Court reporters are some of the most successful people on the planet.  Why?  Because our profession is in constant change, and we choose to stay up with all of the new technology and change right along with it.  I believe reporters are more familiar with computers, software, and the web than almost any profession.  We learn our CAT software.  The standard laptop does not even have enough USB ports for the reporter in her/his day-to-day job.  We use serial ports to connect to our writers, wirelessly or not; connect to attorneys’ browsers, wirelessly or not; we magnify audio; stream text via internet.  We are uploading and sharing  huge files with scopists, doing constant research on the web for spellings.    I suppose a person is attracted to court reporting because they love challenge and hearing/learning about almost every subject known to man.

I just read another really great article, “How Successful People Become Even More Successful.”  It was written by Marshall Goldsmith with Tuck Executive Education at Dartmouth.  http://bit.ly/12X4Gd

The beginning of the article states, “While most of us can easily see the need to change the behavior of others, we often have great difficulty in changing ourselves! As we become more successful, it seems even harder to change.”

After reading the article, my mind started thinking, “Hmm.  How does that affect me?  How does that statement relate to court reporting?” 

I have had the privilege of grading the CRR (Certified Realtime Reporter) test for NCRA.  When I use the word “privilege,” I choose that word very deliberately.  It boggles my mind that someone can sit there and write perfect, beautiful steno, inserting punctuation, capitalizing the proper names, and getting almost every word page after page after page.  Reporters who are CCRRs, CRRs, RMRs are the best of the best.  One would think they don’t really need to ever change.  They are totally successful. 

So how does the statement above affect me and my profession?  Later in the article Charles Handy states, “the ‘paradox of success’ occurs because we need to change before we have to change. However, when things are going well we often feel no reason to change.”  I have had to read that statement at least five times to start to understand it.  I instinctively know it is a statement of truth and on-point.  

Two of the most successful reporters I know are Mike Miller, Depoman, and Susan Perry Miller, http://bit.ly/zS2Kn. I am a huge fan of Mike and Susan.  Both of them are always pushing the envelope, looking for ways to use new technology, with the goal of giving great service to their clients, bringing gadgets and gizmos to depos, writing amazing realtime, and beta testing new software for Stenograph http://bit.ly/RORgB.  Mike freely shares his knowledge with his fellow reporters and, I believe, is helping to re-brand the profession.  Do you think Mike and Susan feel there is no reason to change because they are already successful and really sought after?  Let’s ask Mike in one of his forums. 

I love it when the universe is aligned and my life is going great.  In such moments I stop and acknowledge the feeling – finally.  The last thing I want to think about at that moment is changing and doing things differently.  Yet after reading the quotes above, I’m thinking, when a person is “on top of the world,” that would be the best time to shift and begin some creative thinking for new ideas.   

Action Step:  The next time I am thinking that I have everything in my court reporting bag of tricks that I need, I will stop, email one of the great reporters in the USA and ask, ‘What’s new out there?  Do you have any new cool urls or gadgets you’ve found?”  Let’s help each other re-brand to be better than ever.

rosalie@kramm.com

I have been a court reporter since 1981.  I look back and think about my past in this profession, and I come up with three major eras:

1.      Era 1:  Dictating and typing transcripts.  (not easy – imagine one typo on a page)

2.      Era 2:  CAT came along. (had to learn how to use computer)

3.      Era 3:  One day someone told me that people were doing realtime, hooking up to attorneys and letting the attorneys see your raw transcript, steno, misstrokes, drops, and all.  After an NCRA conference, someone called me all upset because they heard reporters were giving rough drafts out.  I remember my reaction was, “No way!  That is impossible.”  (Had to learn how to write all over again – no conflicts – and learn attorney’s realtime software)

So what’s next?  I am not sure what the answer is, but I do know we have to shift.

I have been watching other professions.  The horrible recession we are in has forced industries to do complete overhauls and re-brand.  Banking and/or lending institutions, news outlets, and large corporations are in a crisis.  These professions have had to re-group, create new ethics regulations and laws, become smarter in how they do business, waste less, and be strategic.  “Great customer service” has become the buzz words of the recovery. 

So how does this affect me?  What can I learn watching the world change around me?  How can I take some of the great ideas that these other industries are implementing and apply it to court reporting?  What can I as a court reporter do day-to-day to re-brand my profession?

I would love to brainstorm ideas with some of my brilliant court reporting friends around the country someday to answer these questions.  For now, I am thinking of starting with some little steps.

Here are some ideas that come immediately to my mind: 

1.      Have laptop at every depo/court to do realtime.    

2.      PDA:   I understand you might not be able to afford a phone that gets email.  I suggest you might get more work if you are able to get an email blast from a firm who is looking to cover a last-minute job or has too many jobs to cover on their calendar in a certain area.  Firms are sending out job assignments as a text as well as an email.  Reporters know the detail of where they are going the next day.   

3.      Email addresses:  Have an email address that is professional, particularly if your firm has you sending roughs directly to attorney/paralegal.  (Not momof4@blank.com)

4.      Wear modern clothes.  It doesn’t have to be expensive or faddish.  Wearing the same thing you have been wearing for the last 6 – 10 years doesn’t say “success” or that you are proud of being a modern reporter.  It is not a brag to say, “I’ve had this dress since 1998,” unless it is a St. John’s or Chanel.

5.      BE BETTER THAN EVER.  This is one of my mantras so you will hear it over and over again in my blogs.  When you see me write it, know I am saying it to myself.  Let’s work on skills and speed and be excited to do every job.  Don’t let fear get in the way.  If you are a good, clean writer, go to the next level and hook in, particularly if you’ve already passed the CRR.  You will find support from your State Associations, NCRA, social networks such as www.depoman.com, www.CSRNation.com  and www.MyLegal.com.  Look for resources and mentors.  It all starts with a desire to shift.  Let’s work together as an army and re-brand court reporting.  After all, it is the best profession ever.

rosalie@kramm.com

I love the word “Mentor.”  I have never liked the word “Mentee.”  Don’t ask me why.  It doesn’t make sense, and it really doesn’t matter what I like or dislike.

Today I was reading the WSJ, and it has the very best article titled, “How to Be a Smart Protégé.”  The article gives eight tips for setting up a network of mentors.  The authors Dawn E. Chandler, Douglas T. Hall, and Kathy E. Kram, describe the modern mentee as a “savvy.”  I really like the word “savvy.”    Why a savvy?  When the authors were trying to look for the eight tips, they were looking for “relationally savvy” people.  They were looking for people who were good at building networks.  That’s right, more social networking – but social networking with a strategic goal in finding mentors.

The article advises, “Instead of looking at one person as a guide, a would-be protégé should build up a team of mentors drawn from all areas of his or her professional and personal lives.  That way you don’t have to rely too heavily on one person to give you all the guidance you need.  And you get a broader range of advice and information.”

I hope everyone reads the article.  A couple of the take-aways that really stuck with me are:

1.      Look for people that are outside your normal day-to-day life.  Find people who have a  similar energy or excitement as you, but who are in different professions.

2.      When looking to the mentor for advice or support, allow yourself to be honest,  vulnerable, and authentic in stating what you need.  You don’t have to go into your most private thoughts, but trust your mentor with information.  If they prove themselves not to be worthy, then get that person out of your life

3.      Try to help the mentor if you can in any way possible.  Help your mentor brainstorm something that might be on his/her mind.  Give your talent back to your mentor in whatever form you can.

4.      Stay in contact with your mentor(s).  Use social media, Twitter, FaceBook, LinkedIn, and MyLegal.  Schedule weekly, biweekly, or monthly coffees.  Somehow keep communicating.

5.      Have a positive attitude.  Assume people out there want to help you out and give you advice.  Be excited for your mentors’ good fortune and successes.

Relationship building takes time and is a steady process.  I have mentors that are now shifting careers, and they are asking me for support.  Some of my guides I have had for the past 25 years.    Finding mentors never ends.  I am gravitating to new people all the time.  After all, I want to be a modern, hip “savvy.”

Advice:  Read the WSJ article.  I am sending it to my niece and any young person I can think of. 

rosalie@kramm.com

I had the privilege to attend the 2009 NCSA meeting in Washington DC as an alternate delegate for the Deposition Reporters Association of California.  NCSA stands for the National Committee of State Associations.  It is a group of like-minded state leaders that represent the USA, state by state. 

My first NCSA/NCRA event was about six years ago at a Leadership Conference held in DC.  Every year NCRA puts together a weekend of meetings and workshops that gives state leaders the knowledge it takes to hold conferences, write legislation, work with a board of directors, be leaders.  I was blown away.  I never realized until my experience at that conference that there were other people in the world that loved the court reporting profession as much as I did – if not more.  When I realized how sincere these state leaders were, tears came to my eyes.  These people give endless hours, energy, and hope to our profession. 

The reason I used “hope” in the last sentence is because the state leaders are constantly pushing the envelope, hoping against hope that they can conquer incredibly important issues such as ER, which is a reality in many states, hoping they can save jobs, and most importantly of all, hoping to conquer the apathy of most reporters. 

I have so much respect for NCSA. 

This year the NCSA chair, Robin Casey, asked NCRA board members to brainstorm with state leaders on how to work together and strengthen our power as a united force.  It was very personal with small groups of NCSA members working with individual NCRA board members.  It was a wonderful exercise – energizing.

My feeling is the states are tired.  Their budgets are tight.  NCRA has had to cancel future legislative bootcamps, another weekend sponsored by NCRA of workshops in which state leaders are taught how to get a bill passed, how to write and create legislation. 

States don’t have the budgets to send participants and/or they have to keep recycling old presidents and vice presidents because of a lack of new leadership and people willing to step up to join boards.  The recycled boards have already been to NCRA’s leadership conferences or legislative bootcamps.  It’s hard to argue they need to go again and spend their state’s money.

I believe in the theory of the swinging pendulum.  I am hoping the pendulum is starting to swing back from where it has been.  Reporters have been apathetic, living off the fat of the land, picking the low hanging fruit.  Now we need each other more than ever. 

I am hoping reporters will understand they need NCRA and their state associations to survive and to be the very best. 

So many people ask me, “How do I become a great reporter?”  I tell them, “It takes time, energy, and a single-minded effort to be a faster, cleaner writer.  You have to surround yourself with other great reporters.”  Where else can you find the best of the best reporters but at state association and NCRA conferences?  The best reporters love to talk about court reporting and are happy to give encouragement and energy to up-and-comers. 

I believe the pendulum is swinging back.  I can hardly wait until our state associations are packed with members and people are challenging each other to be on their boards of directors.  We are in the BEST profession ever.  Let’s rock.

rosalie@kramm.com

Serial ports are HUGE for court reporters.  If you mention serial ports to people in the computer industry, such as computer salesmen, programmers, and “techies,” they wonder why you would even think about a serial port.  Serial ports are old-fashioned, slow, and rarely found on a modern day computer.

Yet for court reporters, serial ports are how we make money.  We need one for our writers, one for our CAT computer, and one for any browsers that are hooked up to us for realtime.

So what do reporters do to “create” serial ports when one is physically not on their computer?  We either go wireless or we buy a USB-serial adaptor.

Three USB-serial adaptor products in the marketplace:  Belkin, IO Gear, Keyspan.  Each product comes with a driver that must be loaded on the computer before the adaptor will work.  If you lose your CD disk with the driver that comes in the package when you buy your adaptor, go to the website and download the driver.

Belkin – I use a Belkin as my serial port adaptor for my CAT computer.  I have tried to use the IO Gear, and it won’t work.  Yet the IO adaptor does work with my realtime browser computer.  I have stopped trying to understand, “Why doesn’t it work?”  It just doesn’t.

IOGear – IO Gear works well on one of my client’s computer who uses Summation for realtime.  The Belkin product will not work with his computer.

Keyspan – Keyspan works with browsers consistently.  I recently learned that when you install the Keyspan driver, you need to go to your device manager and right click on the com. port setting and change the Baud rate from 9600 to 2400.  Their default is 9600. 

Court Reporters run serial connections with CaseView or Bridge at 2400.  We cannot go any faster no matter how fast a processor is in your computer.  CaseView 2400 is your default setting.

The bottom line is USB serial adaptors are unpredictable.  Some brands work well with certain computers or CAT software, browsers, and some don’t work well at all.

Our firm is turning more and more to wireless products.  We still have a serial connection, but we don’t need that USB-serial adaptor any longer.  We use “sticks” that go directly into a USB port. 

Advice:  Even if you have gone wireless, bring along a USB-serial adaptor to your deposition.  Things happen.  You might have to pull it out of your bag of tricks to get “hooked up.”

Rosalie@kramm.com