What type of language do you use?







Have you had this type of discussion?

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I had a healthy debate with a colleague of mine the other day and I’d love to know where you weigh in on this topic… So here’s the BIG QUESTION:

When you communicate with your patients, what type of language do you use? Most of us do a good job at choosing our words carefully when we’re explaining concepts about chiropractic to our patients. Do you choose the official terminology or a more casual, let’s call it “slang,” phrasing?

I looked into the meaning of the word slang and discovered some interesting facts. A popular reference tool – called Urban Dictionary, compiles streetwise lingo that is posted and defined by its readers. In July, Urban Dictionary attracted 15 million unique users per day and registered 1,000 new words per day. So, if you’re in a group or a sub-culture, you can manufacture your own slang – in essence, writing your own language code – to identify your specific group.

I got excited about this when I thought about it in terms of the chiropractic offices across the nation. What a great way to identify your specific group, AKA – the patients in your office. Give your patients access to the meaning behind the coded words and phrases that are common in chiropractic, but not common in everyday language.

This will help keep your group, your patients, together. Remember back in elementary or middle school, most of us had a unique language between our close friends. It gave us a sense of belonging and it deepened our relationships. The same thing applies here. Create a sub-culture in your office so it helps your patients understand chiropractic better. Then, they can go and tell others about it.

As an example, the word subluxation can generate strong feelings within this profession. Some doctors feel it should be a household word, others don’t. Some doctors feel strongly that their patients say the word subluxation, instead of mis-alignment or nerve pressure. Think about how patients are going to relay information to their family and friends. Patients are more apt to remember slang words than official chiropractic terms.

Now, this may infuriate some of you, but this is an opportunity to use slang to your advantage! Patients eventually will call it a subluxation. And at the end of the day, as long as they are understanding the concept of chiropractic and are able to communicate that with others, then we’ve done our job!

So, your action step for today is to evaluate the words and phrases you use with your patients. Sit down with your Team and write your own language code, always focusing on the easiest way a patient can receive this information and deliver this information to others. Create excitement in your office by promoting a “word of the day” or a “word of the week” lesson. Solidify your group with unique language and watch how fast everyone will want to belong in your office.

We’d love to hear from you. Please post your comments, tweet this, like it on Facebook or share the link with a colleague.

Finally – a quick question for you: How would you like to have someone hand you one or two new patients each week?!! Well that’s exactly what our sponsor – Endless Patient Referrals does!! Better yet, how would you like to get an absolutely FREE no-obligation “30-day test drive” to see how this patient attraction system works for you?!! Well – you can!! All you need to do is call me – our phone number’s at the end of this video!

Thanks for watching. Until next time we wish you health and happiness. Here’s to growing your practice from within.