Richard A. Ochsmann, DC
Communication is just one more area that we chiropractors must excel in. As the doctors of health and nature, communicating what we have to offer is of the upmost importance. Ask anyone, "What exactly does a chiropractor do?" You will get as many responses as people you asked, from both the patient and not-yet-patient alike. Health care is in its infancy (as opposed to the well-established disease management system currently in place) and the public at large is looking for better and more natural ways to take care of themselves and their families. Clearly, communicating what we have to offer as a profession is critical. We must empower people through education. Patients are tired of the old "do as I say" approach of doctoring so commonly used today in the medical arena. But, how can they choose us if they really don't know what we can do for them? The answer is simple, the answer is video.
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The vast majority of those seeking to take charge of their health want to do just that, make their decisions as how to best care for themselves and their family. With today's smart phones and computers, health information, though abundant, is often skewed. The public knows this and is searching for truth. Communication is the best way to connect with potential patients. It seems simple on the surface, but any of you who have ever done any advertising can attest to the fact that a message has to be both communicated and received if it is to be effective and acted upon. So, how do we do that? How do we effectively get our message across? Let's start by looking at what communication is and by what vectors it can be delivered.
The five senses are just that, sensing pathways that send messages directly to the brain for interpretation. Pretty simple, but don't underestimate any of them. The power of each sense is just that, powerful. Senses have the ability to connect information files in the brain, to turn on or off potential patients from receiving your message of health.
SMELL
Smell is one of the most overlooked and under utilized senses. However, smell is a very powerful tool. For example, when selling your home, a wise realtor will advise you to boil some cinnamon on the stove prior to an open house, or bake some chocolate chip cookies. These scents often evoke emotions of happiness, love and warmth – qualities you would want in a home. This one is easy for a chiropractic office. We use HEPA air filtration at our office to ensure that the air is always clean and fresh. Personally, I steer clear of essential oils and air fresheners as some patients may have a sensitivity. Just good quality, clean pure air will make a huge impact on people perception of your office.
TASTE
Here again is a powerful sense that is often overlooked and easily integrated. All that is really required is to offer tea service in your office. Having tea service is a nice "value added" perk for patients. People love to come into an office and hang out, enjoy something warm and soothing and chat with other patients. Often times, having tea opens the door to other health discussions. For example, a mother complaining of sleepless nights may benefit from a cup of chamomile tea before bed – so send her home with one. Believe me, your personal touch in that moment before bed will build your referrals astronomically.
[pb]TOUCH
This one is easy. Touch is how we practice, the power of touch through a chiropractic adjustment. During a consultation or new patient examination, be certain to "touch and tell." Examine the areas of concern, touch those areas and explain to your new patient simply the brain body connection. Perhaps their mid thoracic spine is hurting, but do they know that the nerves that come through this specific area speak to the heart, the lungs and the stomach? You know this, but you will seem like a magician to them. "Why yes doctor, how did you know I have stomach problems?" When information is offered through more than one sense at a time – the power of that information and its ability to have an impact magnifies. This is where the connection is made – chiropractic is for whole body health – not just for spinal pain relief.
SIGHT & SOUND
Most people consume and absorb the majority of their information through sight and sound, therefore chiropractors need to use patient videos to communicate and educate new and potential patients. Video is a powerful communication tool because your presence is not required. People don't even have to be in your office to watch. The popularity of YouTube and television prove that people learn through sight and sound and video is just that, a communication pathway directly into a person's mind. Video has been used extensively in education since the beginning of motion pictures and the popularity of programming is proportional to the emotions evoked in the observer. Humor, happiness, sadness, compassion, fear and empowerment are just some of the emotional responses commonly expressed.
It is important to note that it is the emotional connection which is of upmost importance here. A non-emotional but highly educational video is boring and one that will not be watched, absorbed or retained. I know you have had to sit through many educational videos to get to where you are. They may have been vaguely interesting, very scientific, or even had really cool graphics, but the fact remains that only an emotional connection will cause the desired information to enter the mind and make a home there. How many movie reviews have you heard where the critics said they could not connect or sympathize with the characters? This critical emotional connection, that gets a movie rave reviews, is the same reason why testimonials are so popular with potential patients. It is our job to make that sympathetic connection, to invoke hope, reassurance and confidence.
This may sound complicated but it really isn't. Get down to their level and "feel their pain" so to speak, sympathize with them and tell their story better than they could tell it themselves. Only then, when we are all in this together, can you now educate them with hope for improvement. You can now show them what lies ahead on their health journey and rally behind them with confidence in their ability to heal. This is not only what people are searching for, it is what they deserve from us.
As with all things, a quality video is essential. As powerful as an awesomely produced video can be, a hokey, boring video of you sitting at your desk or giving a lecture can be equally powerful in losing their attention. There is no shortage of poorly made videos on YouTube and an overabundance of videos with the latest "scientific" breakthrough complete with all the agonizingly detailed explanations. People have information overload – they are hungry for a real connection with a doctor that can really help them to get and stay healthy.
If you can't explain it, simply you don't understand it well enough, said Albert Einstein. Chiropractic has many facets, and some of them are quite complicated. But we don't have to begin there. Start at the beginning, provide what can be easily explained in simple terms; appeal to their common sense. Connecting with people on this sensory level will gain you patients for life. So, in choosing a new patient video simply remember this, if it doesn't agree with their common sense AND touch their emotions you have already lost them.
We as chiropractors have what people are looking for. The wave of natural health care is on the horizon and approaching fast. The most important thing we as chiropractors can do for our profession and businesses is to open our doors to the flood of patients searching for natural health care. Standing up for our foundational principles and philosophy and communicating that clear message has never been more important. The future is ahead and we are the doctors of the future, we need to spread this message loud and clear and the most powerful tool to communicate our message is video.
