Learn how to retain your current patients while increasing your new patient base

Among the many challenges facing chiropractors is the need to constantly interact with the public in order to grow and/or maintain a practice. Now I don’t mean talking with patients one-on-one; even though it is an important component—this is really the second stage of the process. I am referring to activities that will interest the public in getting to know more about the benefits of wellness and learn how chiropractic care can ease the cause of many of their pains and even prevent their ailments.

There are different ways to interact with the public to achieve this purpose. One would be to set up a Web site to draw in the public. Another might be to send a mailing or publish a newsletter. Still another way is to address an audience—to stand up in front of a group and educate them on the merits of chiropractic. This is the main method of recruitment that I prefer. My goal is to speak to as many people as possible at one time in order to increase my potential patient base and/or to reinforce the chiropractic treatment an audience member might be receiving.

Of course, this is easy to say; it is even easy to envision. For many, however, it is not easy to do. Standing in front of a group can be intimidating, but if you are confident of your topic and can effectively speak to the audience, you will be sought after as the expert on chiropractic. I won’t kid you: Getting to that point is not easy, but it is not as difficult as you might think. Here are some guidelines for making your speech on the benefits of chiropractic care an interesting and compelling one that inspires the audience to investigate further.

Know your audience. If the audience is primarily athletes, you do not want to concentrate on the merits of chiropractic care to alleviate back pain due to standing in one position for long periods. Tailor your speech to the audience. It is always useful to bring in quotations, testimonials, or anecdotes that directly relate to the audience and are from recognizable resources. That means doing your homework. It does not mean having a different speech for each audience; it just means that one size does not fit all. Do not assume that the speech that was well received for one audience will automatically work when you are addressing another group.

Know what you are talking about. As a chiropractor talking about chiropractic care, you certainly will know the subject matter. But to relate to your audience, you may tread in areas in which you are not quite as well versed. Do not try to pass yourself off as an expert in all areas. This will make you uncomfortable about your speech and perhaps worried that you may be challenged. In addition, stay with the techniques you are comfortable with. A new procedure or piece of equipment may be exciting, but it is better for you to wait until you have had a chance to test it out before talking about it to an audience.

Practice your speech. You know the old adage, practice makes perfect. Well, it really does. The more you practice something, the more comfortable you become with it, whatever it is. Public speaking is no exception. Think about the speakers you admire. They were confident in their topic, and the speeches flowed in a manner that amazed you. The speakers may have referred to notes, but they did not rely on them. This is what you need to work toward. Know your topic, know the organization of your speech, and know the points that are most important and make sure they are expressed. The best part is that the more you speak in front of groups, the better you become.

Work with an outline of your speech. Having the full text of your speech in front of you is tempting. Ultimately, you will resort to reading the speech. To prevent that from happening, work with an outline that captures the essence of the thoughts. Use as few words as possible in the outline, but make sure the words prompt you to remember the important details.

Use visuals when possible. The presentation materials you use should help reinforce and explain your message. Use of visuals will make your speech more interesting to the audience. You also must consider that people have different ways of filtering communication. Some people do fine with listening only, but large portions of the population also rely on visual stimulation. By using both methods, you raise your chances of holding the interest of your audience and of having your message understood and retained. It is often wise to develop a handout from your presentation to reinforce and to increase the longevity of your message.

Make your speech understandable. One of my pet peeves is the speaker who insists on using nomenclature that is well known to other professionals in the field but is not well known to anyone else. I have found that the people who insist on using these esoteric words use them because they are insecure. They use the jargon to show that they are a member of the group and to set themselves above the fray. When this happens, I find that I concentrate on trying to understand the terminology but miss the message. This is not what you want to do with your audience. Remember, they are not chiropractors; and while you do not have to speak in words of only two syllables or fewer, you should be mindful that your audience may need the benefit of an explanation if you are using a term that is industry-specific.

Have something unique to talk about. I usually take a portable postural health scanner with me when I am conducting a seminar. It is compact, easy to assemble, and a great visual tool, for demonstrating the connection between foot imbalance and overall postural health. There is usually someone in the audience who will volunteer to have his or her postural analysis become part of my presentation. Demonstrations of postural health scanners are frequently held at state association meetings throughout the country.

Keep in mind your ultimate goal. Ultimately, you want to establish a relationship with the audience members. Remember, you want to educate them, show them how chiropractic care can benefit their lives, and encourage them to seek your services to achieve wellness.

Remember to have fun! When you are well prepared and confident, you will be more relaxed with the audience. Bring some levity into the speech. You do not need to make it a comedy routine, but people will be more apt to seek your services if they feel more relaxed with you.

The next step in the process is to schedule an appointment. You want to be able to attain one-on-one communication. To encourage that communication, offer a free screening or a discount for services. Try to schedule the appointment for that evening—at the very least have a way to contact interested individuals—while you have their attention and interest. CP

Jeffrey D. Olsen, DC, is a 1996 presidential scholar and summa cum laude graduate of Palmer College of Chiropractic. He has been in private practice with his two partners/brothers since 1997 in Roanoke, Va. Olsen has also instructed as an adjunct faculty member at the College of Health Sciences in Roanoke, teaching anatomy and physiology in the Physician Assistant Department. He can be reached at (800) 553-4860, or via email: olsen@footlevelers.com.