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Rhonda Travers-Making Your Moments Matter
- Stan Hecht
- Dec 17, 2024
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 15
By Pam Wilson | June 24, 2024
I met Rhonda after she presented, “Intentional Networking-Making Your Moments Matter” for an Inspiring Authors webinar. Intentional networking changed how I networked. Read on and listen to how Rhonda’s ideas can help you. To listen to the StoryCorps interview, click read more and then click here: Rhonda Travers: Being Intentional – StoryCorps Archive
We met for an interview after we were fortunate enough to have lunch with the Blue Angels in Chesterfield Valley in early June. They were practicing for their air show, and they were so low and so loud, we had to stop to take pictures! If you listen closely, you will hear the Blue Angels two to three times while we spoke.
After Rhonda’s presentation last fall, I knew I wasn’t networking in the way that I was making my moments matter.
Reaching out to her, she was kind enough to zoom with me, before we met in person. Rhonda was patient and we had the opportunity to meet every month for about 6 months. She was mentoring me even though I didn’t realize it for a while. I even joked with her once and said, “I think you’re being a mentor, hope that’s okay.” I needed Rhonda and what she was sharing at the time so much more than I realized. Knowing I was going to talk and see Rhonda every month got me through some really tough months.
As for Rhonda, when I said this, she answered in typical Rhonda fashion: “It was such a pleasure getting to know you and having intentional conversations with you!”
Rhonda has quite the history and story of how she arrived at where she is today. “My thirty-plus year journey in corporate offered me experience in audit, information, and compliance. Before you tune me out… It was about helping improve processes, I truly love the people part of this. Talking to people and helping them understand and educating them about where there might be opportunities. I fell in love with HR. HR is impacting people and setting them up for success. Throughout my career I hired, managed, and coached hundreds of audit professionals.
I loved the training aspect and seeing my employees get promoted. I truly knew someday that all I wanted to do was help others create success for their teams. I kept working through my career-educating on process improvements.”
“I was with one employer for twenty years and came to a crossroads. This encouraged me to create another chapter in my career. I hired a career coach. The first question on their questionnaire: If money weren’t an object what would you do?
My answer: coach and train others.”
Rhonda says that answer was in the back of her head for five years. She traveled through additional career corporate journeys- coaching and training and developing others including process improvement.
“Three years ago, I went for it. I followed my passion and purpose and created my own business: Travers Training Consulting.”
What she loves about it owning her own business:
It’s rewarding-I’m helping small business owners and non-profits with their people. I’m helping them create success for their people by helping them understand the HR process and how it translates back to the roots of all relationships and rapport and developing trust. And how to gain that from the time you hire-employee engagement, retaining and engaging- this helps and impacts productivity and culture.
Rhonda’s Philosophy: Throughout my career, I’ve always known people need tools, training, and support to be effective. Everyone deserves the chance to be successful!
It warms my heart to know I’m creating impact in other businesses by helping business owners create successes for their people through processes and framework that are employee and people based. I love being people centric.
Rhonda was part of a panel a few weeks ago and when she presented, she was engaging, speaking calmly, intentionally, and clearly. Her ideas came across so well and when she speaks she garner total attention.
What I really admire is her experience and her willingness to help others learn more about themselves in terms of what she knows and where she can help us. She utilizes this experience in every conversation. Along with her beautiful smile, Rhonda has a way of speaking that is engaging, knowledgeable and welcoming.
Her specialty: Training and Speaking:
Everything about Rhonda -her energy, says, “I’m here to help. I’ve been here before. Let’s do this together. It’s a collaborative energy. We spoke about this she said, “Engagement is one of my core values: when we are collaborating, we are finding common ground and I’m thinking, how can we connect and support each other?
This fills my cup. For me to know I’ve added value in any way to someone’s life-I go to bed happy. It’s all about value. How can we help each other?”
Intentional networking: I had signed up to go to a live networking event, and mentioned to Rhonda that I was feeling a little shaky and she said, “Go in and have four or five meaningful conversations. You don’t have to meet everyone in the room.” And you stopped me short. “Tell me what that means.”
Rhonda’s area of expertise: We are all going to network for a different reason. And it’s different depending on where you are in life and business-you are going to meet a lot of people in a short amount of time. We are not meant to serve everybody-we have a different connection with others. Intentional networking is being able to meet and create a connection and walk away with five meaningful conversations. And being able to follow up with them. Follow up and follow through. Connect with HOW you can really serve and understand what they are really doing.
Knowing when you walk into a room, you’re not supposed to remember everyone’s names and what they do. We all serve differently. We are in the room for different reasons. Try aligning with others where core values are the same, or clients or the same. Spend time around those individuals, creating those connections. That will go a long way!
Rhonda says, “Talking thirty seconds with someone, what did anyone get out of that? What’s the ROI?
Instead: find out this: What they do/who they are/synergies/how to serve/collaborate?”
On my way to the networking event, I let my friend Sandy know I was going to try something different. And I did. I was intentionally networking and it felt completely different. I traded business cards with five or six people and followed up.
Upon leaving my friend Sandy said, “I was watching you and you were really having some good conversations with people.” Exactly what Rhonda taught me!
I’ve been doing this for months now and it’s much better for me. I could meet everyone in the room OR I can have really meaningful conversations every time I enter a room. I don’t want to connect everyone in the room with someone I know. This was fascinating and a great lesson for me. Then I told everyone I know. Others have tried it. We hear you telling us to, “Hang on, slow down, and ask ourselves what do you really want to talk about? Make that connection.”
Rhonda elaborates, “Its authentic. People do business and want to work with others who they know, like and trust. If you are surface level-people read that. Use that energy, instead to really cultivate a relationship and be genuine around it. There are so many rewards coming from that. And then you are being your authentic self. When you are in alignment-you glow. You are aligning your purpose and passion, and you are comfortable with that. Everyone connects with people for a reason.”
Rhonda reminds me, “Have fun with this! You can get too focused-you forget to have fun. The moment I go out and have fun talking to people, I learn so much. It’s about building quality relationships.”
I completely agree-it’s worth it. We are all being added to one another’s circle, and you never know where that could lead.
I asked Rhonda what she is finding the most joy with now professionally.
Having fun with intention! Helping conversations with each other’s businesses and what we do.
“I love speaking to educate and resonates with what I’m saying: its relevant and real and they can implement the next day. today. I love educating and speaking at meetings, conferences and with teams of people. Speaking and training. I love to see a light bulb spark and see people interact during training. It’s the take-away with the engagement of learning something. The ROI.”
Rhonda’s consulting services: I love working with business owners and ask what’s happening that week. We meet every week and before we talk about what I’m working on with you, we discuss behind the scenes. What do we want to brainstorm for additional perspective? People strategies and how to connect better, how to increase productivity and retention. Most importantly, how to implement the processes and learning.
This is making a positive impact and creating an environment where people are feeling good, want to go and are enjoying where they are working.
We have a mutual fan club. Rhonda’s energy is exciting and it’s good to hear the good work she is doing. She always had her boots on the ground-she’s tenacious and knew in her heart what she wanted to do, following her passion. She’s encouraged me to continue to build a network and to share my mission of making a positive impact in the world by empowering others to share their story!
The intentional is fun.
Rhonda Travers:
Rhonda Travers, Founder & President | Professional Speaker | Leadership Development Trainer | #1 International Best-Selling contributing Author.
Travers Training & Consulting Website: www.traverstraining.com
Follow #TraversTuesdayTip
Expect Good. Defy Gravity. Sparkle On. Have intention.
More blue angels…
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