The Question to Ask Before You Explain What You Do

The gap between "what you do" and "why it matters to them"

Most chiropractors can explain what they do. Fewer can explain why it matters to the specific person sitting across from them, right now.

That gap is where patients quietly disengage — not because the care is wrong, but because the explanation didn't land on anything they were actually thinking about. A patient half-listening to a generic explanation of "spinal health" is not the same as a patient hearing something that connects to a concern they already have, or one they're about to have.

One question, asked before every conversation

Before explaining your model of care, there's a single question worth asking: “What's already important to this person — or what's about to become important to them soon?”

"Now" and "soon" require different conversations, even when the underlying philosophy of care doesn't change at all.

Now, or soon — four examples

A young athlete with a recurring injury. This is a "now." They're already motivated — they want to get back to their sport. The specific angle isn't "let's treat the pain," it's "let's find out why the load kept landing in the same spot, so this doesn't send you back to square one."

Parents of a young child. Usually nothing hurts yet, so "now" doesn't apply. "Soon" does: a growing spine is exactly the spine worth checking for small imbalances, while there's still time for growth to work in the child's favour rather than compounding a problem for years.

A pregnant or postpartum patient. Both apply at once. "Now" is adapting through a changing, often uncomfortable body. "Soon" is a genuine closing window — the relaxin hormone that loosens ligaments for birth stays elevated for months afterward, which is exactly when the spine is most able to change for the better, and most under strain from carrying a newborn.

Someone approaching retirement. This is almost entirely a "soon." They're not thinking about their spine — they're thinking about a major life transition. The relevant conversation is about staying active and independent through that change, and the role that you as their chiropractor will be play.

Why this beats a better script

A script assumes everyone needs to hear the same thing, delivered more smoothly. The "now or soon" question assumes the opposite: the underlying model of care stays constant, but the entry point into that conversation has to match what's actually on the patient's mind. That's what makes an explanation memorable enough for a patient to repeat it to someone else — because it wasn't generic in the first place.

In a group talk, some generalising is unavoidable. One-on-one is where this pays off: knowing what's already important to the person in front of you, or what's about to be, and speaking to exactly that.

If you'd like to talk through how this applies to your own patient mix, grab a free 10-minute call — no pitch, just a conversation.