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I've heard about people practicing via listening to the testimony on court shows like Judge Judy, etc. Is this a good idea?

Asked by s10girl {29}
7/30/2010 2:22:15 PM

I'm in the lower speeds at present (aiming for my 100 wpm) but figured it'd be a good idea to broaden my horizons, practice-wise.  

It also dawned on me that these shows are examples of what are referred to as "mini trials," and that court reporters are not present at such proceedings.  Is it worth my time to even do this?  Thoughts?

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Answered by spdefngrs {276}
http://www.knoxvillecourtreporter.com
7/30/2010 4:47:05 PM

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Practice to anything that talks!  I would practice to Judge Judy or Nancy Grace or Larry King.  Any of those jobs will help you.  Just start writing what they say, then eventually you will get to where you can put in speaker identifications too.



Answered by gdwarner {1174}
http://www.cheapandsleazy.net
7/31/2010 3:36:09 AM

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Hello!

I don't see how this can hurt your writing, really ... but if you haven't had any practice in writing four-voice, you might want to look at this thread from the Depoman.com forum when you get a chance.

You might also see if you can get your hands on a copy of Mark Kislingbury's book, "My System:  The Road to Realtime Excellence" when you get a chance.  He has a system for speaker IDs that will enable you to handle ... what was it ... at least 43 speakers.

Chances are good that you won't need to do that, though.

I've only gotten as far as 3V writing, so that's another question which has come up when I attempted to do this -- how does one do this? But since you were nice enough to give me a reference to handling this, I'll certainly look into it. :)    -    s10girl 8/1/2010 10:46:22 AM | Flag


Answered by Gelamia {40}
8/6/2010 10:29:38 PM

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I used to practice to Forensic Files, New Detectives and FBI Files were my all-time favorites to practice to.  I would tape them and do it real time.  The crazy thing about that is that the Q & A that was on my state board had one of the same episodes that I practiced to.  I really got a lot from doing those shows.



Answered by CR {285}
7/30/2010 8:25:31 PM

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It can't hurt....even if you are in the lower speeds, just get what you can!



Answered by Gina {40}
8/3/2010 6:58:43 PM

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I  agree with Joanne.   Those television shows are way too fast if you're just beginning court reporting school.



Answered by Gina {40}
8/3/2010 6:59:41 PM

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I agree with Joanne.  If you're just starting court reporting school or are in your 100's, those television shows are too fast right now.



Comments from Facebook

Susan Wight France Simonetti
I practice to interview shows all the time and I`ve been a reporter for 26 years. It helps a lot to keep my skill up when work is slow. Yes, I agree with Choco that Court TV or Tru TV it`s called now is great practice, especially for students to see the protocol that goes on.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Rhonda Key Youngblood
Do everything! Practice speed as well as accuracy. It`s all good.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Caren Mills
I do not think any practice is a waste of time. When I was in school I would practice with all kinds of stuff, radio, radio, tv, all kinds of stuff. I had my machine out all of the time and if i was sitting and watching a show, I would be writing. The challenging stuff was on CNN or on CSpan, they would go a mile a minute and lots of new vocabulary flying. Take Care and good luck!
Monday, August 02, 2010
Sarah Bowers
What I don`t like about these shows is that it`s a free-for-all. Everyone interrupts, and the judge doesn`t seem to mind. It can be very distracting and frustrating. Any practice is better than none, though. You could always use it to work on your designations. I just wouldn`t use this show to build accuracy.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Rebecca Forman
When I was in school, once I got to about 180, I practiced to CSPAN. All the Congressional speeches were perfect for practicing literaries, plus I learned a lot. I tried practicing to Court TV, but I didn`t find it very helpful. At lower speeds, I think you would do better to practice with dictation tapes from school.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Danielle Diamond-Gregory
I used to type to court tv trials in crt reporting skool..really helped me w 4 voice
Monday, August 02, 2010
Juliana Napoli-Gomer
I would stick with the tapes they give you from school as well.....
Monday, August 02, 2010
Joanne Lombardo
If you are still in the lower speeds, it will probably just depress and frustrate you because the speed will be around 200 wpm, average speaking. Also, you may shatter the good notes you have now. Be patient; slow and steady wins this race.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Linda Fisher
I would refrain from practicing to shows like Judge Judy as many times they are scripted and the speaking is not natural. You are better off with things like CSpan and real courtroom proceedings, but I wouldn`t practice until I had passed 180s. I have a website, www.stenospeed.com that has free practice dictation. You can download a slider bar that can speed up or slow down the dictation and practice at what feels right for you.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Mikey McMorran
There are web-sites that can send you dictations at your current speed. I, for instance use speedbuilders.com and have been ever since I started in 60/80. I`m currently in 140.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Laura Landerman
I agree with Sarah. They can be discouraging since they are often so out of control..
Monday, August 02, 2010
Michelle Habig Douridas
I think that any and all types of practice are great. I don`t really agree that it`s a free-for-all, et cetera, exactly. What I think is it may be very true to life. I have been reporting for 13 years and have seen it all, the good and the bad. You are best to try your best to practice to all different kinds of settings....as that`s what you`ll face in real life. Anything 40 wpm faster than your target is great practice
Monday, August 02, 2010
Gail Kernish
I used to practice to Court TV too, but Judge Judy and her ilk are not really court. I don`t think they`d be helpful. Stick to the tapes.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Rick Baptist
I think Court TV is a nice distraction. Good chance to use some briefs and vary your practice.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Barbara Mastroddi-Lackey
Thanks everyone for the advice (I`m the original poster of the question). A few people mentioned they did this, and I was merely wondering if it was worth it, even if they are going quickly and there are usually 4 speakers at a time (I can only do 3 voices at this point!)
Monday, August 02, 2010
Choco Rae
Court TV is your best bet. Those judge shows aren`t the same.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Mary Pulliam
Try the news......keeps you going!
Monday, August 02, 2010
Mark Patterson
I like cspan and the house of representative, etc.... lots of court lingo, briefs...
Monday, August 02, 2010
Jesse Klea
Well, I would say everything helps. Everyone interrupts. It`s good practice for just that alone.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Rachel Hilker
What you can do to keep from getting frustrated is to tune your ear to just one speaker. Rather than try to get everything everybody is saying, just try to write one speaker as cleanly as you can. Another use for TV court shows...practice your speaker identification -- everyone is chiming in on those shows, so here`s a good chance to practice switching speakers on the fly...no words, just IDs.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Amanda Leigh
You could practice how to say, I didn`t get any of that. Please speak one at a time and I cannot take down a record of people speaking at once. Didn`t get any of that and I am going to walk if you don`t stop speaking at the same time--none of that is on the record and I recuse myself. This pitiful excuse of a record is unreportable. Find some other sucker. I`m outta here to shows like Judge Judy. Good experience.
Monday, August 02, 2010
Sharon Velazco
OOOOOOR, I`m sorry, sir -- were you saying something? BTW, when I first started trying to build up speed, I would even practice to SONGS on the radio! Good luck!
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
James Matthews
This is an encouraged technique for students in the Army`s court reporting school.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Barbara Mastroddi-Lackey
@Sharon: I`ve actually done steno to music -- talk about keeping on your toes! (I do that as a fun diversion to my usual practice routines of class audio, breakup drills, writing from copy when learning new words, esp. my medical terminology class)
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Thomas Sabatino
If I were you, I wouldn`t waste my time or my brain or my skills on such trash TV as that.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Cathryn Bauer
I think CSpan is the only TV practicing that is really worthwhile. I am generally very contemptuous of Judge Judy and the image it projects of the legal system.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Hugh Gunn
Kind of concur with Thomas and Cathryn. Most court shows are not at all reflective of court, thank God.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Sabrina Salas D`Emidio
Shows like Judge Judy do have their place in your practice. You have to get used to hearing and writing that. People talk like that in court -- imperfectly, bad sentence structure, etc. I do prefer, though, oyez.org, the Supreme Court of the United States website for audio. It includes transcripts as well. It`s pretty fly.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
Sabrina Salas D`Emidio
Shows like Judge Judy do have their place in your practice. You have to get used to hearing and writing that. People talk like that in court -- imperfectly, bad sentence structure, etc. I do prefer, though, oyez.org, the Supreme Court of the United States website for audio. It includes transcripts as well. It`s pretty fly.
Tuesday, August 03, 2010
John Fahrenwald
JJ talks pretty fast
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
John Fahrenwald
JJ talks pretty fast
Wednesday, August 04, 2010
Susan Capobianco
I`d wait until I got a few more words per minute under my belt. You don`t want to shatter too much and accuracy at this point is pretty important.
Thursday, August 05, 2010

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