Chiropractic Practice Blog

Do you talk too much?

Take an inventory of the most powerful people on the planet and you'll notice that they're often individuals of few words. They are not especially gabby. They know that like anything in abundance, the less valuable their words become. Things that are scarce are more likely to be considered important and significant.

Consider how we often perceive those who talk too much:

1. Insecure. Those of many words may use them to acquire a sense of control.
2. Lack of clarity. Many words may be a sign of uncertainty or confusion.
3. Defensive. To paraphrase a line from Hamlet, "Me thinks thou protests too much."
4. Selfish. Monopolizing the conversation makes it about you instead of them.

This week resolve to speak less. Choose your words more carefully. When you do speak, use shorter sentences. Pause. And remember that actions speak much louder than words.

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If you were limited to using just one brochure with patients, this would be it. As chiropractic brochures go, it is among the most versatile. It produces patient epiphanies by linking the bones of the spine to the nervous system that controls the whole show. Use it as a…

Report Handout. Link the spinal column to neurological function by showing which organs and tissues are serviced at each segmental Level.

Screening Tool. On the posterior view, use a marking pen to show a scoliosis. The lateral view can show the importance spinal curves.

Lecture Giveaway. Make sure your audience understands that chiropractic is about the nervous system, not just the bones of the spine.

School Presentation. Students enjoy the unique way this brochure folds and gain a new appreciation for the supremacy of the nervous system.

Reactivation Stimulus. Include a copy with a reactivation letter, circling the areas you used to adjust. "Next time these areas act up, give us a call."

Featured Brochure. Here’s a life-size human spine that fits in your brochure rack and contains dozens of fascinating facts about it.

Your Spine and Nervous System is a "super brochure" that you'll find yourself using with every patient.

Not listening is a form of arrogance.

Besides announcing your superiority, not listening is actually a strategy to control, covering up an underlying insecurity. The opinions of others are merely unwanted friction as we lower our heads and bulldoze forward.

Those with the habit of not listening, leave a wake of resent and under performance behind them. Surrounded by yes men and shielded from opposing viewpoints, their practices rarely harness the complete investment of their support team. They ignore the subtle cues sent by patients. Their stunted practices are rarely better than their own egotistical vision because they are unable to enlist the emotional investment of team members.

The most successful are collaborators. They make others "big," bringing out their best. They give credit for success to others and assume the blame when the mark is missed.

So much more is possible by listening. It turns 1 + 1 into 3.

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It’s a common tale. For time, you’re so busy each day is a blur. You’re in the zone. You’re on top of the world, trusting your intuition; you’re practically a wizard. This is SWEET!

And then the numbers fall off. There are empty slots in the appointment book. There are disconcerting lulls between patients. There’s enough time to distract the front desk CA with questions about who’s next. Your confidence erodes. You have time to ruminate on what you should have said and should have done with that patient who didn’t show up for your report.

Welcome to the roller-coaster practice. One moment you’re giddy with confidence as everything you touch practically glows. The next thing you know you’re surfing the Internet, reading the chiropractic rags and wondering if anyone loves you.

What you do about this determines if this is a one-time anomaly or a lifetime sentence until you retire.

First acknowledge you created this.

The goal isn't perfect health.

Some chiropractors become disappointed, even offended when patients choose a less-than-ideal care plan. And it's not just chiropractors who insist that patients embrace a year's worth of care or go elsewhere. It could be as simple as a raised eyebrow or a "look" when patients refuse to lose weight, stop smoking or continue to engage in other known health-compromising behaviors.

Yet, these same patients may have a marriage with a level of intimacy that you could only dream of. Or enjoy a far deeper bond with their children. Or laugh more frequently throughout the day. They are enjoying life to the fullest and have chosen not to worship the idol of ideal health.

Careful that you don't project your health values onto patients. True, aspects of life may be better when we're subluxation free, but remember that even with perfect health, we all die.

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When Dr. John Hinwood of Australia’s Centre for Powerful Practices coaching program invited me to speak to his tribe via his monthly teleclass, I was quick to accept. It was only later that I learned that my half-hour contribution would be delivered at 3:30 AM Colorado time.

Still, I was able to deliver New Patient Metaphysics without too many fits and starts. In fact, I think it turned out valuable enough to post here.

Those who have listened to my New Patient Mojo podcasts or who have downloaded my free 21-Day New Patient Makeover ebook will recognize some of the material.

In sports, it’s called choking.

When an athlete is under pressure to perform, breakdown occurs when their concentration is eclipsed by a concern over the outcome. In other words, attempting to perform now, but living in the future.

Are you invested in what may or may not happen after adding energy to a patient’s spine at opportune times and places?

What makes this especially unhelpful is that you have little influence in the outcome. Will the patient return to receive enough adjustments to create a momentum for healing? Will the patient make the necessary changes to their lifestyle? Does their body have the capacity and resources to heal? Is the stressor still present?

These and other variables are outside your control. Imagining that you’re responsible for the outcome is not only risky, it reveals that you may not have fully communicated to patients how chiropractic works—that they’re the doctor.

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