Court reporters, broadcast and CART captioners, state associations, and court reporting schools making plans to celebrate 2016 Court Reporting & Captioning Week, Feb. 14–20, can find the latest in public relations and marketing resources to mark the event at NCRA.org/Awareness.
The 2016 Court Reporting & Captioning Week resource center offers specialized templated press releases for members, state associations, and schools. Other materials include newly designed downloadable advertisements showcasing the event, talking points, media advisories, social media outreach tips, activity ideas, Veterans History Project articles, a sample official resolution, and more.
Visitors to the resource site should be sure to check back often as new and updated content will be added regularly from now through the 2016 week-long celebration. New resources will include articles to share, updates on how others are marking the week, media coverage, and more.
“NCRA members do a great job of celebrating and showcasing our profession each day whether in the legal arena or outside of it through the court reporting, captioning, and CART services they provide. The National Court Reporting & Captioning Week provides a bigger stage, however, for us to collectively showcase what we do and the benefits of a career in these professions,” said NCRA President Stephen A. Zinone, RPR, an official court reporter from Canandaigua, N.Y.
The 2016 event marks the fourth year NCRA has sponsored the celebration. Participants are encouraged to share with NCRA’s Communications Team information about how they plan to celebrate the court reporting and captioning professions, as well as photographs of activities. In the past, activities to mark the week have ranged from sponsoring VHP days to hosting open houses to offering demonstrations of realtime reporting.
“Each year the excitement surrounding Court Reporting & Captioning Week gains more and more momentum, and the 2016 event is no exception. We look forward to hearing from court reporters and captioners in every state about how they plan to celebrate the profession in 2016. We also look forward to hearing how court reporting schools and professionals will join together to promote this unique and rewarding career choice,” said NCRA CEO and Executive Director Mike Nelson, CAE. “I encourage everyone to take this opportunity to inspire a potential new court reporting student to explore this profession, as well as make a commitment to help support a current student in their quest for success, as part of the celebration.”
For more information about how you can celebrate 2016 Court Reporting & Captioning Week, or to find the latest in resources, including press release templates, media pitches, presentations, and more, visit NCRA’s Court Reporting & Captioning Week resources page or contact the NCRA communications team at pr@ncra.org. And don’t forget to share with NCRA what you plan to do to celebrate. Send information about activities to pr@ncra.org.
See below for more ideas to celebrate the week.
Schools
- Connect with local high schools in your area and offer to exhibit at one of their career days. Offer to make a presentation about the court reporting profession to high school students following business tracks.
- Welcome back alumni to visit with students and to provide real-life insight into the profession.
- Host an open house and family day for the public and members of the media to learn more about the exciting career of court reporting. Include demonstrations, raffles, food, and texting versus steno writing contests.
- Host a potluck luncheon and invite students, working court reporters, family, friends, attorneys, and judges to swap stories and ideas in a casual setting.
- Create “spirit ribbons” for students and faculty to wear throughout the week to increase awareness about court reporting as a career.
- Host an event that includes members of the deaf and hard-of-hearing communities as well as the general public and high school students, teachers, and school counselors, and provide demonstrations of broadcast and CART captioning.
Firms
- Offer court reporting students in your area an opportunity to shadow your working court reporters and captioners for a day. Students always welcome hands-on learning opportunities.
- Host an open house at your firm and invite high school students as well as the judges and attorneys you regularly work with to help increase awareness of the important role court reporters have in preserving the record.
- Reach out to court reporting schools and offer to host a live Web or Twitter chat with students. This is a great opportunity for students to ask questions about their future careers.
- Offer to caption an event or meeting in your community free of charge. Churches, local theaters, and even schools make great venues for this activity.
- Encourage your court reporters to volunteer for NCRA’s Virtual Mentor Program. More information can be found at NCRA.org/vmp.
State associations
- Reach out to your state and federal lawmakers, and urge them to help celebrate by officially proclaiming Court Reporting & Captioning Week.
- Offer to host an event at a court reporting school in your area where students and the public can help raise awareness of the important role keepers of the record play in preserving vital information.
- Reach out to law schools or your state bar association and ask them to help celebrate the week.
Official court reporters
- Encourage your judges to officially proclaim the week, or submit an editorial to the local media about the important role court reporters play in the judicial process.
- Offer to provide an oral history interview and final transcript to an older judge or attorney within your legal area.
- Offer to provide attorneys you work with a demonstration of realtime if they are not already requesting it.
Freelancers, captioners, and other individuals
- Reach out to local libraries, and offer to decorate a display case or other area with information about the court reporting profession.
- Consider becoming a mentor to a court reporting student through NCRA’s Virtual Mentor Program. More information can be found at NCRA.org/vmp.
- Write a weeklong blog that highlights your daily work and lets readers know how much you love your profession.
