Rallying a community behind a cause requires clear, concise communication strategies. This week Virgil Sheppard discusses how his organization is identifying the needs of the individuals they serve by gathering insights and developing leadership strategies that support and build trust. Listen in as Laura and Virgil explore the early warning indicators of educational needs, understanding the metrics behind identifying risk, and how Virgil’s team looks beyond poverty and communicates the strengths of a community that has an average annual income of $11,000.

Here are a few things you’ll learn during this conversation:

• How poverty impacts perception
• The importance of accurately describing the nature of challenges to stakeholders
• How to address misconceptions in a tactful way
• The toughest audience for the Hope Community
• Why emotions create unclear messages

During the 24-Hour Challenge, Virgil encourages you to reach out to someone who has influenced or impacted you in a positive way to say thank you.

About Virgil Sheppard:

Virgil currently serves as the President/CEO of Hope Partnership for Education, a non-profit organization whose mission is to empower the community through education.

Prior to Hope, Virgil served as the National School Partnerships Director for City Year, where he was responsible for developing a partnership strategy that maximized school and student outcomes. Virgil got his start in education working for the School District of Philadelphia’s Behavioral Team, overseeing the Comprehensive Student Assistance Process for 40 schools, and serving as a middle school administrator. During this time, Virgil oversaw the first Response to Instructional Intervention (RTII) pilot for the School District of Philadelphia, identifying evidenced-based strategies and intervention programs while providing technical assistance to school-based RTII teams to ensure strong student support services infrastructure.

Virgil holds a bachelor’s degree from Temple University and a master’s degree from Cheyney University.

You can learn more about Hope Partnership here: https://www.hope-partnership.org/

To learn more about Dr. Laura Sicola and how mastering influence can impact your success go to https://www.speakingtoinfluence.com/quickstart and download the quick start guide for mastering the three C’s of influence.

You can connect with Laura in the following ways:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drlaurasicola

LinkedIn Business Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/vocal-impact-productions/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/VocalImpactProductions

Facebook: Vocal Impact Productions

Twitter: @Laura Sicola 

Instagram: @VocalImpactProductions

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