eVoice July 2024 | Revamped Issue : simplebooklet.com

Erica Edwards here, and I present to you the much-anticipated eVoice revival! Whatcan I say? It’s been a while. As we come off of the end of our 2024 NVRA Convention inSan Antonio, Texas, I’d love for our association to regroup and re-familiarize ourselveswith the amazing people that comprise our rich association and the changes that arecurrently taking place. Nevertheless, join me as I channel my inner Lady Whistledown.I’m kidding… kinda… sorta.All jokes aside, this revival has been such a fun project for me. For those of you whodo not know me already, I am a voice writer living and working as a court reporter inAtlanta, GA, for a local county courthouse. Just last year, I attended the 2023 NVRAConvention in Tampa, FL, via our association's student scholarship. I truly did notknow what to expect. Would it be full of stuffy people? Would I stick out like a sorethumb? Would I say something so foolish that it would expose just how little I knew infront of all of these incredibly skilled professionals? Would they then laugh me out ofthe convention?To my surprise (thanks, anxiety), the answer was a resounding NO to all of my fears. Iwas met with care, support, and encouragement. I still remember when I wasresearching the career of stenography that I found it so unusual that here was thisgroup of people with a demanding career, yet no one was complaining about howmuch they hated their job. No one was making posts online about their exit plan. Infact, stenographers were working well into their retirement out of pure joy, despiteenjoying such a lucrative career. People were giving their time freely to supportnewcomers. Quite frankly, it sounded a little bit too good to be true. I hoped everyday I was in court reporting school that I would find this would be my reality too.2REVIVALeVoiceBy Erica Edwards Botha, CVR, CCReVoiceDearest Readers, Erica Edwards here, and I present to you the much-anticipated eVoice revival! Whatcan I say? It’s been a while. As we come off of the end of our 2024 NVRA Convention inSan Antonio, Texas, I’d love for our association to regroup and re-familiarize ourselveswith the amazing people that comprise our rich association and the changes that arecurrently taking place. Nevertheless, join me as I channel my inner Lady Whistledown.I’m kidding… kinda… sorta.All jokes aside, this revival has been such a fun project for me. For those of you whodo not know me already, I am a voice writer living and working as a court reporter inAtlanta, GA, for a local county courthouse. Just last year, I attended the 2023 NVRAConvention in Tampa, FL, via our association's student scholarship. I truly did notknow what to expect. Would it be full of stuffy people? Would I stick out like a sorethumb? Would I say something so foolish that it would expose just how little I knew infront of all of these incredibly skilled professionals? Would they then laugh me out ofthe convention?To my surprise (thanks, anxiety), the answer was a resounding NO to all of my fears. Iwas met with care, support, and encouragement. I still remember when I wasresearching the career of stenography that I found it so unusual that here was thisgroup of people with a demanding career, yet no one was complaining about howmuch they hated their job. No one was making posts online about their exit plan. Infact, stenographers were working well into their retirement out of pure joy, despiteenjoying such a lucrative career. People were giving their time freely to supportnewcomers. Quite frankly, it sounded a little bit too good to be true. I hoped everyday I was in court reporting school that I would find this would be my reality too.

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3When I left the Tampa convention, I felt inspired. I knew that there had to be a piece inthis puzzle even for a student. I received my GLE certification at the convention andwent on to earn my CVR two months later. I was determined to give back to thisincredible community that has and continues to give so much to me freely. Fastforward, here I am writing to you all today. I serve on the Board of Directors for mystate association, GCRA. I am happy to report to you all that I wake up every single daywith that same passion and purpose that so many others that came before me saidthey felt daily still after their decades-long careers. Not a day goes by that I don’t talkto multiple colleagues near and far. I get to collaborate with machine writers, voicewriters, captioners, you name it. I have to pinch myself some days because I cannotbelieve this is my real life.I say all of this to illustrate that there is a seat at the table for you — all you have to dois take it. I hope that I inspire those of you new and old to this profession to getinvolved. For me personally, it has enriched my life. We still have so much work to doyet, and this association and profession needs you to continue to thrive and giveothers the opportunity to enter into this incredible career.Going forward with the eVoice, you can expect to see it grow over time in content. Fornow, let’s start with an introduction to our committees, their purpose, updates, andtheir members. As we release the eVoice quarterly, you can expect to continue to hearfrom the committees with updates and passion project articles from their members.We will have an ongoing Tech Talk article as presented in this issue. I will continue tohighlight any interesting publications pertaining to our profession. I ask our readers toplease submit any outside articles that you believe are of interest here or you havecreated.I want to bring attention to our rich history, so I am calling on all of you historians outthere to reach out here to author an article for the eVoice. We have so many shiningstars within our profession, and I would love to highlight those among us that continueto enrich our community daily. Do you have a particular subject matter pertaining toour profession that you would like to speak to? I want to hear from you!I really hope you all enjoy this publication as much as I enjoyed putting it together.Until next time, I hope that you all will consider reaching out via this Google form ifyou feel inspired to join one of the committees or work with the eVoice team.When I left the Tampa convention, I felt inspired. I knew that there had to be a piece inthis puzzle even for a student. I received my GLE certification at the convention andwent on to earn my CVR two months later. I was determined to give back to thisincredible community that has and continues to give so much to me freely. Fastforward, here I am writing to you all today. I serve on the Board of Directors for mystate association, GCRA. I am happy to report to you all that I wake up every single daywith that same passion and purpose that so many others that came before me saidthey felt daily still after their decades-long careers. Not a day goes by that I don’t talkto multiple colleagues near and far. I get to collaborate with machine writers, voicewriters, captioners, you name it. I have to pinch myself some days because I cannotbelieve this is my real life.I say all of this to illustrate that there is a seat at the table for you — all you have to dois take it. I hope that I inspire those of you new and old to this profession to getinvolved. For me personally, it has enriched my life. We still have so much work to doyet, and this association and profession needs you to continue to thrive and giveothers the opportunity to enter into this incredible career.Going forward with the eVoice, you can expect to see it grow over time in content. Fornow, let’s start with an introduction to our committees, their purpose, updates, andtheir members. As we release the eVoice quarterly, you can expect to continue to hearfrom the committees with updates and passion project articles from their members.We will have an ongoing Tech Talk article as presented in this issue. I will continue tohighlight any interesting publications pertaining to our profession. I ask our readers toplease submit any outside articles that you believe are of interest here or you havecreated.I want to bring attention to our rich history, so I am calling on all of you historians outthere to reach out here to author an article for the eVoice. We have so many shiningstars within our profession, and I would love to highlight those among us that continueto enrich our community daily. Do you have a particular subject matter pertaining toour profession that you would like to speak to? I want to hear from you!I really hope you all enjoy this publication as much as I enjoyed putting it together.Until next time, I hope that you all will consider reaching out via this Google form ifyou feel inspired to join one of the committees or work with the eVoice team.

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To begin, we will revitalize our NVRA Facebook page, LinkedIn page, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTokaccounts. Engagement is constantly growing on our new Facebook Groups, and we want toexpand that engagement to all of our social media platforms and provide helpful, attractivecontent and information our members can benefit from. We are working on consistent andrelevant content our members want to see. And we need your help with that. If there are events,training, exciting state updates, anything that is going on in your state let us know! You don’t haveto be a content writer or graphic designer, just send us an email to nvrasocialmedia@gmail.comwith the basic information and our team will do the work to produce engrossing and enlighteningcontent.Next, we are updating the eVoice! This will now be a quarterly production that we want to makeengaging and informative for all of our members, particularly those who may be less prevalent onsocial media. We want to share the voices of our members including interesting projects thatmembers are working on, new and exciting things our members are doing, technology updates,and much more. We have an eVoice team dedicated to engaging with the membership so that we can hear yourvoices. So we NEED you, our members, to help us. If there is new technology that you’ve comeacross, exciting family events for a member, new career or life updates, or anything special that amember has done in their area such as school fairs, local fairs, et cetera, we want to hear about it.Send us an email to nvrasocialmedia@gmail.com or fill out this Google Form so that one of oureVoice team members can get in contact with you about these exciting updates.Lastly, we will be working on producing member-only contentas one of the great benefits of being a member of NVRA. Wewant to help with promoting, sharing guidance, mentorship,education, and the happenings of NVRA.We welcome all suggestions on what you as our members wantto see and how we as your social media committee canimprove on providing quality content to you.- Danielle ParkerIntroduction to Social MediaDanielle Parker, Social Media Chair4

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I have been a working voice writer since January of 2024. I am brand new to the industry andam learning every day! I had originally come across court reporting via TikTok, by which I cameacross machine stenography. I was intrigued, so as I researched more, I stumbled across voicewriting. I already had experience with Dragon from a job I had years ago creating live captionsfor special caption phones for the deaf and HoH, so I knew I would pick up voice with relativeease. Prior to this career, I was a social media manager for four years with my own little business.When I saw a vacancy for social media help with the NVRA, I felt it was important I offeredwhatever I could. I'm happy to be serving on the Social Media Committee!The Social Media Committee covers a multitude of areas. First, we have our ModMin team,which consists of Eden Kizer and Torri Secor. They manage our Facebook groups and contributeto keeping it a safe space for everyone. Second, we have our content creation team, whichconsists of Sheena Selvera, Gina Gotsill, and Heidi Silva. They are in charge of making engagingposts for our social platforms. Finally, we have the eVoice team, which at this time is a one-woman show, Erica Edwards. She is doing pretty much what it sounds like - eVoice creation!Now, there's so much more that goes on behind the scenes in our committee than those fewsentences. Here are a few projects we've been working on/have been accomplished as of late:1) Gathering volunteers to round out the team2) Setting a process for social media content to be rolled out regularly3) Clarifying ModMin Guidelines for members on our Facebook pages 4) Getting the eVoice up and running again (THANK YOU ERICA!!!)5) Preparing the various pieces to the social media content workflowto keep things running smoothly and various tasks related to theseitems.5Social Mediaby Jessica RienstraOur vision is to have a robust social media presence acrossvarious platforms to continue to bring awareness to the NVRA as awhole as well as the various careers that it covers. We're startingout with getting a process down for Facebook first before movingon to other platforms. We hope to increase membership, draw innew students, and contribute to keeping our careers relevant in anever-changing landscape. - Jessica Rienstra

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I started going to school for voice in 2015 when I was49. I worked my entire career as a cosmetologist inone way, shape, or form, the last 10 years as ateacher of cosmetology in the community collegesystem here in NC. I decided I needed a change andI've always been a true crime fanatic, so naturally Ithought this would be a good fit. My husband was aprobation officer, and he introduced me to an officialin his county. I never looked back. She was the mostwelcoming machine writer I have ever met and shetook me under her wing. I was inspired after 5 yearsbeing an official to be a part of NVRA after Mandyasked me to please help in Tampa because someonehad an emergency and couldn't do their presentation.That started me on my journey of volunteerism withthe Association. The purpose of the membership committee is tomake sure that everyone who is currently a memberwants to renew their license and those who are notmembers will know the value of being a member of anational organization. We have been focusing onmachine writers and their place in our organization aswell as keeping a lookout for events that NVRA can bea part of, whether that be membership, testing, etc.Introduction toThe Membership CommitteeBy Kim Ray, CVR, RVR6

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The volunteers for our committee are still growing. I'm hoping to havesomeone in each state, but know that will take some time. In themeantime: Kim Ray(NC), Toni Opella(MO), Carrie Ravenscroft(CA),Jocelyn Epperson(CA), Samantha Alicondro(TN), Erin Pacheco(TX), LisaRaghuthaman(TX), Kristy Chisson-Gondron(LA), Stephanie Sweet(OH),Angela DePorto(NM)..We are continuing to work on events for the remainder of the year, butour major project has been getting NVRA to the Wild West Roundup inBreckenridge Colorado in September. This is a conference that is beingheld by 5 western states who are new to voice and they really wantvoice to have a presence this year to help with the void in live courtreporters filling seats throughout this country. The other project wehave been working on is submissions for the Bettye Keyes DiamondAward for conference. This is the first year this award will be presented.We have submissions for the BK Diamond award, and we will be at WildWest Roundup in September along with testing. NVRA members will alsobe presenting there. I hope we can continue to reach out to all court reporters and help fillthe gap in live verbatim, realtime reporters in depositions andcourtrooms. Our wish is to be united with all realtime reporters, whethermachine or voice, and show a strong united front in every state. WEcan't be our own worst enemy. We need more members from all over the country. I feel that we don'tneed to spend money to fly people to places if we have members inthose areas, and surrounding their state, that have state associationconferences or meetings. We should have someone already there thatcan man a table and be able to tell people why they should be a part ofNVRA. 2 METHODS = 1 GOLD STANDARD. We are presently working onconference, conference, conference. After that, it will be the Wild WestRoundup.- Kim Ray7

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II’d like to introduce you all to Ziyacdah AtkinsonColeman, the chair of the Bylaws Committee at NVRA. Ifirst met Ziyacdah through NVRA and later had thepleasure of serving with her on the Board of Directors ofthe Georgia Court Reporters Association. She hasextensive hands-on experience and a deepunderstanding of both bylaws and Robert’s Rules ofOrder.When I was a new reporter working on committees, I feltlike many others do: understanding bylaws seemed likedeciphering a foreign language. I struggled to connectthe dots and make sense of it all. However, I alsorecognized the importance of understanding the rulesthat govern an organization for its success.I asked Ziyacdah for advice on how a layperson like mecould better understand our bylaws. She recommendedRobert’s Rules of Order and suggested I purchase anddownload a digital copy for easy reference. This adviceproved incredibly helpful.As an introduction to the Bylaws Committee, we wantedto have a conversation to help the NVRA membershipbetter understand how our organization is structuredand operates. We hope you find this interviewinformative.Introduction to The Bylaws Committee andRobert’s Rules of OrderQuestions answered by Ziyacdah Atkinson Coleman, CCR- Erica Edwards Botha8

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What drew you to an interest in bylaws?Ziyacdah: My dad. My dad is a retired Air Force veteran. I was raised on thephilosophy of, “If it’s not in writing, it doesn’t exist.” My dad taught me to readevery detail and when he retired and joined the Disabled American VeteransAssociation. My dad immediately registered our family in the Disabled AmericanVeterans Auxiliary (the association for family members), where I have been alifetime member since 1999. When we joined this organization the first thing mydad did was give my mom and I our first copy of Robert’s Rules of Order.Can you share your experience working with bylaws?Ziyacdah: I have over 20 years of experience working with associations’ bylaws. Iam a founding member of my local OES Chapter, where I was the lead writer indrafting our Bylaws. I have been a member of and chaired different associations’Bylaws Committees. I don’t know why, but when I am deep into a set ofconstitutions and bylaws, with Robert’s Rules next to me I get excited. I love it andthe intricacies of the rules of procedure and protocols.Can you explain the significance of Robert’s Rules of Order and their relation to anorganization’s bylaws?Ziyacdah: Robert’s Rules is essential to the order of running an organization.Robert’s Rules are used in Congress. Our government utilizes Robert’s Rules to runtheir sessions in an orderly fashion. This is why Robert’s Rules are so important toan organization’ bylaws. When an organization is first started, Robert’s Rules shouldbe used to help write the initial draft of their bylaws. No one can cover everythingthat could happen within an organization, and that’s where Robert’s Rules comes in.When in doubt, Robert’s Rules should be used to keep order during a meeting orannual sessionHow do you utilize the digital form of Robert’s Rules of Order for quick searches?Ziyacdah: I always suggest that in a meeting members should have a copy of theirbylaws and a digital copy of the most recently published Robert’s. If there issomething you have a question on or something doesn’t sound right, your first stepis to scan your bylaws and verify what you’re being told is correct. I use the Kindledigital version of Robert’s, which allows me to look up anything. I can look up aphrase or even one word and it will populate a list of every time that phrase or wordappears in the book. Then the next step is quickly scanning the listed excerpts. Ifsomething stands out and looks like it refers to my question, I select it and it takesme to that excerpt within the book and I can read that section more in depth to seeif it answers my question or if I need to go back to the list and keep searching.

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Are there any sections of Robert’s Rules of Order you find especially useful forbeginners?Ziyacdah: I firmly believe you should read Robert’s in its entirety, but I know it’s notthe most exciting book out there for people and most out there will not make itthrough the first chapter or so without wanting to bang their head against the wall.With that being said, I definitely recommend, at minimum, reading Chapter II - THECONDUCT OF BUSINESS IN A DELIBERATIVE ASSEMBLY in its entirety. This chapteroutlines the basics. It gives you meetings basic procedures including an outline ofhow to run a meeting from beginning to end. This chapter also generally advisesMembers of how to bring business before the body, how to obtain the floor, howmotions should be handled and plenty of other basic but essential information inChapter II, but I just wanted to list a few. Do you have any favorite rules that are foundational to an organization?Ziyacdah: “A member of an assembly, in the parliamentary sense, as mentionedabove, is a person entitled to full participation in its proceedings, that is, asexplained in 3 and 4, the right to attend meetings, to make motions, to speak indebate, and to vote. No member can be individually deprived of these basic rightsof membership—or of any basic rights concomitant to them, such as the right tomake nominations or to give previous notice of a motion—except throughdisciplinary proceedings. Some organized societies define additional classes of“membership” that do not entail all of these rights. Whenever the term member isused in this book, it refers to full participating membership in the assembly unlessotherwise specified. Such members are also described as “voting members'' when itis necessary to make a distinction.” RONR (12th ed.) 1:4What is a common misconception about bylaws that you’d like to address?Ziyacdah: Interpretation. A lot of bylaws, including ours, have a line in them thatsays something along the lines of: Interpretation of the bylaws will be decided bythe Board/President/Chair or whatever. People see this and say, Well, I have finalinterpretation of the bylaws so if I say it means this then this is what it means.This is incorrect. There are very specific rules and procedures in place thatdetermine when these interpretation rules can be enforced. It’s not at the whim ofthe governing council. There must be ambiguity before interpretation becomes afactor. So in a situation where an assembly has in their bylaws something along thelines of: Members may vote on bylaws amendments electronically and in person atthe following Called Meeting. 10

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This is a big contradiction if your bylaws say, “One man; one vote,” and a conflictwhich would need to be amended as soon as possible, because the bylaws havenow given Members the right to vote on amendments twice. There is no ambiguityin the meaning of the word “and”. In the Merriam-Webster dictionary the very firstdefinition of “and” is, “used as a function word to indicate connection or additionespecially of items within the same class or type used to join sentence elements ofthe same grammatical rank or function.” Therefore if a Member, who has voted electronically, shows up in person andelects to vote in person as well, the assembly would be unable to deny thatMember their right to do both as given to them in the assembly’s bylaws. In thisexample the assembly couldn’t use their final interpretation right to stop thismember from voting twice, because the meaning is clear: “1) Each society decidesfor itself the meaning of its bylaws. When the meaning is clear, however, thesociety, even by a unanimous vote, cannot change that meaning except byamending its bylaws. An ambiguity must exist before there is any occasion forinterpretation. If a bylaw is ambiguous, it must be interpreted, if possible, inharmony with the other bylaws. The interpretation should be in accordance withthe intention of the society at the time the bylaw was adopted, as far as this can bedetermined. Again, intent plays no role unless the meaning is unclear or uncertain,but where an ambiguity exists, a majority vote is all that is required to decide thequestion. The ambiguous or doubtful expression should be amended as soon aspracticable.” RONR (12th ed.) 56:68(1)How does a member’s understanding of bylaws benefit the organization as awhole?Ziyacdah: A Member’s understanding of the bylaws benefits the organizationbecause it helps the flow of the working order. When everyone knows andunderstands their role, an organization will run like a well oiled machine. AMember’s understanding of the organization’s bylaws benefits the Member morethan the organization itself. The bylaws tell the Members of an organization theirrights, responsibilities, and privileges. Also taking a minute to get a generalunderstanding of Robert’s benefits the members of an organization because it isthe parliamentarian guide to not only how an organization should function, butalso walks you through the important knowledge one would need to be an activeparticipant in their organization. - Ziyacdah Atkinson Coleman11

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Hello! My name is Samantha Alicandro and I havebeen a voice writer providing CART and captioningservices since 2016. After earning the RCP-M, I wasvery inspired to get more involved with the NVRA forseveral reasons. I was really looking to be able toconnect with peers, mentors, and experts in the fieldin order to gain insight with the exchange of ideas tobe able to contribute to the standards that upholdthe integrity and quality of voice writing services.Being part of a collective voice that advocates forthe recognition and advancement of voice writing asa profession is monumental!I also serve on various committees for the ColoradoCourt Reporters Association, several committees forthe NVRA, and am the current Chair of the NVRA’sCART/Captioning Committee. As a result, theopportunities for personal development throughleadership roles, volunteering, and contributing tothe profession's growth and evolution has reallyfilled the gaps for me. The CART/Captioningcommittee was formed recently so we are still veryfresh with two meetings in the books. The membersof the committee are: Malissa Burdick, CarynBroome, Stefanie Sweet, and myself, SamanthaAlicandro.Introduction to The CART & Captioning CommitteeBy Samantha Alicandro, RCP-M12

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With the creation of the CART/CaptioningCommittee, my hope is that it will greatly uplift themomentum amongst providers and participationwithin the association. Acting as advocates, raisingawareness about the significance of CART andcaptioning services and encouraging all to prioritizeaccessibility in their interactions andcommunications. By establishing standards and bestpractices, the committee can ensure consistencyand quality across all association members andproviders.The committee's long-term goals are to provideNVRA-approved standards on CART/Captionerethics, definitions, style guides, and a general FAQ allto be used by providers, agencies, and consumers.We are also planning to organize workshops,seminars, and webinars to educate providers aboutCART technology, best practices in captioning, andrelevant accessibility guidelines. Establishing arepository of resources, including tools, and guides,can further support ongoing education andprofessional development among providers.By working collaboratively as members of theassociation and implementing these strategies, wecan effectively raise awareness and educate thepublic about the profession of CART and captioningservices, ultimately contributing to its recognitionand growth. In doing so, we are always in need ofvoices to help spread the word. If you believe youwould be a suitable candidate for this committee,please let us know. Who’s with us?- Samantha Alicandro13

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When asked to write a piece for the eVoice explainingwhy I wanted to be a part of the educational committee,I thought, if anyone knows me, they know that this is my“sweet spot” for service – I love everything about courtreporting (except collections) and love to help ourprofessionals be the best they can be.Have you wondered what the actual mission of thecommittee is? Well, it is broad: “The EducationCommittee shall be responsible for NVRA’s continuingeducation program and serve as point of contact foreducation resources.” So, yeah, it’s a large scope ofresponsibility.When tasked with creating the committee complement,I reached out to Danielle Parker, Jayne Konkel, andSarah Flynn, educators all. I also asked Shar Jennings tojoin us – her perspective as a new professional I thoughtwould help us see what we can do to help studentstransition to working reporters. Sam Alicandro,professional captioner, sought us out and joined usshortly after we started and is another strong teammember.Prior to publication, we had already started working onseveral projects, including a “term sheet” like is oftenpresented in contracts so that we can have a moreuniform understanding of the terms of art in ourprofession. Introduction to The Education CommitteeBy Tori Pittman, BA, CVR-CM-M, RCP, RVR and FAPR,RDR, CRI (Ret.)14

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We created a Dropbox full of inspirational memes for our colleagues on othercommittees so they may share as needed. We have started on other projects as well, including videos to share from ourcommittee’s perspective as well as with the social media committee. (It is ourhope that as our website becomes refreshed – another committee’s task, I hope! –much of the Education Committee’s work will become more and more easilyvisible and searchable.)Our focus after working with the convention planning committee regarding CEapprovals will be delving into the Continuing Education manual and streamlining itso that members know what they can get continuing education credit for. (Did youknow if you pass a certification exam you get CEs? Or if you serve on a committee?*hint hint*)Other projects in the pipeline include creating slide decks for various outreachprojects such as meeting with law schools to explain how lawyers can help make afantastic record by understanding how we do what we do and also creating decksspecific to other various groups such as guidance counselors, career fairs, lunch-and-learns for law firms, public consumers.Our goals are to continue to develop programs and informational items that willmake what we do easier to understand for both the professional reporter and theprospective student reporter who is doing their research into the field as well aseducating consumers who use our services either in the judicial or captioningrealm. Committee work has taken a bit more time than I personally had thought but sinceit is a passion project, it is okay. I love giving back! Serving on this committee willbe a labor of love for the next few years so if you have the time, we would love tosee more folks join us – as the saying goes, “Many hands make light work.”There is no specific requirement for skill set to join the committee, but if you haveany video- or copy-editing skills, have great networking contacts, experience increating and presenting slide decks, or just a passion for content creation in theeducational sphere, let us know!We will continue to add items and let you know with assistance from the SocialMedia Committee as things drop (and where to find them). - Tori Pittman15

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Introduction toThe NASA CommitteeBy Kassie Kosmal, CVR,MVR, AZ CR - NASACommittee MemberHello, NVRA! My name is Kassie Kosmal, CVR, MVR,and I am an official court reporter in Phoenix, Arizona.Earlier this year I joined NVRA’s NASA (NationalAssociation of State Associations) and am so excitedto contribute more to NVRA.One of the greatest blessings in life is getting bothsecurity and fulfillment from your job, and I feel sofortunate that court reporting has done that for me. Istarted my career as an 18-year-old aiming to be alawyer, but ran into brick walls as I called law firms inmy area to see if they needed anyone answeringphones. I was quickly informed that they weren’tinterested in anyone without a bachelor’s degree. Idecided I would get experience and a way to haveschool paid for by enlisting in the Army as a paralegal.So off I went to Basic Combat Training and then on tothe Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center andSchool (TJAGLCS) Paralegal Training Program. Afterthis, I then went to work at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.While there, I worked primarily as a paralegal for theprosecution. Upon undergoing a standard inspectionof our legal offices and personnel, I was offered a slotin the upcoming Basic Court Reporter Course inCharlottesville, Virginia, at TJAGLCS. I had neverconsidered becoming a court reporter, but freetraining and travel was hard to pass up.16

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At first, I was confused why we weren’t handed machines as that’s what I wasused to seeing on TV. Voice writing was a new concept to me, but I fell in love. Iwas struck with the bug. No longer could I stand in an elevator or sit in arestaurant and overlook typos. I began seeing people’s words in my head as Ibuilt the transcript there. I grew up dabbling in theater and had worked on andoff stage; and off stage was what I preferred. Court reporting was for me. Afterfinishing my active duty enlistment, I moved back to my home state of Arizonaand began taking courses at College of Court Reporting so I could learn CATsoftware -- since I was simply taught and certified on Dragon and Word throughthe military -- and acquaint myself with the differences I would be facing incivilian court that I hadn’t experienced in military court.I Googled “court reporting Arizona” and was met with the Arizona CourtReporters Association. Lucky me, they were holding their annual convention notlong after. As I was enrolled in a court reporting program, I signed up as astudent. Since my name badge said “Student” I had firm owners and otherreporters approach me very interested in what speed I was at and whatattracted me to the machine. Imagine my surprise when I mentioned I was avoice writer coming out of the military and they turned their chairs or gave methat look you give someone when you’re doing the calculations on how fast youcan get out of a situation. I quickly realized that even though voice writing wasallowed by statute in Arizona, we were not very well accepted. In fact, when thelaw changed the state association did not change its bylaws to reflect it. Thismeant that, even if I was a certified CVR with an Arizona license through thelicensing board of the Supreme Court of Arizona, I would not be able to be a fullvoting member of my state association. I would instead be allowed to joinsimply as an “Associated Profession”. While at that first convention, I came across a booth where the Board of ACRAwas asking reporters who wanted to be mentored to fill out their informationand they would be contacted by a mentor. I can’t begin to tell you howfortunate I was that a well-experienced machine writer who happened to be amilitary brat read my form and reached out to me, “out of curiosity.” She is nowa great friend and still an amazing mentor. I demonstrated for her what voicewriters do, had her over my shoulder, and felt so happy when she said, “I can’teven hear you!” as she read my realtime. She and a couple of the other boardmembers were intrigued enough to allow me to demonstrate what voice writersare capable of and hear me out about why I believe we can do exactly whatmachine writers can do and would be stronger together as opposed to apart.

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With the support of ACRA’s new board, I was able to secure a slot in thecalendar at our midyear convention to demonstrate live what we do. One of theboard members read dictation as I wrote it into Eclipse with my laptop screenenlarged behind me and over the streaming platform we used for the virtualattendees. I ran them through how I take down, scope, manage files, etc., andfielded whatever questions they had. It was then brought to a vote to amendACRA’s bylaws to include voice writers as equal members with machine writersthat fall at the annual convention.I am beyond ecstatic to report that as of September 2023 voice writers are fullmembers of ACRA. We can vote. We can serve. We are accepted.This was important to me for many reasons. I know the importance of working asa team. I know we are stronger together than apart. In the two years I wasinvolved with ACRA before this vote took place I was able to observe the workthey were doing with the legislature, for students, for continuing education,connecting reporters to jobs, and serving also as a great way to connect withcolleagues in an often lonely profession. I believed in this organization and the idea of it and that it was worth fightingfor. Our state associations serve a very important purpose. They help us keepup on CEUs, yes; but they also are capable of fighting for us at the legislature orother places. They are the perfect place for us to connect with other reportersin our states and also serve as a knowledge hub for state-specific issues. Duringthis time I was also fortunate to go to schools and demonstrate what we do atcareer fairs on behalf of ACRA along with my mentor. I would demonstratetaking down a record with my mask and she would do the same with hermachine. It was a rewarding experience and I felt fortunate to be given theopportunity. When I was initially asked to join NASA I was thrilled to learn about it, numberone; but, number two, the fact that with something like NASA being around, ournational associations can be kept abreast of current events and histories ofeach state and step in and assist, if needed, with ongoing issues. Not only that,but other states can help as well, thus strengthening ourselves in the battles weface every day in each of our respective states.18

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If you aren’t involved in your state association, I implore you to begin today. Ifyour state doesn’t have one, come together with fellow machine and voicereporters and form one. This is how we maintain standards, encouragecamaraderie, and show a united front against what faces us.I am happy to report NASA is a great group. We have met twice so far this yearas of the writing of this article and are learning and sharing what the presentcircumstances are across North America for court reporting as a profession andvoice writing as a method. We are able to assist each other in ongoing fights sowe aren’t recreating the wheel 50+ times. I will reiterate my request earlier foryou all to get involved in your state associations, and in addition come onlineand share your experiences with NASA. This is how we ensure strength andeffectiveness across the continent as court reporters, captioners, and CARTproviders. By increasing participation in our state and national associations we ensure abetter future for ourselves, our clients, and the general public. We are fortunateto have so many stellar people in this profession; and it is an added bonus to beable to interface with them regularly through committee work and otherprofessional engagements. I, for one, have wanted to obtain the RVR for quite awhile. This year I have a reinvigorated sense of enthusiasm for getting therethanks, in part, to the amazing people we have in our midst. This career doesn’thave to be so solitary – and I say that as a proud and comfortable introvert.There’s something to be said for building relationships with people who get you,who empower you to be better, and who strive to be the best versions ofthemselves as well. I know I’m not just speaking for myself when I say your voiceis valued and wanted. I hope you come and join us. - Kassie Kosmal19

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The committee’s responsibilities include:Identifying Potential Board Members: This can be through committeerecommendations or suggestions from the general membership.1.Vetting Candidates: Ensuring that potential board members meet allnecessary criteria and are well-suited to serve.2.The nominating committee plays a pivotal role in ensuring thecontinuity and effectiveness of NVRA's leadership. Composed offive dedicated members, the committee includes:Two Current Board Members: They bring current insights andunderstanding of the board’s immediate needs and dynamics.Two Former Board Members: Their experience and historicalperspective help maintain continuity and institutional memory.One Member at Large: This person adds an external viewpoint,representing the broader membership.This year, the committee faced unique challenges and had to hold moremeetings than usual. I hope they know their insight was invaluable and Iappreciate all their hard work.By ensuring the board is composed of capable and committed individuals, thenominating committee helps maintain NVRA’s effectiveness and stability,especially crucial in turbulent times. If your passion is putting the right peoplein the right place, please let the President know. The nominating committeechanges each year and the members are not made known to the membership atlarge in order to avoid undue influence. Please think about people who arepassionate about NVRA in the months to come and nominate them for boardservice for the 2025-2026 slate.Nominating Committee - Laurie Axtell 22

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AnaMaraBy Ana Costa, CSR, Instructor at West Valley College of Court Reporting and Captioning, and Marilissa Cram, CVRVoice Writing: A Game Changer for Court ReportingAna23As a teenager, I loved the court scenes in the original black-and-white Perry Mason TVshow. Ten years later, a guy I dated learned that court reporting is a highly valuedprofession and gave me the name of an agency. I met with the owner, who directed me to alocal school, Oakland College of Court Reporting, which offered a free week. The rest ishistory!After passing my RPR and CSR, my roles in the court reporting and legal field include beinga freelance and pro tem court reporter; manager, and later sales executive, for three courtreporting agencies; litigation secretary; and office administrator for a forensic psychiatrist/ expert witness. In June 2023, I began teaching at West Valley College’s Court Reportingand Captioning Program.Since 2008, I have trained court reporting students and newly licensed reporters how to bereporters of record at hundreds of mock depositions and trials remotely and throughoutthe greater San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley. They learn how to swear inwitnesses; read back; interrupt for the integrity of the record; mark exhibits; and producerough drafts or final transcripts. Pamela Piehler, CVR, CCR (GA and NV) was my first voiceapprentice, in 2019.I'm still a student at West Valley College and a newbie in this career!I first found out about voice writing from someone I know whoswitched from machine stenography to voice and I'm super grateful.Mara I wanted to bring you all a short interview with the co-authors Ana Costa and Marilissa Cram, CVR, ofVoice Writing: A Game Changer for Court Reporting, published by the San Francisco Bar Association.When I read this article, I knew I wanted to share this informative collaboration between mentor andmentee, machine writer and voice writer. It has been a great inspiration and wonderful resource. - Erica Edwards BothaWould you mind telling our readers a bit about yourbackground experience in regards to the field ofstenography and how you happened upon this career?A mentor/mentee interviewNews HighlightQ:

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I have been a member of the Bar Association of San Francisco’s (BASF) Paralegal SectionExecutive Committee since 2014 and wrote several articles published by BASF to educatethe legal community about court reporting. After AB-156 was signed into law in 2022allowing voice writers to work in California, I wanted to write an article about voice andsubmit it to BASF. But I was recovering from burnout and had writer’s block. Earlier thisyear, we decided to host a paralegal conference in October, and I offered to moderate aworkshop about court reporting and voice writing to educate attorneys and their staff. Itwas time to write that article. Still feeling uninspired, I asked my spring semester Codes & Procedures 2 class if anyonewanted to write an article about voice writing. Marilissa, who has been an activeparticipant in several of my classes, volunteered immediately. A few days later, she sentme an eloquent, beautifully written first draft which provided the foundation of ourarticle. Her writing reignited my passion and inspired me to use my wordsmithing skills toedit and finalize it. I was so happy to collaborate with Mara!I was in Ana’s Codes and Procedures class when she mentioned thepossibility of writing an article and asked if anyone would like to write it.I instantly raised my virtual hand! I think voice writing is pretty amazingand wanted to help other people see how useful and valuable it can be.MaraA mentor/mentee interviewNews Highlight24AnaWhat inspired you both to write this article?Q:

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AnaPersonally, I wanted to challenge myself to really learn about thehistory of stenography in general and voice writing in particular. I'venoticed some misconceptions about voice writing and wanted to helpclear those up. Collectively, we wanted to help educate those who work in the legalfield about voice writing and answer some frequently askedquestions. I believe we were hoping to show its similarities to machinestenography and make it more accepted. Ultimately, it's the skill and professionalism of the reporter, and notthe method of takedown, that matters. Voice writers can be aseffective as machine writers and we were focused on getting thatpoint across.MaraA mentor/mentee interviewNews HighlightMost people don’t understand court reporting, and many wonder why we are stillneeded in this digital era. My / our intent was to educate the court reporting and legalcommunity and public by providing a bit of history about our profession based on facts,with an emphasis on how there are more similarities than differences between stenomachine and voice writing, and that, working together, we will eradicate the shortage.I believe that because voice writers finish their training sooner and are passing the CSRat higher rates than machine writers, they can help stop legislation to replace courtreporters with ER equipment or digital operators in courtrooms throughout California. Ichose not to share my opinion in this introductory article because I did not want to bepolitical. However, if SB-662 is reintroduced, I am willing to jump into the fray to educatethe legal community and public further.25What was the ultimate end goal that youboth had separately and collectively, uponpublication of your co-authored article?Q:

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There were no challenges. Although Mara was in another country and a different timezone, she responded quickly to my requests for her feedback and what she thought ofmy edits. We communicated regularly via email and had one Zoom where I shared myscreen to show my process of editing, formatting, researching, and adding links to crucialresources. This is a very important piece and required eight edits, and I am happy withthe final product. I am grateful to Mara for her inspirational first draft and feedbackthroughout. It was an easy, collaborative effort. AnaMaraI made an outline with the main points I felt were important and thenfilled it in. I sent my first draft to Ana and we were able to collaborateusing a shared document. The first few drafts of the article lacked thestructure that it currently has. Fortunately, Ana has a very keen eye forediting and formatting. She definitely helped to make it easier to read.can you tell our readers a bit about theactual process of writing this article? Didyou face any challenges?A mentor/mentee interviewNews HighlightQ:what type of outreach did you have to do to have thispublished by the san francisco bar? Do you have anysuggestions for other stenographers to do the same?Q:Please see my response above to what inspiredus to write this article. If someone would like towrite an article they wish to be published byBASF, they can contact me for the details. AnaI'll defer this question to Ana.268Mara

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Do you feel that you two were able to accomplishwhat you had originally intended to do?Q:Yes!A mentor/mentee interviewNews HighlightIt has been well received. Comments from my apprentices, students, fellow teachers,and reporters have been positive.Erica: YOUR response and outreach to publish it in eVoice was surprising and delightful!So far the feedback has been pretty positive. I thought it was so cool thatit was read in a speed building class! I look forward to seeing whathappens once this interview is published. I hope it’s positive feedback.AnaMaraAna8I do, yes.Marahow do you feel the article was received? Have you received any surprising responses?Q:can you give our readers any words of wisdomshould they want to do something similar?Q:Follow your passion. If you feel passionate about something, share it with theworld. Collaborating with someone you respect and trust who feels the samecan be a transformative experience.Example: My son Alex is a Ninja Warrior coach, competitor, and co-owner of theWest Coast’s largest ninja gym. He teaches his young students (age 7+) aboutgrowth mindset and four P’s: Positivity, Professionalism, Persistence, andPassion. I changed Alex’s ninja-related words for court reporting-specific terms in hisdescription of Passion (emphasis his):“Intensity. High energy! We are [HERE] because we WANT TO be, we GET TO be,we LOVE [court reporting] training! We know that intentionally increasing ourPassion also raises every other mindset category! The PASSIONATE [reporter]knows that even if an obstacle seems impossible, trying our hardest today willmake us our BEST tomorrow! We're excited for the challenge!!”AnaJust go for it and trustthe wisdom of yourmentor. Don't forget toenjoy the process!Mara27

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Are you overwhelmed by options and high prices of your next work setup?There’s an affordable option you may have not considered. Havingrecently retired my workhorse laptop that served me well the last three anda half years, I needed an upgrade allowing repairs and upgrades, mypreferred peripherals, and easy setup; a mini PC built with laptop parts,small enough to fit in one hand.Compact, modular, and easy to access, my Geekom XT12 Pro Mini PC hasthe 12th generation Intel i9 processor, 32 gigabytes of RAM for theprocessor heavy work of voice writing, and a 1 terabyte solid state drive tostore your data. The aluminum chassis and body keep the internals cool,preventing hardware failure and untimely software glitches. For all of this, it was $630 on Amazon. An additional $160 at Best Buy andjust under 5 minutes later, I upgraded to 64gb of RAM. For under $800, thistiny beast costs thousands of dollars less than a notebook PC.With no monitor or keyboard and mouse attached, a peripheral-basedhardware issue is quickly remedied with a fast swap. My personal, versatilesetup includes a VILVA 15.6” portable monitor ($72) with a single USB-Ccable for power and video and a two-in-one Cherry DW 9100 slim wirelesskeyboard and mouse ($80). I added a portable monitor stand to lift it acouple inches from the desktop ($15). While my notebook PC worked fine, a rushed, panicked purchase wasavoided by taking time to research for something with quality parts thatmet my needs over a brand name. The result was this powerful, diminutive,cost-effective option that others should consider for their own future worksetup.28

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During Court Reporting and Captioning Week 2024, I was looking for waysto promote court reporting, and especially voice writing. I happened to seea story on Facebook about a news station across the country that ran astory on the court reporter shortage in that area. This inspired me to reachout to one of my own local news stations, KWTX, and pitch them the idea todo a story on the court reporting shortage in Texas. I will admit I had anulterior motive to expose more people to voice writing at the same time asraising awareness of the shortage. When I initially contacted the station at the end of CCRW, they thought itwas a great idea and not just for CCRW. I was told they would have areporter in touch with me. The following week, I had not heard anything, soI reached out again. They finally assigned the reporter who covers a lot ofthe trials for us and said he would be reaching out. Through persistence, Iwas able to meet with him and talk with him about what my vision for thestory was. I suggested he talked to the president of TEXDRA (which is thestate association that accepts voice writers as full members) to get morehistorical background on court reporting in Texas. He talked to her and alsoreached out to the other state association.) He took a picture of me writingwith my mask at the end of our meeting to use in the article. The article came out on the KWTX website and on their Facebook page onFriday, March 8. I was thrilled with the article and couldn't wait to share it.I've provided a link here. I would encourage you to do what I did and reachout to a local news station and pitch your own story. I had originally wanteda video story, but I am happy with the way it turned out. Just reach out andshare your passion for this profession and show them what we can do! Let'sspread the word!Jennifer Murphy, CVR, CSR29

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In the realm of legal proceedings and accessibility services, professionalssuch as court reporters, Communication Access Real-Time Translation(CART) providers, and captioners play vital roles in ensuring accuratecommunication and documentation. To maintain the highest standards ofprofessionalism and integrity across these disciplines, the NationalVerbatim Reporters Association (NVRA) has established a comprehensiveCode of Ethics. These ethical guidelines not only uphold the essence ofjustice but also safeguard the credibility of these professions.The NVRA Code of Ethics encompasses eleven fundamental principles thatapply to court reporters, CART providers, and captioners alike. Let usexplore why these principles are crucial in upholding the values of integrityand professionalism in each field:Upholding Integrity:The Importance of the NVRA Code of Ethics forCourt Reporters, CART Providers, and CaptionersBy Sheena Franco, CVR, OR-CSR, WA-CCRIn the realm of legal proceedings and accessibility services, professionalssuch as court reporters, Communication Access Real-Time Translation(CART) providers, and captioners play vital roles in ensuring accuratecommunication and documentation. To maintain the highest standards ofprofessionalism and integrity across these disciplines, the NationalVerbatim Reporters Association (NVRA) has established a comprehensiveCode of Ethics. These ethical guidelines not only uphold the essence ofjustice but also safeguard the credibility of these professions.The NVRA Code of Ethics encompasses eleven fundamental principles thatapply to court reporters, CART providers, and captioners alike. Let usexplore why these principles are crucial in upholding the values of integrityand professionalism in each field:By Sheena Franco, CVR, OR-CSR, WA-CCR30

eVoice July 2024 | Revamped Issue

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