Home Conferences Professional Women's Conference Agenda

Wednesday, April 7, 2021

8 – 8:30 a.m. CT
Welcome
Funeral Service Foundation

8:30 – 9:30 a.m. CT
The Future of Funeral Service is Emotional
Jason Troyer, Ph.D

Our emotions have a direct impact on leadership success, decision making, customer service, staff relationships, and professional burnout. Dr. Troyer discusses when you should (and shouldn’t) listen to your emotions, how selective expression can make you a better leader, how understanding emotions can improve difficult interactions, and how emotional awareness can help reduce feelings of burnout. Dr. Troyer shares numerous examples directly related to funeral service.

Sponsored by:

Messenger

9:30 – 9:45 a.m. CT
Networking Break

9:45 – 10:45 a.m. CT
Creating Small Moments of Ceremony During the Initial Transfer
Angela Woosley, Inspired Journeys Founder

Funeral directors understand the value of funerals and ceremony to the grieving process, but the COVID-19 pandemic has made funerals increasingly difficult to host. Woosley will share techniques and ideas to bring the ceremony to the bedside by including family and staff in the initial transfer and creating “mini-ceremonies.”  Providing these small moments of ceremony helps families create healing memories, honors the care that health care workers provide, and can help tide families over when funerals are difficult to host.

Sponsored by:

Nomis_logo._250

10:45 – 11:45 a.m. CT
The Millennial Funeral Director
Leili McMurrough, Program Director, Worsham College

The workforce is changing fast.  How can you attract and retain the best employees? The millennial employee is challenging how we have traditionally hired and managed funeral professionals. Learn what millennials feel is important in a job and what they expect from employers. Discover the management methods you can employ to facilitate a successful work environment.  Let’s discuss how to effectively communicate and integrate the millennial funeral director into the workplace.

Sponsored by:

NGL_H_RGB_R_LG

11:45 a.m. CT

Closing Remarks
Funeral Service Foundation

Thursday, April 8, 2021

8 – 8:30 a.m. CT
Virtual Scavenger Hunt

You won't want to miss this action-packed virtual event! Professional Women's Conference guests get to participate in a rapid-paced scavenger hunt guaranteed to get your blood pumping.  Hunters have 30 seconds per round to find everyday household objects and display them in front of their computer video camera. Each successful find before the buzzer goes off earns them points toward a fabulous prize! 

8:30 – 9:30 a.m. CT
Inside the Courthouse
Michael Sharkey, Attorney and Funeral Director

Sharkey will discuss the most important and current legal issues facing funeral homes, cemeteries and crematories.  Learn how to reduce the potential for lawsuits as well as mitigate the effects if a lawsuit is filed against your business.  Explore the legal issues confronting funeral practitioners and discover best practices and other ideas for immediate use at your funeral business. Specific lawsuits regarding sexual harassment and formaldehyde exposure while pregnant will be shared with the audience. 

9:30 – 9:45 a.m. CT
Networking Break

9:45 – 10:45 a.m. CT
Two Concurrent Sessions

Can We Talk? Helpful Embalming Tips
Tawnia Steinhoff, The Dodge Company

Today’s embalmers are now facing challenges that may not have existed for those who entered funeral service more than twenty years ago.  This session is designed to help all embalmers gain some helpful techniques that can be used in the prep room to overcome various challenges being encountered today.  These techniques are the result of practical hands-on experiences embalmers have tried when facing difficult cases as they have moved forward in the 21st-century world of embalming. Steinhoff will share a compilation of “tricks and treats” (resolving preparation glitches with minor fixes), drawing ideas from many previous technical embalming seminars.

Presented by:

Dodge_logo

Prospecting to Women Influencers
Jodi Clock, Clock Funeral Home

It’s no secret that women end up being the primary caretaker for both their family and their aging parents, making them the most likely candidate to deal with end-of-life planning. Instead of trying to educate the general public about funeral planning, maybe it’s time to narrow our focus and begin connecting with women – influencers to be exact. Let’s get out in front of our target audience, and let’s be creative about how we do it. Not only can we market specifically to women, but we can team up with trusted advisors that want to accomplish the same result as we do. Ultimately, we can work to help these women influencers create an end-of-life plan for their parents, families, and themselves.

Sponsored by:

ASD_logo_250

10:45 – 11 a.m. CT
Networking Break

11 a.m. – 12 p.m. CT
Keynote Speaker
What Holds Us Back at Work: How to Communicate with Colleagues, Managers and Clients
Dr. Meg Myers Morgan, Associate Professor & Author

Negotiation expert Dr. Meg Myers Morgan is on a mission to help people learn how to get what they want at work. When we learn how to communicate using negotiation skills, she says, we change our mindset. We improve our relationships. We invest in our success. Simply put—it’s a leadership and key job skill we all must develop.

Learn how to defy any negative associations we may have with negotiation and think of it more as a communication tool. “Negotiating isn't about manipulating people to get more than you deserve,” Dr. Morgan says. It’s not just about your salary—it’s about finding effective ways of talking to your team, managers, and clients. Full of powerful advice, case studies, and laugh-out-loud stories, you’ll be inspired to understand others, make communication more valuable, have a healthy relationship with ambition, and get more out of work.

Sponsored by:

GRC round logo

12 p.m. CT
Closing Remarks
Funeral Service Foundation