By Jill M. Landsman
The NCRF Ask Me Anything about Career Launcher was an information-packed Zoom session focused on the deposition training program which is offered to members through the NCRA Learning Center. The March session featured Career Launcher founders NCRA Past President Debbie Dibble, FAPR, RDR, CRR, CRC, of Utah, and Mike “Depoman” Miller, FAPR, RDR, CRR, of Texas, along with students Dana Spear of Florida and KyLee DuBeau of Montana.
Launched in 2021, NCRF Career Launcher provides students and interested NCRA members with practical training through 10 video modules. These self-paced modules present real-world deposition scenarios to help learners prepare for the profession and build confidence through hands-on exposure.
“We really want to focus on the logistics and the value of the program,” said Dibble, introducing the purpose of the Ask Me Anything ZoomUp.
Explaining the program’s origins, Miller said, “This was a thought that came to me when I was serving on the board. I saw more posts from students who were out and not knowing what colloquy was and not knowing how a transcript should look. … There was not that one-on-one mentoring. In the ’90s we had in-house proofreading. That doesn’t exist anymore.”
To bring Career Launcher to life, Dibble and Miller assembled a team that included Kevin Hunt of New York and Merilee Johnson, RDR, CRR, CRC, of Minnesota. The full production process took two years.
Dibble explained that the content aimed to cover “as many scenarios as we could. First we started with navigating the receptionist. Second was going into the deposition room; what is the best setup?” She noted that court reporters may even need to rearrange where attorneys and witnesses sit.
Another goal was to teach proper exhibit marking, how to handle disputes between attorneys, and what to do when they talk over each other. Scenarios covered topics such as patent law and workers’ compensation and included real-life skills. “We covered what we call life lessons,” she said.
The presenters also shared that a new Career Launcher: Remote Deposition module is currently in production. Miller noted, “There are best practices for showing up in person. There are a lot of best practices for showing up to a remote deposition. This [new module] will be an adjunct to the ten we put together. Be on the lookout.”
I really valued this program, as it was a complete road map on how to become a successful court reporter and how to put a transcript together the right way.
Student KyLee DuBeau
One PowerPoint slide included advice from team member Hunt: “You may be the purest writer in the world. You may know every trick possible in your CAT software. But what really determines your reputation as a reporter is your ability to produce an accurate, verbatim, high-quality transcript.”
Student KyLee DuBeau said, “Thank you for having us students here with you. I am starstruck meeting these court reporter legends and then meeting you in real life through a computer. I really valued this program, as it was a complete road map on how to become a successful court reporter and how to put a transcript together the right way. The repetition is the most valuable. … The module that used the interpreter surprised me. Once I sat in on a deposition [in Montana] with two interpreters. … I come from a rural area. Being able to make the parentheticals, the proper swearing-in statements, I did not think twice about it. … It is nice to see how to speak up as a court reporter. I feel like I am a shy person. Seeing someone assert themselves … was lovely. … Our professors did grade [the Career Launcher modules] for us.”
Student Dana Spear added her experiences and said, “I did the Career Launcher in the middle of a move. I did it with reporter feedback and self-graded. … [The feedback] helped build confidence. In Florida, cover pages are different. … There are a few things I need to figure out with my software. I am on Eclipse. I need to know how to do paragraphing. They had videos on YouTube. I really felt like there is a lot of benefit to taking [the Career Launcher training]. I think every student should do it. The resource guide is awesome. I don’t know how many times I referred to [the guide].”
Appreciating the students’ feedback, Dibble said, “It is food for our soul to hear this feedback.” New Career Launcher participants can sign up for the program and gain from the collective wisdom of the creators and trainers as these respected professionals walk learners through the real-world circumstances that court reporters encounter. The program is available to students, working professionals, and court reporting firms and schools.
For more information about Career Launcher, email learningcenter@ncra.org.
Career Launcher Student Scholarships are available for students. The next deadline is June 13. Learn more and apply.
