Questions posed to NCRA VP candidates...read these responses!

COURT REPORTER & COMMUNITY ANSWERS

The following are 10 questions that were posed to the two candidates for VP. Here are what members of an impromtu panel provided as answers to those same questions. The panel members aren't necessarily court reporters and their names have been changed to protect their identity.

1. What role do you expect technology to play in our profession over the next three, five and ten years?

TED: Technology has gone from pen and paper to computer in a matter of less than 50 years. The evolvement of the first CAT programs to where they stand today has really happened since 1990. Typical advancements seemingly took a period of five years to implement; now they improve yearly with constant rollouts of better or new technology. To think that technology will play a little or nearly no in the future of this profession would be unimaginable. It's what drives the industry today. It seems to me that it's more the ability to move the advances into the end user commuity (lawyers) that presents the bigger challenge.

2. What leadership skills do you feel are important to fill the position of NCRA’s V.P. or board member? What leadership skills do you feel are your strongest and your weakest? (Answer this question in regards to the board position you are campaigning for only.)

ALICE: Depending up what the duties of the various positions are it would seem that the important skills are probably more attributes: Honesty, the ability to communicate effectively, and hopefully an interest in motivating people in an achievable avenue of endeavor that betters the profession.

3. How is the practice of incentive gift-giving, contracting and discount pricing affecting, first, the firm owner; second, the freelance reporter and, third, the consumer litigant?

DAVID: This is a tough one for me. I guess I would be considered a consumer or unknowing participant in this activity. I guess my costs would be higher if these types of activities are condoned by my lawyer and/or the law firm that I use in representing me in litigation. As someone who has to toe the line for ethical behavior in another profession, I can see this as an issue that transends the whole process and brings into question impartiality. Impartialility is what I see as the cornerstone of what a court reporter provides to the process. Who else can I depend on in these circumstances to know that my right to a fair, impartial process isn't being impugned by what I can only describe as bribery?

4. What do you feel are the five most important accomplishments that NCRA has achieved over the last several years? Why do these five accomplishments rise to the level of most important in your mind?

ROBERT: I am a court reporter and I think the five most important accomplishments/achievements by NCRA are really fairly simple to list. First of all, their effective role in reaching out to the US Congress would be on the top of the list. Second, would be their involvment, as limited as it seems to be, with helping the various state associations with the issues they are experiencing. Thirdly, providing all those wonderful educational opportunities. Fourthly, the annual gatherings. And, lastly, with the advent of the Internet, the accessibility of information, after all it is the age of information, and I think they do a fairly decent job in providing an abundance of topics for us to consider.

5. How do you feel NCRA can best serve its members?

TED: One of the things that I feel important from organizations such as NCRA should provide its membership is an opportunity to continue to grow and learn. So, with that in mind, I would hope that education be in the forefront of our leadership's thought process.

6. How do you differentiate the inclusion of other methods of speech-to-text modes of the verbatim record into our profession today as compared to that which happened when Gregg and Pitman writers experienced the threat of Stenograph writers entering their profession?

ROBERT: If the question is asking, "Shall we consider those methodologies as potential members to NCRA," I believe my answer is I am not really in favor of that.

If the question is, "Do I feel threatened by those methods of making the record," my answer is no. I am a professional in my legal community.

If we had the ability to look backward and see what happened to the Gregg & Pitman writers experienced through their careers then that might provide me with a better understanding of how their businesses either continued or failed.

At this point, I don't see my clients calling someone who is a "digital" reporter to do what they've grown to know is the type of service I provide.

7. Using 2010 as a reference point in time, what do you see as NCRA's biggest struggle moving into the next decade? How do your foresee NCRA members, state leadership and vendors partnering with NCRA to address these struggles?

TED: As a member of the Elks Club, I've experienced what I hear NCRA is struggling with and that is declining membership. One of my panel members mentioned to me that NCRA is losing members at the rate of more than 1000 per year and this has gone on for over 10 years to date. If that is true and based on the number of members, then the organization is headed for a doomsday scenario if those numbers cannot be reversed.

Thinking outside the box is needed in most cases. Perhaps trying to find a solution from within rather than outside the organization. Or vice versa. What is it that attracts and keeps current members? The Elks Club was an exclusive men's organization; today not so. Maybe if NCRA created a level of participation that allowed a lower threshold to be able to enjoy the same benefits that enjoyed by the officers of the organization. I believe Robert mentioned to me something about having to hold a particular certification to hold office. Maybe removing that barrier would get more people involved. Like I said, creative thinking is needed to slow the bleeding and get an organization healed.

Organizations need two key elemens to truly be successful: Members and money. The rest is merely frosting on the cake!

8. What do you feel is NCRA’s role as regards to court reporting schools, their curriculum, and NCRA’s relationship with the individual student?

ALICE: Having been a school teacher in the public school system, in this regard, NCRA, since it sanctions schools, is sort of like what we call the Superintendent of Schools. NCRA needs to help those schools stay current with market trends as far as what classes are being offered. In talking to the reporter member of this panel, I do not get the flavor that the classes offered seem to take on the actual duties of a court reporter but more the basics, learning how to use the machine that is used and the computer software that is associated therewith. I would hope that a more rounded approach is provided in that regard from the realms of NCRA.

9. Do you feel NCRA should be more transparent in their governance of the profession? If yes, what do you propose as a solution?

DAVID: When reading the question it forces me to think that there might be two answers or preconceived notions. One no and the other yes. But yet only the yes answer is sought to be illustrative. In my impression, this is a question that needs to be better asked to get a more thorough understanding of the problem because it implies there is a problem with transparency.

10. What is your plan to build membership and member participation in NCRA’s activities?

TED: I will try to field the answer to this question as it seems to be a bit repetitive of my previous answer and actually I would defer to that same answer to begin with but with any national group the leadership actually has to make connections with say your local community organizations and really get involved with helping bring resolve to issues that are real for them. With that participation, I can only imagine that the word would spread like wild fire and generate a lot of interest in NCRA.