The 2026 MFSC Fall Conference planning has already begun.
Thank you for agreeing to serve as a speaker or panelist for the Michigan Family Support Council (MFSC) Fall Training Conference. Refer to speaker guidelines below and complete the speaker packet form.
Speaker Point of Contact:
If you have any questions about these materials, due dates or for additional information, please contact the Program Committee: at program@mifsc.org
Speaker Terms & Guidelines
Required Materials and Due Dates:
- Complete Speaker AV & Room Setup Request online form by 09/07/2026, (Includes: Speaker Biography, Workshop Description, and Audiovisual Needs)
- Email your presentation files to program@mifsc.org
- Register for Conference if you plan on attending sessions other than your own. – 9/7/26
- Provide participant handouts of 100 hard copy and bring to conference.
*Items should be submitted to the Program Committee by the due date indicated above. Information not received by due dates may not be included in the brochure.
If you will be having multiple speakers for your session, please complete only one speaker packet per session and include all information for all speakers in that one packet.
Conference Essentials
Established in 1982, the Council is composed of Michigan child support workers from the Office of Child Support (OCS), the Prosecuting Attorney offices (PA), and the Friends of the Court (FOC). Each year we host a statewide child support training conference with practical information for front line workers, administrators, decisionmakers, attorneys, and private sector partners.
The Michigan Family Support Council will support, protect, and promote the rights of minor children by providing information and services to those officials responsible for the investigation and recommendation of custody, parenting time, and the establishment and collection of child support.
Yes. If you plan to attend any additional conference sessions, please register as an attendee.
If you plan to stay overnight, please make your own room reservations. You may want to make your reservation early as rooms usually sell out at the resort. Treetops Resort packages quoted are per person per day, for lodging only. Lunch will be provided on Thursday, October 9, as part of your conference registration fee. All other meals are on your own at the resort or local restaurants.
Workshop Guidelines
Attendees come to MFSC conferences with high expectations. Aside from excellent presentations, they expect complete, practical course materials to share with their coworkers back home.
Yes. The conference planners request that each workshop have handouts that are complete, accurate, and well organized. One or two page outlines that only list discussion topics DO NOT meet this requirement. We count on you to do a thorough job.
Information should be thorough, well organized, accurate, and useful. Narrative outlines or papers may be from 5 – 10 pages in length. Please do not submit an outline more than ten pages without first discussing it with your Track Chair. Think of the material as a reference tool. Since attendees are busy once they return to the office grind, materials should concisely present the topic. Where appropriate, flow charts, sample forms, a list of references and case citations are helpful. Do not include any confidential information from case files in your handouts. This includes names, SSN, birth dates, tax information, as well as any other information that appears personal in nature.
No. If you have previously written on your session’s topic and the information is current, you may hand out the previously prepared paper. Where essential to your presentation, you may also use material written by someone else; however, IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO OBTAIN WRITTEN PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE COPYRIGHTED MATERIALS. You must provide the Program Chair with the copyright release information as applicable four weeks prior to the conference start date.
Unless otherwise advised by your track chair, please bring 100 handouts per session. If there are extra handouts at the end of your workshop, please take them to the Resource Table so other conference attendees can take them home for review. We also request you provide a soft copy of any handouts so they may be posted to our web site for use by those that are unable to attend the conference.
Although speakers may be an experienced public speaker, please take a few minutes to review the following information. It will help you to understand the needs of the audience. Attendees at MFSC conferences are experienced professionals in their fields, and include lawyers, supervisors, caseworkers, and vendors. A speaker ready room will be available at the conference for speakers to make preparations and pick up miscellaneous supplies as needed.
Presentation Best Practices and Guidelines:
- Attendees are looking for specific solutions to the issues or problems they face. If you can anticipate and help solve their problems, you will keep their attention.
- Attendees learn by doing and have a limited tolerance for straight lectures. If you can involve attendees through an interactive discussion or case scenario, they will retain the information longer.
- Attendee learning centers on realistic problems. They want to see how each point made in your presentation or case study relates to a real problem or issue in the world in which they work.
- Attendees learn best in an informal environment. Participants need to feel comfortable in the session, including a sense that it is all right to ask questions. The moderator should inform attendees during the session’s opening whether speakers will entertain questions during their presentations, or whether there will be time at the end for questions.
- Attendees respond to a variety of teaching methods. Review your remarks to see if they would be enhanced by an effective overhead, a case exercise or brief videotape.
- Ensure to explain to attendees how your workshop session materials relate to your presentation. Reference handouts and/or periodically inform attendees where you are at in the presentation.
- Stick to the presentation schedule and practice the timing of your presentation. Attendees always criticize speakers who have exceeded their allotted time, especially if there is insufficient time allowed for audience questions.
- Please DO NOT read your presentation slides to attendees.
Speaker Contract & Release
The Presenter agrees to give a workshop presentation and provide the required materials for the 2022 Michigan Family Support Council Annual Fall Training Conference.
Presenter authorizes MFSC to record, copy and transcribe my presentation to the conference, including oral, written and visual materials, and to compile my presentation with other presentations as part of the conference educational materials.
Presenter further authorizes MFSC to distribute or sell my presentation, through written or electronic media, to individual conference participants and post conference, to interested non-participants, and for no other purposes.
Submitting an online speaker packet form applies only to the presenter’s presentation and materials delivered at this MFSC conference and in no way limits the presenter’s own use of their own materials. Any copyright of the presenter’s presentation and materials shall continue to be the presenter’s property or that of their company. The presenter’s presentation will not infringe any copyright or include any material that is libelous, scandalous, or an invasion of privacy.
Please be advised that MFSC reserves the right to use eacher presenter’s name, photography, and presentation title in marketing material promoting the conference.