest, CE has a reputation problem.
Ryan Vet.
With so much content available online, many dentists and doctors are asking themselves, "Why should I attend an in-person meeting?" And if their last experience involved sitting through a dull, monotonous lecture in a freezing ballroom while a speaker droned through 140 PowerPoint slides, they're probably skipping next year's event. But it doesnt have to be that way.
Should CE be fun? Yes, but it should still be CE
Some meetings have attempted to solve the engagement problem by bringing in big-name entertainment. Take Yankee Dental 2025, which is featuring Flo Rida.
And, of course, meetings like the Michigan Dental Association, the Virginia Dental Association, and Hinman Dental Congress have invited me to present "Dentistry Uncorked," my experiential course that combines learning about patient communication with interactive elements of wine tasting (figured I would use my sommelier credentials for something someday). These are great efforts to make dental meetings more appealing.
But here's the real question: Should CE be fun?
Absolutely.
Should CE be gimmicky?Absolutely not.
Education is a passion of mine. I sit on the board of the No. 1 ranked university in undergraduate teaching and serve as an adjunct professor of business at another. I am a firm believer in quality education with true and measurable learning outcomes.
I can't help but think of Nelson Mandela who once quipped, "Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Mandela encapsulated the power of education beautifully.
That droning speaker with 140 slides fumbling over technical jargon may not exactly manifest in life-changing education. Education must also be engaging and practical. But the core focus must always be learning. CE should be fun because it's impactful, not just because it's entertaining. When attendees leave a session, they should feel energized, inspired, and, most importantly, better equipped in their profession. The best speakers make that happen.
Great speakers vs. great topics: Which matters more?
Over the years, I've seen meeting professionals stress about curating the perfect list of topics. They want to cover every possible subject so there's "something for everyone." But here's the hard truth: A great topic with a bad speaker is still a terrible CE session.
On the other hand, great speakers bring topics to life. They make complex concepts digestible, like simplifying nuclear reactions to basic equations like E=MC². OK, bad example. However, in reality, outstanding speakers and educators create experiences where attendees are fully engaged, not because they're being entertained but because they're learning in a way that sticks.
Take Chicago Midwinter as an example. They are known for their incredibly high standard for speaker selection. Through a rigorous scouting and vetting process, they have a habit of selecting top-tier speakers. As a result, they consistently pack out ballrooms with 200 to 500 attendees per session. Their reputation isn't built on having the most topics, it's built on consistently delivering high-quality, engaging speakers.
The problem with 'experts' who aren't actually experts
With CE hours to fill, many meetings fall into the trap of quantity over quality -- booking speakers simply because they can talk about a topic, not because they're true experts. They will grab the local person from down the road that has the gumption to stand in front of a room for a couple of hours and blab on about a hot new topic. Don't get me started on "expert" AI speakers.
Anyone can slap "expert" on their bio. But being a subject matter expert and an expert speaker are two very different things.
I've sat through sessions where a speaker had impressive credentials -- PhDs, awards, years of experience -- but they couldn't connect with the audience. Their presentation felt more like reading a research paper aloud than actually teaching. In fact, and this did not make it into the book either, I have on more than one occasion heard of audience members seeking out boring speakers so they could sleep in their classes and get their CE credit. I wish I was making that up.
On the flip side, I've also seen speakers who are charismatic and engaging but lack the depth of knowledge to provide real value. Some of these are speakers who are truly dynamic but completely lack substance. It's like dating in high school. On the outside, it seems exciting, but there is rarely depth in those relationships.
But let me be clear, there are countless dental speakers that extract the best of both categories and create a new category: professional dental speakers. These are individuals who truly have earned the right to be considered a subject matter expert based on their research, education, credentials, and experiences.
At the same time, while they have the breadth and depth of knowledge, they hold that in tension with a compelling and engaging delivery. They are dynamic and engaging and take complex topics, abstract theories, or tedious clinical techniques and deliver then in a digestible, enjoyable, and practical way.
The best CE speakers bridge both worlds. They're true experts who also know how to communicate in a way that resonates.
Times are changing. Maybe it's time to invest in quality over quantity
For meeting professionals, here's my challenge: Don't just fill a schedule. Curate an experience. This past fall, I was invited to be a guest at potentially the best conference I have ever attended. It was put on by a Fortune 100 company for some of their top partners. The schedule was simple: There was one interview, one panel, two keynotes, two experiential sessions, and dinner with a concert. That's it.
But the power and intentionality of each of those speakers and sessions set it apart as the best event I've ever attended. And having had the privilege of speaking nearly 1,000 times across the globe, that's saying something.
Here is the secret of what this Fortune 100 company knew: Instead of trying to offer everything to everyone, focus on high-quality speakers who can truly engage, educate, and elevate the audience. They invested heavily in the right speakers with the right message. And every single person in that room, including many executives of some of the larger brands you would recognize, were absolutely amazed and wanted an invite back for the following year.
The reality is that CE will only remain relevant if it provides something attendees can't get from an on-demand webinar or a YouTube video. And that something isn't just information. It's transformation. Now I don't mean some radical Tony Robbins-transformative-walk-on-burning-coals experience, I simply mean taking knowledge that is learned and being able to apply it to their practice as soon as they leave to better the life of the team, the practice owner, and the patients.
By prioritizing expert speakers who know how to teach, engage, and inspire, dental meetings can shift from being an obligation to being an opportunity that attendees genuinely look forward to.
That's how we keep dental CE alive and thriving.
Ryan Vet is a speaker, entrepreneur, and thought leader, specializing in the intersection of business, leadership, and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence. Learn more about Vet by visiting website.
The comments and observations expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the opinions of DrBicuspid.com, nor should they be construed as an endorsement or admonishment of any particular idea, vendor, or organization.
