The Problem with Academic Lecturers: Boredom

The biggest problem with academic lecturers is not that they are CONTROVERSIAL: no, not even close

It is: they are BORING!
bad at teaching, speaking, lecturing, etc.

Give everyone a chance, but of course, you should walk out on any speaker that you are not learning from
🧵

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Life is short.

If you can learn more in a 10 minute youtube video than a semester of 45 minute lecturers from a slow, tangential speaker, OF COURSE, you should leave the class & learn elsewhere

Academic speakers are crazy to think they aren't competing with youtube & podcasts

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

If they consistently deliver worse content, and you can learn the materials elsewhere in half the time, why would you sit through it?

They are in competition with blogs, youtube and twitter, they need to accept that and OUTPERFORM or be eliminated.

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Academic conferences oral sessions are a total disaster

People are screened by written abstract for verbal talks.

It is insane.

What a stupid way to pick SPEAKERS

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Most talks are horrible.

You feel yourself dying in the chair. It is a mix of abbreviation soup, the worst monotonous voice you have ever heard, and constantly wondering what is the point.

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Many molecular talks given to practicing clinicians are a crime.

No one cares about this pathway that will never lead to a drug that will never be used for the patients who are waiting for this lecture to end to see me.

Why are we doing this?

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Zoom has lowered academic lectures to the 7th circle of hell

Of course, I instantly close zoom when the speaker is bad or boring.

Sometimes, I minimize it, but I find the background chatter makes it harder to write emails.

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

I give everyone a chance, but I am not immortal!

I have zero patience for bad lecturers.

I will fake a page to escape if I have to!

If they go 2 minutes over time, I will fake a heart attack. Or worse, I will have one.

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Controversial speakers-- who cares?

I pray for an hour of dynamism from someone I disagree with.

The real, day in day out misery is that most lecturers are so, so bad.

This applies to even the premiere lecturerships

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Named lecturers, grand rounds-- you are literally boring me to death. You won't get to the point.

Worse, the speaker doesn't appreciate the audience's starting point. You have to teach us the basics; then tell us why it matters. Think about your audience.

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Or you are a decent speaker, but you have no content. It is just cliche soup, and pointless business person slides. Get into some technical issues or I am gone.

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Bad speakers who want more speaking opportunities are the worst. They have no self-awareness. They keep seeking opportunity to speak, but they can't tell that no one enjoys it.

Maybe they are sadists?

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Honestly, it saddens me to think how many life-years I have lost sitting in the worst lecture imaginable.

And, it has gotten a lot worse since I entered medicine 18 years ago.

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023

Protesting controversial lectures?
Who has the time!

I barely can close zoom fast enough when i feel my head hurting in boredom, and I can hardly escape some of these rooms at ASCO b/c they are so big, and I sat upfront!

— Vinay Prasad MD MPH (@VPrasadMDMPH) April 9, 2023