The first-ever workshop hosted by ACA International in conjunction with Fall Forum in Chicago provided attendees leadership best practices and discussion opportunities with women in the accounts receivable management industry.
11/3/2021 8:00
Speak with purpose and emotive language are some best practices that stood out from the discussion during ACA International’s first-ever Women’s Workshop held in conjunction with the 2021 Fall Forum Nov. 3.
Heather Johnson of Klassen Performance Group led the workshop focused on building new relationships, acquiring new skills and sharing best practices.
She said the workshop was to help attendees in the accounts receivable management (ARM) industry support each other and connect with mentors.
Johnson provided examples of how to maintain credibility in conversations and best practices for communication, such as varying your tone and speaking with movement, which brings energy to the conversation.
Midway through the workshop, the attendees completed a group exercise on how they could put these communication ideas into action at their agencies.
Johnson spent the afternoon leading discussions on building a network—both professionally and personally—and the importance of having a mentor.
“Your network needs to be nurtured,” Johnson said.
Overall, the event focused on identifying and overcoming challenges unique to women in the ARM industry.
Attendees had open dialogue throughout the workshop and opportunities to interact with Johnson.
LaDonna Bohling, IFCCE, chief compliance officer at Contract Callers Inc., said she hopes participation at the next workshop grows.
Bohling was among members of ACA’s Women in Collections Resource Council (WICRC) who attended the workshop, including Fran Fisher, a founding member of the WICRC and business development manager at Payscout, and Debra Ciskey, IFCCE, executive vice president of CACi.
The Women’s Workshop was sponsored by CCMR3, (diamond sponsor), as well as Renkim, Genesys and TCN.
Following the Women’s Workshop Wednesday, a welcome reception was held in the Expo Hall at ACA’s Fall Forum and education seminars kickoff Thursday morning.
Fall Forum materials, including badges, pocket agendas and attendee bags, can be picked up from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. Nov. 4 and 8 to 10 a.m. Nov. 5 at the registration desk located outside the Regency Ballroom on the ballroom level of the west tower of the Hyatt Regency Chicago.
Kicking off the first official day of the forum, ACA’s CEO Mark Neeb will lead a virtual discussion on Nov. 4 from 8:30 to 9:15 a.m. CDT with Chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee Tom Emmer, R-Minn.
Session tracks throughout Fall Forum include Reg F, Health Care Collections and Legal Education.
Registration for the Reg F Listening Room, starting Nov. 4, is also available for those who are not able to attend in person. After Fall Forum, register for the Nov. 9 Hot Topic seminar, Reg F Ask Me Anything to get your questions answered before the Nov. 30 effective date of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s Reg F and build on your education from the conference.
Other events during Fall Forum include Ping-Pong for the People, supporting the ACPAC Administrative Fund, at SPIN Chicago Nov. 4, and Reg F Table Talks, held Nov. 4 during breakfast, lunch and breaks in the Expo Hall. Pick a topic and share best practices with your colleagues. Tables in the Expo Hall will be identified with discussion topics. Seating is limited. Blank table tents will be provided to create new topics if you do not see a topic you want to discuss.
Don’t forget to swing by the ACA registration desk to check out available silent auction items. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Loomer Mortenson Scholarship awarded through the ACA Education Foundation.
To stay connected during Fall Forum, download the Guidebook mobile app to build your own schedule and get easy access to the agenda, handouts, exhibitors and sponsors, speaker and attendee lists and more. Text FallForum21 to 96997 for Fall Forum text message alerts. Share your experience on social media using #ACAFallForum21.
To download the app:
- Download Guidebook from the app store on your mobile device.
- Once installed, tap “Find Guides” then “Have a passphrase?”
- Enter the passphrase FallForum21 to download the app to your device.
Thank you to our 2021 Fall Forum sponsors: Prodigal, Balto, Provana, Payscout, Solutions by Text, Beam Software, Maurice Wutscher, VoApps DirectDrop Voicemail, Recovery Management Solutions and Debt$Net Collection Software.
Thank you to the ACPAC event sponsors Applied Innovation, WebRecon, BillingTree, VoApps DirectDrop Voicemail, NobelBiz and CompuMail.
To receive notifications about ACA content—including member alerts, upcoming events and new products—text ALERTS to 96997.