Q: Hiring a speaker for a conference is new to me. What should I look for?

A: The success of your meeting will be judged on the caliber, professionalism and appropriateness of the topic and presenter(s) you select. Look for a speaker with a proven track record of experience, letters of reference, the Certified Speaking Professional (CSP) designation and the ability to enhance your meeting and create rapport with your audience. Make sure your presenter will tailor the presentation to your group, do research on your industry and make the talk applicable to the audience. 

Q: What topics does Rhonda speak and provide workshops for?

A: Rhonda does keynote speeches, workshops and training programs for corporate and association audiences on Administration, Communication and Effectiveness. One of her most popular keynote speeches is “Sometimes You’re The Windshield, Sometimes You’re The Bug.”

Q: Which audiences really like Rhonda the most?

A: Although Rhonda does tend to speak to female based audiences, she is comfortable and more than capable with men and women of all ages in her audience. Quite often Rhonda’s audiences are made up of front line support professionals, but Rhonda has spoken to groups of people in every different position from CEO’s to front line staff.

Q: What is a CSP and why does it make you special?

A : Rhonda earned her CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) designation in 2001. It is the international measure of professional platform skill. In Canada there are currently only 29 CSP award recipients. It is a professional designation that is earned over a minimum of 5 years, the highest earned speaking designation in the world, and very difficult to qualify for. She was Canada’s third female to earn this designation (and only Ottawa based recipient). When hiring speaking or training professionals, you should always look for the CSP designation - it guarantees you are getting a proven professional.

Q: Can I use material from Rhonda’s website for my company newsletter?

A: Yes. You have permission to use any of the strange facts or the newsletter articles off of Rhonda’s site as long as you provide a notation saying: courtesy of Rhonda Scharf (Finniss), On-The-Right-Track.com

Q: What is Rhonda’s biography?

A: Rhonda Scharf (Finniss) is a Professional Speaker, Trainer and Author, based in Ottawa . She has spoken to tens of thousands of people in 7 different countries with her humourous and approachable style. Rhonda was the 2004 National President of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) and is also a member of the International Speakers Association as well as named in the 2005 edition of “Who’s Who in Professional Speaking”. Rhonda has also earned her CSP designation which is "Certified Speaking Professional", of which Canada has only 29 recipients. It is the highest speaking designation in the world that can be earned.

For a longer biography, please use this one.

Q: If we want to hire Rhonda for speaking, training, is there a contract?

A: Rhonda does not have a contract. But she does have you sign an engagement letter. See this document for more information.

Q: Tell us something funny about Rhonda.

A: Rhonda has been earning money from speaking since she was two years old! Her mother used to offer her 25 cents to be quiet for five minutes. Since that time she has figured out how to get clients to pay her to speak and to not be quiet. Her mother and her family still don’t understand why.