Page 5 - NVRA eVoice Dec 2018_2

5 December 2018 • NVRA eVoice

PLANS BEING MADE FOR

VOICE WRITING IN CALIFORNIA

THE GREAT CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE

by Tori Pittman, BA, CVR-CM-M, RCP, FAPR, RDR, CRI
Freelance Reporter, Wake Forest, North Carolina • toriRDR@gmail.com

his past summer, I got a call I exemplary session than a true realtime asked to be on telephone standby to
was totally surprised to receive. feed. The board members on the dais answer any questions that came up.
“Would you be willing to go to saw that I was exporting to a realtime There were only a few questions and I
TCalifornia and present before output feed (Bridge) and the audience believe that they got the information
the California Board of Court Reporting?” members were able to see my realtime they were looking for.
into my CAT. More than one came up to
Due to declining enrollment in their me after and exclaimed, “I can’t believe I The California Court Reporters Board is
court reporting schools and low passing couldn’t hear you!” now making plans to allow voice writers
rates for their certification examinations to sit for their licensing exam. They are
over the recent years, the number of currently working on the logistics to
licensed reporters available to meet the I encourage all who are serious make this happen and the subject
needs of the judicial community has about working in California to matter experts at NVRA will be helping
been declining and California is begin practicing now – grading, as they move forward in this regard.
struggling with the court reporter focusing on punctuation skills,
shortage. and stressing your silent voicing – This shift presents an amazing
so that when the first CSR opportunity for current voice writers,
So my answer to the request to travel to becomes available, we can students, and prospective students who
California was a resounding yes. I show them just how proficient wish to live and/or work in California.
believed it to be a fantastic opportunity we are in our craft, how we
to demonstrate to our colleagues in the can boost their pass rates, Although we do not know the exact
Golden State just what we as voice and how NVRA’s voice writing time frame when our voice writing
writers do and that not only are our skill professionals can assist with colleagues will be able to sit for the CSR,
sets complementary to a steno writer’s, California’s reporter shortage. it’s never too soon to start practicing.
but that we can help to alleviate some Their licensing skills test is a four-voice
of the reporter crisis that they find dictation at 200 words per minute
themselves in. There were many cogent questions requiring 97.5 percent accuracy for 12
asked by both board members, including to 13 minutes.
NVRA President Don Scott and I met in their extremely savvy public member,
LA on a Thursday morning to determine and the audience. We discussed the From my perspective as a longtime
our plan. We prepared ourselves to how-tos, certification, ethics, and steno writer and also a medium-term
show both the members of the board practicalities of what we do, not to voice writer, this movement from an
and the stakeholders present what voice mention the potential cross-training unexpected party presents one of the
writing is and, just after lunch that day, benefits to longtime steno reporters most amazing opportunities for voice
we did our thing and asked the board to whose bodies may be suffering lasting writers to demonstrate not only our
allow voice writers to sit for their effects of writing on the machine. skills but our professionalism. Let’s all
certification examination. Our work together to become even greater
presentation was live-streamed so that Prior to the CRB’s September meeting, ambassadors for our profession and
people could listen and watch even if the board sent out a brief survey to their bring voice writing to California.
they were not present in LA. licensees, telling them they were
considering allowing voice writers to sit
In case you weren’t aware of it already, for the California CSR. Although the
Don has an incredible knowledge base survey results showed their
about the voice writing method and the constituency to be divided by thirds
history and governance of our (negative, not sure, positive), the board
association, and he was able to parlay continued moving forward with this
that into a wonderfully educational plan of action.
presentation. Though I was demon-
strating realtime, it was more of an At their meeting in September, I was