Is Anita Paul's Realtime Mastery seminars worth the money?

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Wow, I'm shocked by all this negative feedback. I've attended her full seminars twice and have attended when she has taught at state associations. Anita can't make you a realtime writer right after her seminars any more than Mark K. can make you a speed champ right after hers. They both give YOU the tools. The rest is up to you. The two people whose seminars I feel were the best use of my money in time EVER were Anita's and Stenograph's Cindi Hartman's CAT training.

As far as the poster above mentioning Anita's personality . . . well, Anita is one of THE nicest, most genuine, caring person you will ever meet. But she does demand respect and your attention while she is up there teaching. Yes, it is hard to sit through a seminar without whispering to your neighbor, but can you imagine being the one at the front of the class where everyone is whispering, no one listening to what you are saying? That would annoy the crap out of me, too.

For the time and money, her seminars are well worth it, IMO. No, they're not cheap. But comparatively speaking, they are. Hers are, what, $600 or so for four days and you get all your CEUs for a whole cycle. If you go to NCRA's annual convention, all-inclusive is over $500, and you don't get anywhere near all your CEUs for a whole cycle.

Hey Young World:)I am so glad this came up. It just so happened that Anita Paul was at My school in Philadelphia last week. I got to inotroduce her,and was just asked to write a article on her as a former reporter,a speaker,and as A NCRA High ranking member, andOver all Courtreporting Diva in my book. I love Anita Paul, Love is a under statement :) I was so excited about her coming when i found out,she was our guest speaker. I Also keep in contact with Mark kislingbury. As a student first time around at crs(Court reporting School)I Didn't practice,so I didn't excel. Now new year school new outlook. I personally crave people such as Mark, and Mrs. Anita Paul. She was witty,informative, her technique was light and attention grabbing,you could tell that she was still passionate about it almost hungrey like a fresh graduate. She was approachable after,and willing to give you the grit of the industry, not just tell you what you want to hear(Or what the school wants you to hear). She speaks on everything from CIC(google it) to realtime, aquiring certifications, to her school experience. From her struggles with balancing homelife as a wife and mother to her determination to finish school, hold down three jobs and the technology side of things. Like the fact that computers back then were the size of dinosaurs, and that for 95,000 dollars they should have come complete with your own stega-whatever! But if you don't do the work: the practice more than 2 hours weekend/weekday, readback,etc you will not graduate, the only thing you will gain is negative energy, not a certificate or certificate. THATS RIGHT I'M SAYING IT yOU WILL NOT GET A CERTIFICATION IF YOU DON'T PRACTICE You have to want it and work for it . Hey that sounds like one of my steno2 paragraphs(Armed forces, blah blah)If you can take advice from someone that has made it and trailed the way for us, and gives back by examing our school,and staying abreast of technology, then go. If not then google. :) Spoken Like a true Diva. - somarvalous 5/17/2010 8:17:38 PM | Flag

Somarvalous, I appreciate your passion for Ms. Paul and her program. Thanks for chiming in. Spoken like a true Diva, indeed. - T3 5/18/2010 12:28:41 AM | Flag

I have been to several of her seminars, and like anything in life, you have to use the information. She puts forth maximum effort to provide you with all you need to become a realtime writer -- in fact, an overload of information. I am looking forward to the next seminar; she always has something new to share. Thank you, Anita, for providing the tools for minimal editing times and the confidence to write realtime.There are many of us that can't say thanks enough. You gave us our life (time) back. - factprincess 11/7/2010 10:06:55 AM | Flag

Answered by kdstrickland {26}
5/13/2010 9:37:12 PM

[2 Votes]

I attended Anita's workshop approx 6 years ago and loved it. It was very informative for the reporter that did not train in the realtime world. ~karen

Answered by debbie {25}
5/14/2010 12:47:39 AM

[2 Votes]

I attended Anita's seminar a few years ago. It was a lot of information to absorb, maybe too much, but the lessons that stuck were invaluable!

Answered by Sarah {280}
5/11/2010 4:58:06 PM

[1 Votes]

I learned a lot, but Ms. Paul's personality and teaching style were overbearing. If you so much as whispered your tablemate a question to clarify something, she'd jump all over you. By the second day most of us were hating life. With the money we'd spent, it was obnoxious.

It's also just too much information to absorb at once. Lots of people bailed on the third day because they were mentally fried. I would have preferred the opportunity to take each of the days singly so that I could have mastered each section.

I know what you mean. I've taken seminars before where I didn't see the light of day for days on end and I was definitely fried. There reaches a point of over absorption and more info is pointless. - Todd Olivas 5/11/2010 5:04:17 PM | Flag

Answered by dtaggart {199}
5/14/2010 5:23:08 PM

[1 Votes]

I attended one of her workshops quite a while ago now. There's tons of information to be had and lots of good advice, but like anything else, if you don't use it, it's no good. You certainly won't walk out of there a realtime writer, but I think that if you take the tools she offers and use them (i.e., practice), it's possible to get there.

Answered by Todd Olivas {2430}
http://http:www.toddolivas.com/blog
5/10/2010 2:36:41 PM

[0 Votes]

While I have not personally attended Anita Paul's trainings or purchased her products, I have heard from reliable sources that, yes, indeed, she is the real deal and her programs and products are a good value for the money. My (albeit third party) 2 cents.

Answered by jbergmancsr {1164}
5/13/2010 8:39:33 PM

[0 Votes]

I received almost nothing of any lasting value. If I had time to really practice some of the ideas, they might be great, but I don't have the time.

An additional note to the above comment: One of the promises of the seminar that I went to was that it would be you totally comfortable with writing realtime. It actually had the opposite effect on both me and a friend who went with me. - jbergmancsr 5/13/2010 8:40:46 PM | Flag

Sorry to hear it had the opposite effect. But like you said, if you had the time to really practice her ideas, well, maybe it might change your opinion. If only we had 25 hours in a day, right? - Todd Olivas 5/15/2010 5:16:22 PM | Flag

Answered by cathleneevans {136}
5/21/2010 11:21:40 AM

[0 Votes]

I've taken Anita Paul's realtime seminar, and I thought it was great -- well worth the money. It's a great way to get your CE points. (I like the NCRA conventions, but her seminar helped me with the actual work.) I plan on taking it again hopefully soon. Her personality can be a little overbearing and abrasive. But if you just go and do what you're there to do, you won't have any problems with her, I'm sure.

Answered by Laura {11}
5/23/2010 9:57:13 AM

[0 Votes]

I took one day of her seminar a few years ago. I'd already been providing realtime for years but am always looking to learn something new and helpful, so I signed up for the more expensive advanced level seminar. When I got there, we weren't split into different groups, so I got to pay more because I was already familiar with the concepts she covered and consider myself advanced. Such a deal.

Her seminar had lots of good information for reporters wanting to begin providing realtime who maybe aren't sure where to start, but if you're already providing realtime, you're probably not going to learn anything new. But do learn from my mistake and don't sign up for advanced!

Answered by JulieSamford {145}
http://www.realtimeready.com
7/29/2010 12:44:21 PM

[0 Votes]

I've been to several of Anita's seminars over the years. If you're wanting to learn some new techniques for realtime writing, you won't be disappointed. She breaks it down and gives it to you in bite-sized pieces. She gives you well-thought-out steno outlines that make sense, way better than the ones I came up with on my own.

For years, I thought that once I got out of court reporting school, that was it. I was done learning. But really, if you want to keep growing and getting better and better, seminars like Anita's are just the ticket. Happiness and the pursuit of the perfect realtime translation .... that's what it's all about!