The first thing I noticed in class was how difficult it was for many to move their fingers independently and yet at the same time.
Unlike typing, where you press one key at a time, writing shorthand is more like playing a keyboard, you type a set of keys much like playing a chord in music – many keys are pressed at the same time.
The Science of Shorthand
While we use the letters of the English alphabet to create words, the sequencing of those letters is completely different from the use you see here, and one must learn how to write and read shorthand. To learn theory can take anywhere from four to six months, and I never knew anyone who couldn’t understand the theory.
The tricky part came with learning to write not only with accuracy but with speed. First, you need to write the correct shorthand outline for the word being said so that it can translate correctly. In my school days, we used to write shorthand and read our shorthand from our paper notes. From there we either typed our transcript or dictated it into a tape recorder and handed it off to a typist.
How I learned the language of Shorthand
Luckily for me, moving my fingers in this way was second nature to me from my years of playing organ. It put me light years ahead of the class from the get-go! But what if you’re not a piano player? How are you supposed to learn shorthand well? The answer is simple. PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE! Even with my years of playing music, I still needed to do hours and hours of practicing to get it right. Think of it like trying to play a song perfectly – with no awkward finger movements or mistakes.
To help me learn this skill better, I found myself in a part-time course where we met once a week to first learn theory, and then to implement that theory onto the shorthand machine.
The question that was on all ou
r minds was “How does going to school for three hours a week translate into becoming a court reporter in hopefully two years’ time?! The answer again is: Practice, practice, practice!
For me, it meant bringing a great deal of discipline to the table, because there no one was standing in front of me every day telling me to practice for hours. I had to do it on my own. I practiced every single day – all holidays included – for a minimum of two hours. My method was using speed tapes and listening to my wonderful grandmother read to me.
One of my fondest memories was sitting on the deck at the cottage having my grandmother dictate all about the Eastern Railway Company for a couple of hours! In those days, the text we learned was hilariously outdated and must have been from the 1940s.
Slowly but surely I began to gain speed (and I’m sure you will too). Once you get the hang of it, you’ll have your own unique rhythm and feel the greatest sense of accomplishment from all of your hard work.
Court Reporting is what I was born to do
I believe I am one of those lucky people who have an affinity towards writing shorthand. To me it is like playing my beloved keyboard and the music I make now comes out in beautifully written, perfect words as opposed to notes. I am so grateful for the gift of writing. This was a job I was born to do, and something I learned to love very quickly.
Have your own story to share? As a court reporting student, what was/is your greatest challenge? How did you overcome it?
Tags: court reporting, Shorthand
Category Court Reporting, Court Reporting Students |
Whether you’re involved in a complicated case or struggling to cram a thousand things into an 8+ hr day, stress is an unfortunate a side effect that comes along with the job. Coping with stress can be a real challenge depending on what your job environment is. When you’re having an absolute Murphy’s Law kind of day and you’re trying to think of ways to break out of the office, try these stress-busting tips to see you through the workday.
1. Take things one at a time. You are only one person! Even though we feel like we have the strength and superpowers to take on the world, it’s impossible to do everything at once. When your plate is full, don’t ask for second or thirds. Work on what you have first.
2. Try something new. If you’re spending more time looking at the clock than actually doing work, you may be suffering from boredom, and that can be a breeding ground for stress! Not being challenged at work can affect your job performance, attitude and work relationships. When you’re complaining about your job more than you’re caring about it, try to find new ways of doing tasks or ways on how you can do them better. Learning new things can help put your enthusiasm back on track.
3. Take a vacation (literally or mentally). Sometimes a little time away is just what you need to recharge your batteries. If you can’t afford to take the time off work, try taking a walk on your lunch break. Even a small change of scenery can make a big difference. Grabbing a little fresh air can re-energize you, no matter the weather!
4. Organize your life (or at least your desk). All of you court reporters out there know that organization is key at the office! But sometimes the desire to keep things neat and tidy gets put on the backburner when you have a multitude of cases to work on. Take 5 minutes at the end of each workday to clean up, it will help you work better in the long run. Another great idea is making a to-do list each day. You’ll feel so good when you get to cross things off!
5. Vent! Sharing your thoughts and feelings with someone close to you is a great way to relieve stress. Getting things out in the open decreases your stress level and puts you in a calmer mood. Talking out your concerns can even be doubly beneficial – your listener can give advice or offer suggestions that you never thought of!
Although stress has more cons than pros, coping with it properly can help make you stronger and more resilient on the job…and after hours!
Tags: stress management, tips
Category Women in Work |
It was a very hot July day when I, the good folks at Project Water and my fellow volunteers handed out water bottles for the homeless. Standing in the heat (in my wide brimmed hat) I couldn’t help but think what it would be like to have to have to stay in the sun the entire day without a trusty water bottle with me. Having the opportunity to drink cold, clean water whenever we need it is something many of us take for granted.
Dehydration is a major concern in hot weather. For those living on the streets, these extreme temperatures can be very dangerous to their health. Project Water is a wonderful program that builds awareness within the community and lends a helping hand to those in need.
A little bit about Project Water
Jody Steinhauer, co-founder of Project Water and the Bargain’s Group team commit a great deal of time towards Project Water. They spend hours securing water bottles, warehousing the supply, lining up volunteers to help load the water, and leading the distribution through front-line organizations. For the past 11 years, this program has given out over 1 million bottles of water into the hands of Toronto and surrounding areas through over 150 front-line relief organizations and homeless shelters. They plan to increase the program to other major cities in Canada in the future.
On July 7, 2010 we handed out about 210,000 bottles of water to agencies that will give them directly to the homeless. If you would like more information about Project Water visit http://projectwater.ca.
What charities have you helped out with? What was your experience? Share your story!
Tags: Project Water
Category Community Involvement |
When I began court reporting back in the early eighties, I started my career producing transcripts for appeal purposes with carbon paper, an eraser, and five sheets of paper. Quickly (thankfully) the photocopier was made available and wow, life was easy! Those were the days of Liquid Paper and correction ribbons for the IBM Selectric typewriter. However, by the end of the eighties I purchased my first PC and court reporting software that could produce transcripts in plain text ASCII, which I could then put into WordPerfect 4.2 for final printing, as WP could produce “nice” looking documents. In those days, getting an electronic version of a transcript meant getting either a WordPerfect file or perhaps a plain text ASCII.
Today, as software has become more sophisticated, a myriad of file formats are available for use by clients. What’s interesting to note, though, is that not all court reporting firms (or individual court reporters, for that matter) have kept up to date with technological advancements and made the investment in newer software that keeps pace with today’s electronic demands.
Transcripts are a part of the global community, so to speak, and not in the domain of lawyers only. While printing off copies is certainly one way to deal with a transcript, this can represent a significant cost in man hours, production costs and even courier/mail charges…not to mention the fact you can’t use hard copies in a database or other case management applications! In today’s sophisticated world, several key people will want to be able to access the transcript in user-friendly formats, and have it delivered to them in a cost effective way. These formats include:
• ASCII page image files for importation into transcript and case management applications such as Summation
• Word documents – clients and legal assistants often use this common software program to view documents
• PDF – anyone who has access to the internet can download Adobe Reader for free and are able to read documents in PDF format; these transcripts cannot be changed and are generally in a read-only format and are fully searchable. If one or more pages needs to be printed, there are no formatting issues that change page or line numbers. http://www.adobe.com/ap/products/reader/
• Etrans – this is a special product provided by Neeson which comes with a free viewer available from the manufacturer; Etrans allows you to print indexes, condensed transcripts and to change fonts, etc. quickly and easily, and the file is in a read-only format; cutting and pasting can be “allowed” if the end user is given access to do so. http://www.reallegal.co/softwareDownloadetranscriptviewer.asp
When selecting a court reporting agency, be sure you choose a court reporting firm that understands your file requirements and can deliver your transcripts and exhibits in a way that allows you to get on with the important work required in the practice of law.
Kim Neeson, RPR, CRR, CSR, CCP, CBC is President of Neeson & Associates, a full service court reporting and live captioning (CART) company. For additional information, you can reach Kim at: kim_neeson@neesoncourtreporting.com
Tags: court reporting, court reporting firm, transcription
Category Court Reporting |
I am so honoured and excited to be nominated again for the Bell Trailblazer Award, part of the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards. I feel so blessed to be included within this amazing group of women and wish them all the best of luck. Congrats ladies! You deserve it!
So what are these awards all about?
The RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards encourages Canadian women entrepreneurs by recognizing their hard work and dedication.
Here are some facts and information about the Awards Program that I gleaned from the RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards website (http://www.theawards.ca/cwea/index.cfm):
- Over 7,000 women ranging from their early 20s to their mid-eighties, from every sector of the economy, have been nominated for these awards
- Women entrepreneurs are one of the fastest growing business segments in Canada
- There are 821,000 self employed women contributing $18 Billion to the Canadian economy
- Women are creating not just jobs, but entire companies, at double the rate of the national average
- The number of women with incorporated businesses more than doubled during the last decade
This really shows just how far women have come and what a difference its making on the Canadian economy. Way to go girls!
Your business is your baby - love, cherish and protect it!
Running your own business is a challenge. It can be just as stressful as it is rewarding. But at the end of the day, it’s your baby. It’s your passion. You care for it, protect it and love it wholeheartedly. (Even it makes you want to pull your hair out sometimes!)
The bottom line is that you are doing what you love to do and hopefully helping others in the process. We should all strive to achieve this goal, no matter the industry or field.
Remember the wise words of Ralph Waldo Emerson:
Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day.
Tags: RBC Canadian Woman Entrepreneur Awards
Category Community Involvement |
r minds was “How does going to school for three hours a week translate into becoming a court reporter in hopefully two years’ time?! The answer again is: Practice, practice, practice!