PRACTICING HARD AND GETTING NOWHERE FAST?

All court reporters in training have roadblocks. Gaining speed is hard. Really hard.  Only those who have gone through it can relate!  But sometimes getting to the next level takes an inordinate amount of time, many, many months, and an impasse is reached.  When that happens, it is time to honestly evaluate what the reason or reasons may be and think about what can be done to overcome it and move ahead.

The first and most critical consideration concerns your THEORY.  Learning your theory inside and out is the cornerstone of speedbuilding.  It is the foundation upon which all progress is built. Without a mastery of your theory, the road ahead will be rocky and full of setbacks.  If your writing is not automatic and you are hesitating too often when writing new or unfamiliar terms, get out your theory book and revisit every lesson.  The review will remind you of what you may have forgotten, and it will reinforce what you have already successfully incorporated into your writing.

The next component of successful speedbuilding is PRACTICE.  When you practice, you are training your brain to memorize the stroke or strokes that are associated with certain words so that it becomes second nature, reflex.  That’s what makes practice so invaluable!  Daily practicing is very difficult but important work, so it deserves your full attention.  It should be done when you are free from distraction and are able to concentrate.

Write with purpose!  Do not just go through the motions.  Break down your takes into small increments and master each increment before you move on.  Spending two hours stretching and fighting to get an error-free, one-minute take is far more valuable than spending four hours casually writing without such a goal in mind.  Just because you have the headphones on for hours on end doesn’t mean you are making progress.

At least two hours every day should be devoted to solid, deliberate practice.  If you can practice more, do so.  Practice at a speed that is challenging but not out of reach.  And although it may be difficult, try to include punctuation when you write.  When you become a working reporter, you will greatly appreciate this habit when your witness gives an answer that is several paragraphs long.

Lastly, practice is for naught if you are not READING BACK.  This is when your errors will become apparent.  Examine your writing.  If you see misstrokes, write the word correctly several times.  This repetition will help ingrain the correct stroke in your memory.  If a certain phrase is tripping you up, spend some time working out the kinks.  If you are dropping, break down the section into smaller parts and keep trying!  Reading back is necessary if you are trying for your 60 or your 225.  No matter what speed level you are trying to achieve, constant readback and critique will pay great dividends in the long run.  With the demand for realtime reporters increasing every day, start now in your quest to write as perfectly as possible every day.

Mastering your theory, deliberate practice, and readback are the keys to moving ahead.  If you are a beginning student, following this advice at the outset will serve you well.  If you are already in the throes of speedbuilding and are not progressing as well as you think you should be, it is never too late to reevaluate, refocus, and start anew.

Written by Connie Psaros, RPR of Doris O. Wong Associates, Inc., for Prince Institute