Hi, I’m Martin Mendelson, a member of the resident faculty here at Spear and the Executive
Vice-President of Client Services.
Thank you for your interest in Spear Study Clubs, and I know you’re going to enjoy
working with your dedicated study club advisor to help you walk through this entire process.
We’ve gone from just campus learning, to an entire ecosystem of learning, that includes
not only campus learning, with both seminars and hands-on workshops, but online learning,
and study clubs which all follow the same philosophies.
It’s truly been an honor to be part of the growth of Spear study clubs over the last
several years.
You know, we’ve learned a lot and grown ourselves here at Spear, to better serve you
and your practices.
Now I use the term growth globally because growth means different things to different
people, and that’s okay.
For some it’s clinical growth.
For others, it’s practice and financial growth.
While for others, it’s personal growth that comes from life-long and layered learning.
We have a unique platform that is the most comprehensive in dentistry today, combining
our study club content for your meetings, as well as online digital content for you,
your members and related content for their respective teams.
Now I assume you’ve been involved in a number of CE activities in the past, and may even
run your own club.
What sets Spear study clubs apart, is that our platform is not just a passive process,
where you and the members listen to a lecture, jot down some notes, and maybe implement one
or two ideas.
I mean, implementation is always the key to success.
In fact, my favorite phrase here at Spear is, education without action is entertainment.
This idea is at the core of study club philosophy.
Once your club is officially formed, you and I will have a one-on-one call to help set
your plan to achieve your study club goals.
This, coupled with our other video resources, will guide you through the process of institutionalizing
engagement within the members of your club.
Now, I’m not naïve.
I realize that not everyone in every club will engage in being an active participant
within the club.
However, just like anything else in life, without setting parameters up front, we cannot
hold each other, or ourselves accountable.
This is one of the many lessons we learned in our journey of starting Spear study clubs
worldwide over the past six years.
Another unique feature of Spear study clubs, is that it is intentionally interdisciplinary
in nature, and we require at least one specialist to start your club.
Most of our clubs have a surgeon-ortho pairing, and in many cases a lab is represented within
the membership as well.
We want to make sure you have enthusiastic and interested people that are invited as
prospective members, that are looking to learn.
As the small-group nature of Spear study club calls for engagement by all parties, in order
to get the most out of it.
Between yourself, several specialists and their invited referees, you should look to
invite 20 to 30 people to your organizational meeting.
This way you have a larger pool to draw from, hoping to ensure the chemistry is correct.
Your organizational meeting is a simple sixty-minute meeting, with a video that we provide.
It walks you and the members through what a Spear Club is, what are the benefits, and
what you should expect out of the experience.
Out of these twenty to thirty invitees, you should aim for ten to twelve members, plus
yourself, as a final head count for the club.
If we’ve invited the right people to the organizational meeting, that’s less than
a fifty-percent acceptance rate of your colleagues into the club.
If you’ve not already, you’ll have a call with your assigned study club advisor, who’s
there to guide you through this entire process.
It’s simple, it’s turn-key, and we’re here to help you throughout it all.
Your adviser has an entire team behind him or her, to service you, your members and their
respective teams.
Again, I’m excited that you’ve decided to take the first steps to Spear study club
leadership, and I am confident that you will not be disappointed.
I look forward to working with you.