5 Keys to Success for Newbie Court Reporters

Court Reporters

You’d be mistaken to think that court reporters have an easy task. After all, they just sit down and type stuff they hear in a trial or deposition – and voila! That’s it. But as a Naple court reporter, early preparation, and proper training only make the difficult work of court reporting look easy.

It takes time to become a seasoned court reporter – many late nights, and immense effort. You’ll also need to be passionate about the job, and not just doing it for the pay. Since you’ll be recording different statements, attention to detail is key. Positioning yourself ahead of the rest isn’t easy – but it’s possible. Here are five essential tips to guide you:

1.      Keep Tabs with News

The ease of writing statements around different niches is an advantage in court reporting. But how do you get to know stuff about different fields? It’s simple – read and watch news frequently. It carries current affairs and has stories cutting across different industries. You could learn new tips and even terminologies.

As a Naples court reporter, for instance, you’ll need to keep tabs with news happening in the area. You’ll need to take note of subjects in distinct industries and try to master related content.

By reading and watching the news daily, you should easily recall names and terminology, which make it convenient for you during a court proceeding. Often many court reporters end up jotting down wrong spellings of terminologies due to lack of knowledge. Remember, clients don’t like to see such errors in the finished report, and this would pull your score down.

2.      Study the Participants

Wouldn’t it be great if you had some Intel about the persons showing up for the proceeding? As a newbie court reporter, you need every slight detail about the people attending a trial or deposition.

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Take time to do some online research on the judge, doctors, attorneys, and witnesses beforehand. You might not find everything online, but you can learn one or two helpful tips. This will give you a good start to the court session, as you’ll have an idea of how to characterize their distinct details.

Besides, getting to know everyone will help you understand what you are possibly going to be hearing during the proceedings. For a technical or complicated case, it would be a huge advantage for you. Just the same way news reporting requires some in-depth research, so does court reporting. Your rate and quality of transcription will mostly depend on what you know about the subject matter prior to the D-day.

3.      Practice

Even the best veterans we see today began as amateurs. It all depends on the effort you put into your profession, and how much you practice. As a common saying goes – practice makes perfect.

Don’t be afraid of going to court sessions. Instead, thrive to attend as many as you can. It is through such court proceedings that you improve your skills. Regular practice is a prerequisite for success. And as a newbie Naples court reporter, you’ll understand this very well.

Everyone has weaknesses – knowing yours will help you be a better person. For starters, it would be best if you used each practice session to learn what weaknesses you have. Thereafter, you can start addressing each weakness and figuring ways to deal with them.

Rome wasn’t built in a day – and the same fact applies to your profession. Often, success is a series of falling and rising up again. No matter how difficult each court proceeding is, always have a positive mentality of rising up above it through practice.

4.      Develop your Skills

Your skills determine how effective you are during work. As a new talent in court reporting, you’ll need to develop different skills. For instance, typing speed is one skill you’ll need to sharpen. Witnesses have different tones and speaking speeds. You’ll have to keep up with individual speeds as you record statements. Therefore, if you are slow in typing, then you’ll need to improve.

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Moreover, court reporting needs a fair amount of accuracy and attention to detail. This is where most newbies find it challenging. While you can go to a typing class and improve your speed, it isn’t as direct with accuracy and attention to detail. Here, the best advice from an experienced Naple court reporter is to double-check your work.

You might notice some significant discrepancies in your work by going over it after you’re done. Furthermore, it is easier to correct any errors in the recording immediately when you’re done writing it. Make sure that the transcript you produce is error-free.

5.      Ask an Expert Naples Court Reporter

Newbie court reporters, it is perfectly okay to ask questions. In fact, even seasoned professionals ask questions. Asking a question doesn’t make you a fool, but instead widens your scope of knowledge.

When reporting acronyms, addresses, and names, you are in order to stop and ask a question for accuracy purposes. Besides, the blame will still be on you if you fail to deliver a robust transcript. A handy tip, also, is to check names before the actual proceeding.

Final Thoughts

To close, it is imperative that you follow such tips as  court reporters in this industry. If you ask any experienced Naples court reporter, you’ll learn that most, if not all, followed the tips above to achieve their position.