From an exchange generated from the broadcast captioners group on Yahoo.
For the past several years, NCRA has been stressing marketing court reporter value to its members. A very simplified explanation of what marketing court reporter value did is it trained reporters to talk to their employers, court administrators, clients, etc. and educate them about the services a realtime stenographic reporter offers. I think most of us agree that the good realtime stenographic reporter has more tools in their arsenal and can deliver more products and services than any other steno reporter or alternative record maker. They are, "the gold standard."
Over the years, the various alternative technologies have improved. There are some very good realtime voice writers and ER/DR has improved. Improvements in technology and people are to be expected. After all, a good realtime writer today is far better and has far more tools to offer than a good realtime writer when I started in the captioning business in 1983.
The DAR/ER folks have made great inroads into the court systems the past couple years. Working in their favor is the improvements in their technology and the economic downturn.
The economic downturn has forced clients that once preferred "the gold standard" to assess what they really need. In some cases, they don’t need "the gold standard" or a non realtime steno writer. They are deciding to use other methods for budgetary purposes only.
All of these facts change the way NCRA and its members must look at the marketplace they serve and the way they must do business. NCRA’s Member Value Proposition and Strategic Plan spell out the impact the market changes are having on us and suggest the things NCRA must do to continue to serve its stenographic members.
As the NCRA BoD looked at what it should do to protect its members and help them continue to successfully serve the public, we looked at the things we do well first. We believe we have a great testing program and offer very good continuing educational opportunities.
So, at our November 2008, board meeting, (board meetings are open to all members), we passed a motion directing NCRA staff to do a business plan to assess the feasibility of testing non member steno reporters (we have had requests to do this) and possibly testing alternative methods. We do not know if any of the users, sellers, etc., of the alternative methods would be at all interested in being tested by NCRA or being given continuing education opportunities by NCRA. That’s why you need to do a study first.
What we do believe is if all makers of the record were required to be tested by one national body, then a client hiring a CCP would know the basic skills they could expect from that CCP. Same with an RPR, CRR, CBC, etc.
If a digital recorder cannot produce realtime, they won't be able to be a CRR, CBC, or CCP because they won't be able to pass the basic skills test. Neither will a non-realtime steno writer be able to pass those tests.
As a board, it is our duty to know everything we can about the marketplace our members serve. If we are told we should not even talk with them, explore testing, look for areas of synergy, we will be operating in a vacuum. I fear that if that happens, we won't be able to educate our members on how to take advantages of opportunities that will arise in our new marketplace and won't be able to serve them well.
Other than back in 2004, I don't believe Voice writers, ER, DAR, etc. have requested to become members. Nobody has asked them to become members. The board simply wants to assess the possibility and benefit of having NCRA become the nationally recognized certification and educational body for record makers.
The pluses are that clients will, as I said above, know what basic skills to expect of the person they hire and NCRA will have more dollars to develop programs and provide benefits for its stenographic members.
Tammie Shedd, RPR, FAPR
Fairfax, Virginia
For More Posts...
All posts are reprinted with the author’s permission. All opinions expressed are solely those of the author.
By Jacqueline Timmons, RDR, FAPR - Chicago, Illinois - From a post sent to concernedreporters.com
By Donna Kanabay, FPR, RMR, CRR - St. Petersburg, Florida - From the NCRA Forum
By Mary V. Thompson, RMR - Lafayette, LA - From a response to a group generated email.
By Marty McArver, RDR - Condado, PR - From an email to the President.