The Tennessee Court Reporters Association asked me to be a speaker at their learning event on June 5, 2020. I will be presenting a seminar called Reporters and Gadgets and Apps — Oh, my! The leaders of our association have determined that the learning event will be conducted via Zoom. I would encourage anyone looking for continuing education credit to sign up now and learn with your Tennessee colleagues!
This is the description of the seminar: Learn to be self-sufficient, productive, efficient, and courageous in your everyday professional life! Lynette will share the gadgets, apps, and other resources that assist her to meet many challenges that may arise in the deposition or courtroom setting. She will also talk about the workflow she uses after the job — work smarter, not harder! During this session, we will wind up with discussion from the audience and sharing other gadgets that have helped them along their “Yellow Brick Road.”
As you can tell from the seminar description, I was totally inspired by the beloved children’s novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, by Frank Baum. It’s been several years since I read the book. Of course, I had to re-watch the movie again to get even more inspired for the upcoming presentation.
“Toto, I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore!”
Dorothy, that lovable character from the Wizard of Oz, got it right with that famous quote. Her “new normal” in this beloved tale takes her on a journey filled with unusual characters and circumstances as she’s trying to search for happiness with her little dog.
There are definitely parallels that may be drawn for court reporters in this wonderful tale too. The COVID-19 pandemic has led a lot of us, I’m sure, to reference the quote, “I have a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”
Just as Dorothy took her first steps into the unfamiliar Land of the Munchkins and faced a world totally unfamiliar to her, we court reporters have had to regroup and rise to the challenge of figuring out smart ways to face our challenges in our new and unfamiliar world of remote reporting. Our clients looked to us to help them through the process of remote reporting, and we met and exceeded their expectations.
For some court reporters, the world of remote depositions was a daunting and overwhelming one. We court reporters are an intelligent and resilient lot in my opinion; and our profession did exactly what Dorothy did when she turned to Glinda the Good Witch of the North for guidance. This little girl from Kansas asked Glinda how she could go back home, where to go, and how to get to the Great Wizard of Oz in the Emerald City. The answer from Glinda? “Follow the Yellow Brick Road.”
Court reporters asked many questions regarding how best to continue working during the pandemic. They researched, researched, and researched some more for ways to keep on tapping the keys on the writers in order to keep the wheels of justice turning! Our national and state associations were there with us every step of the way, took us by the hand, answered our important questions, provided articles, and free and low-cost webinars teaching about the in’s and out’s of our strange new world.
Our associations are just as magical and beloved as Glinda and we should support them in any way, big or small, that we can. I would encourage all reporters to look inside their hearts (like the Tin Man) and really think about what you can do to make a difference for our profession and then reach out to your association leaders and volunteer your time and talent!
As everyone knows, Dorothy met three companions on her journey down the Yellow Brick Road: the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Cowardly Lion. These four souls made their way down that Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City and discovered the power of friendship, love, bravery, and wisdom along the way.
The Wizard of Oz near the end of the movie gave advice and gifts to each of the four companions. For the Scarecrow, the Wizard had this to say: “A baby has brains, but it doesn’t know much. Experience is the only thing that brings knowledge, and the longer you are on earth the more experience you are sure to get.”
One of my greatest accomplishments has been to become a court reporter. I have been a court reporter for many, many years and I’ve gained experience along my Yellow Brick Road that I happily share with my friends and colleagues. I am deeply humbled and honored when a colleague comes to me with questions about our profession and/or technology.
Here’s the advice of the Great Oz for the Cowardly Lion: “You have plenty of courage, I am sure. All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.“
We court reporters need to keep up with so much technological knowledge, and we need the courage of the Cowardly Lion to look within ourselves and know that we can conquer any of our fears; whether it be remote depositions, realtime, or marking exhibits electronically. It just takes a lot of practice and time to get up to speed with the latest resources and tools available to us. We have the brains, the heart, and the courage. We’ve got this!
There’s no place like “technology”!
There’s no place like “technology”!
There’s no place like “technology”!
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