Attract Patients to Your Physical Therapy Practice by Public Speaking

Physical Therapists, Osteopaths, Chiropractors and Physiotherapists can significantly boost their practices by learning to speak in public. Not only does speaking in public increase your visibility, but it can also increase your credibility – both of which are necessary for successful practice building.

There are two ways to go about booking speaking “gigs”. Firstly you can organise your own events. This is a good strategy if you are confident that you know enough people who you can persuade to attend your event. These people should also be within your target market, or else speaking to them will not be much use – you really want to be speaking to groups made up of your target audience.

Often this approach can work well if you can work with other professionals in similar fields to present/ talk at the same event. This means that you don’t have to provide material for an hour of speaking, but can share the load with someone else.

The second way to start using public speaking is to offer your services for groups who are looking for speakers. Again it is pointless to speak to any group that will have you – targeting your audience is the best way forward.

For instance if you work with young athletes, agreeing to speak for the local athletics club might be a good move. However, speaking for the local bible study group might not work as well!

Also make sure that your talk is relevant to the group you are booked to speak for – your main priority is to entertain your group, or else it is unlikely you will be seen as someone worth visiting in the future. Be sure to provide relevant information in an entertaining format and you will go down really well.

How do you learn to speak if you are nervous about doing so? Well, almost all cities in the western world have a version of “toastmasters” – a place where you can practice standing up and speaking in front of a supportive audience. This will build your expertise and allow you to deliver your talks in complete confidence.