Ken Kilpatrick
Sylvia Marketing & Public Relations
Now that many schools are turning to online learning as we wait out the pandemic, a number of families are grouping students in their homes to create smaller learning pods.
Over the past year, researchers from The Century Foundation have analyzed roughly 5,700 charter schools in all 50 states in an attempt to produce the first-ever nationwide inventory of diversity in the public charter school sector. Today, in partnership with the foundation, The 74 is releasing the findings of that report — and over the next two weeks will publish in-depth profiles of four intentionally diverse charter schools, showcasing strategies, policies, and practices that can be replicated and modified by schools elsewhere, as they look to pursue diversity as a goal.
Here’s what the 74 has to say: http://bit.ly/2Jc4Bh7
Check it out! Sylvia Marketing & Public Relations CEO Ken Kilpatrick is interviewed by Lehigh Valley Business on the top of “fake news.”
| Appearance: | Sylvia Marketing & Public Relations Featured In Lehigh Valley Business |
|---|---|
| Format: | Newspaper |
If you’re a normal professional, you may just feel at least a smidge of apprehension or resentment when it comes time to drag yourself to (or get dragged to) a professional networking event. Sure, sure, the crab puffs might be killer, but there are so many things to not love about these shindigs that I’d be here for hours if I tried to highlight each one.
Because that doesn’t sound fun for either of us, let’s start with four common reasons why you don’t enjoy them—even when you know (or suspect) they’re important to attend. And then let’s find a better option for every stinking one of them.
Especially if you’re not a natural extrovert, or if you aren’t terribly practiced in the art of small talk, walking into a room of strangers can create all kinds of anxiety and tension. They often seem formulaic to the point of being comical, just without the funny ha-ha part. And this typically nets out to a fairly unenjoyable, stressful, and overtly corporate-feeling session.
A Better Option: Have you heard the news? Many, many professional groups (both the formal ones and informal ones) are realizing that we humans actually enjoy mixing business with pleasure when it comes to networking—especially when doing so lowers our stress levels while still enabling us to meet influential people, gather information that may be beneficial to our careers, or grow professionally.
If you cringe at the thought of the “traditional networking mixer,” consider heading over to Meetup.com or LinkedIn groups to see if you can find events in your area that pertain to your area of expertise or professional interest while combining a social or recreational element.
In the Portland market alone, you’ll find gatherings like these: Coffee & Copy (a gathering for writers), Wonder Women in Business, and a Tech + Pong hangout (for developers and other IT people). There are hundreds of these types of events, in pretty much every urban market. Go find a couple that suit you.
Here’s the thing: We’re all afraid to approach people we don’t know, just at varying levels of terror. It’s human nature to fear rejection or looking awkward or stupid, it really is. And networking events are often just teeming with scary strangers that we dread approaching.
Given this, a lot of us tend to completely underperform in these environments. We go through the motions and survive, but we end the evening with very little to show for the agony we’ve just endured. And that’s not at all what our goal is here.
The Better Option: First, recognize that we’re all scared. All of us. That may ease your feelings of “I’m all alone in this.” Next, if the event has genuine potential (and, really, most of them do), try constructing a game plan in advance, which will make it less intimidating to walk in the doors and approach new people. Consider bringing someone who’s a natural connector, or who knows a lot of people in your industry. And ask that person to make introductions on your behalf.
(See? Less terrifying already.)
Or, you might create a game out the entire event. Challenge yourself to see how many people you can meet or what specific goals you can achieve before the end of the evening. And, if you can get your hands on an attendee list in advance, be sure and do so. This will make pre-planning much easier, as you will know who your “target connections” are beforehand.
The events I most despise are the ones in which everyone just stands around shoving their cards at one another while trying to juggle appetizers, cocktails, and handshakes. I often feel like I’m in some bad 1991 movie scene, one that’s overtly making fun of how corny and fake so many of these professional mixers are.
Seriously, does anyone ever forge genuine, lasting connections in these awful environments? I probably can’t say, because I’ve admittedly exited stage left in the middle of many of these types of deals before even giving them a chance.
A Better Option: If the fakeness of “classic networking” really doesn’t work for you, choose non-networking networking opportunities. This isn’t an oxymoron at all. Sleuth out (and get your rear end over to) events that allow you to actually contribute, do, or achieve something while you meet like-minded people.
Raise your hand to volunteer at an event or for a cause tied to your area of expertise or interest. Organize a fitness group or book club specifically designed for people in your field. Join a committee within your own company, with the specific intent to get to know new people within the organization. You get the theme here.
I’m absolutely not one of those people who says (in a judging tone), “It’s never that you have no time, it’s that you choose to not make the time.” Oh, God, spare us all. Hi, I’m a married business owner with multiple children—who are in multiple extracurricular activities. I actually “get” what it is to have almost no extra time to be flitting about town talking shop over mediocre wine.
However, I also actually “get” how important it is to forge and maintain strong professional relationships throughout one’s career. I have personally and professionally benefitted (over and over again) from having a supportive and influential network of people around me (and hope I’m helpful to them as well!)
So what happens if you’re someone with so many demands on your time that physically attending networking events is nearly impossible?
A Better Option: I’ve got two words for you: social media. No matter how good (or not good) you are at it or how much you like (or dislike) it, you’ll need to harness the power of these platforms as a solid alternative to participating at live events. Your specific strategy should be customized to your own needs, personality, and comfort level with various platforms, but you absolutely must leverage networking tools like LinkedIn, Twitter chats, and Facebook Live events (to name a few) if you’re not able to attend face-to-face gatherings.
Blipping off the radar entirely may feel more safe and comfortable, but you’re shortchanging yourself (and may cause yourself a lot of unnecessary stress when you need support from others) in the long run. Business is built around relationships. It is truly who you know in many, many instances.
So even if you abhor the idea of networking, try your darndest to find survivable (and maybe even enjoyable) ways to stay connected with influencers around you.
And for sure have a firm handshake.
Sylvia Marketing & Public Relations Client Achievement House Cyber Charter School is Featured on Rasmussen College Special Report!
Scanning a crowded restaurant while your family waits for a seat, you notice almost all of the tables have at least one person staring into a cell phone screen. Walking through the mall involves dodging teens whose eyes are fixated on smart phones rather than oncoming shoppers. You hand your daughter the phone when she gets antsy at the store, immediately transfixing her with a compilation of clips from Disney’s Frozen,so you can discern the best deal on cereal.
Then, at a school meeting for your second grader, the teacher announces the addition of computer science education to the curriculum.
What? Surely we get more than our share of technology use outside of the school day. It’s probably even harmful in these doses.
Though it may surprise you, there are myriad benefits of starting computer science education young. Contrary to common belief, computer coding is not socially isolating screen time. Read on to learn what experts say about the advantages of computer science for our youth.
Our education system aims to decrease the focus on low-level cognitive development: students sitting back and listening to a teacher dole out facts they will regurgitate later for an exam. As a parent, you know your kiddos are capable of more than memorization, and you’ve witnessed their unbridled energy and curiosity. The great news is that computer science encourages the following types of higher-level thinking:
“Coding is not just about creating software. It’s about computational thinking,” explains Gillian Hayes, who has a PhD in computer science and volunteers to teach kids the subject. “Thinking computationally is a benefit to our logic and philosophy skills as well as more traditional STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) oriented concerns.” There is a direct link between the computing required to code and the computing required in a child’s science and math classes.
Reading comprehension and computer science may not seem related on the surface, especially when you are battling your little ones to put down the tablet and get their nose in a book. But the sequential thinking involved in coding can actually contribute to improved reading comprehension.
The ability to order events in a text relates to the skill of the chronological sequencing required in writing code. So you can rest assured that even if your little one doesn’t grow up to be a computer programmer, exposing them to coding is still benefiting their overall development.
Being curious is motivating for students when approaching a new topic. Instead of regarding technology as magical, coding promotes the question of “Why?” when thinking about a particular app or game. “Young children are exposed to so much technology at a young age, that they miss a vital piece of the puzzle,” says Kimberly Chicchi, computer science teacher at Achievement House Cyber Charter School.“Understanding why something works allows you to put it into context. It’s a beautiful puzzle.”
Parents and educators fear screen time’s potential to stunt kids’ development. Picturing your child staring into a screen at school seems contradictory to learning.
“Parents sometimes have difficulty telling the difference between students as ‘consumers’ of technology and as ‘producers’ within the technology space.” Lindsey Handley owns and operates ThoughtSTEM, an education startup in San Diego, and she emphasizes that effective computer science classes don’t involve passive consumption. Instead, they encourage creation and teamwork. Check out these engaging coding lessons and activities to use at home or in schools:
At this point, you may be asking, “What if my kids aren’t interested in becoming computer programmers?” What a waste to emphasize computer science so early when we should prioritize universal skills.
However, learning to code is often compared to learning a foreign language. While the language of coding can be learned in high school and beyond, it is easier and more naturally acquired at a young age.
Early childhood development easily identifies with if/then scenarios, according to Kornel Kurtz, a computer programmer of 30 years and CEO of Webtek. (ie: If you use the potty, then you get a reward. If you tap that icon, this app opens.) “It’s a great introduction to how logical thinking works with programming,” he says. “The younger they grasp that, the easier programming is” His own three children also have programming hobbies and careers.
In our diverse world, people speaking multiple languages in the job market are preferable over those who speak only one. You don’t have to be an official interpreter to benefit from speaking multiple languages.
Similarly, you don’t have to be a computer programmer to benefit from knowing how to code. In fact, computer science and technology currently influence nearly every vocation whether it’s medicine, law, education, farming, political science, business management, construction or marketing.
If your child decides to go into a specifically computer science career, he or she will have an advantage with a multitude of option and exciting earning potential. Computer-related jobs are expected to grow at the faster-than-average rate of 12 percent through 2024, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). The BLS also reports that the median annual salary for these professionals in 2015 was $81,430, which was more than two times the average for all occupations.*
It’s understandable if you are hesitant about computer science education for your children. Though it’s not what we remember doing in elementary school, the world is changing and coding for kids is becoming more and more common.
Computer science education enhances our children’s ability to think, engages them with hands-on teamwork and prepares them for a successful future. Who are we to deny them the language their future will rely on?
Find out more about the significant role computer science plays in today’s world in our article: 6 Surprising Ways Computer Science Benefits Society.
*Salary data represents national, averaged earnings for the occupations listed and includes workers at all levels of education and experience. This data does not represent starting salaries and employment conditions in your area may vary.
It’s not news that the role of salespeople and selling is changing. In the past, salespeople were often the first step in a purchase process, and could significantly influence customer decision-making by controlling information about pricing, availability, competitive advantage, etc.
But in this era of nearly ubiquitous information, customers usually engage with salespeople after they’ve already researched their purchase and in some cases made their purchase decision. Digital commerce and disintermediation have caused many customers to question the importance of having a sales relationship at all. Moreover, companies are learning that true sales success isn’t indicated by the number or size of deals closed; it’s measured by getting and keeping the right customers.
Great salespeople succeed in this new business environment by doing what great brands do. I laid out seven critical brand-building principles that great brands follow when I wrote my first book. I’ve now found that these principles are as instrumental to restoring sales to its role as a valuable, sustainable, integral business function as they are to building great brands.
Great salespeople implement all of these principles in a cohesive, coordinated approach that mirrors the brand-as-business management approach used by great brands to develop powerful and valuable brands. Just as great brands cultivate mutually beneficial relationships with their customers, great salespeople cultivate a deep connection between their company and their client’s business. To borrow a term, the best salespeople are brand evangelists.
Guy Kawasaki first adopted the term “evangelism” into the business world by applying it to an innovative approach to sales, marketing, and management. Evangelism, as he defined it, means “convincing people to believe in your product or ideas as much as you do” because evangelists believe that what they offer is truly helpful and valuable to others.
Over the years, many technology companies have developed the role of a technology evangelist or “chief evangelist.” These people are charged with building up support for a given technology, and then establishing it as a standard in the given industry. Like these technology evangelists, brand evangelists — that is, great salespeople — build up support within a market for a brand so that it becomes the brand leader in its category.
Importantly, brand evangelism is not another one of the customer-centric or customer-driven sales approaches that have become popular in recent years. Customer-centric sales and most other sales improvement approaches are pursued for the sole purpose of increasing sales. Brand evangelism is about engaging customers in a way that produces stronger and more valuable brands and sustaining long-term business success for their companies and their clients.
This is what great salespeople do.
As Kilolo Moyo-White watched her 8th-grade students walk through the newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture, in Washington, she felt a sense of awe.
Seeing the exhibits last month felt like an affirmation of her identity, she said, which was also felt by her students from the Global Leadership Academy Charter School in Philadelphia, most of whom are black.
“It was just a transformative moment for them to be able to see themselves in that history and to be able to connect it so quickly to what’s happening in our society today,” Moyo-White said. “For some, I think that was a little upsetting and troubling. But I think they were also calmed by the beauty of the museum and the fact that this museum is honoring that hard work, those trials and tribulations, instead of just shading over it.”
Read the rest of the story here…